Sport Today

OK, I need equipment advice.  I think I am going to buy a Neil Pryde
boom, the one with the red clamp on that has a twist adjust to it, and
the boom end has a knid oof catch for the out hall and then you twist
to adjust it.  Any one like it?  Hate it?  Does it hold up?  Is it
easy to work with or does it take two monster trucks to adjust?  

Also, Harness lines, I've been using DaKine for 3 years.  Any better
Ideas?  

Since these are probably FAQ's, E-mail is fine, but I'll be reading
here as well.

Thanks

Dan Kasha

Old homemade 8'11" (love it), old wadells (love them), old boom (hate it)
old mast (hate it, weighs a ton), old car to tote it around (love it)

The only negative comment I can find is that I keep finding water in
the tubes where it shouldn't be.
Perhaps if I didn't spend so much time in the water.:-)

Be sure to check head sizes since there seems to be a small variation.
I have an AL75 mast which is large and fits quites snug.  No sleeve
could be used but the plastic strap holding the head is fairly wide so
not a big concern for me.

-mark

Sometime this fall or winter, I'm going for 2 new Chinook Gorillia
booms.  I really like these (E9).

Ken

I was previously using the F2 clamp-on harness lines (before I got my
Fleetwood obround booms, which won't fit the clamps).  On my long board
I could adjust these while sailing and was very happy with their
resistence to sliding.  They turned out, however, to be very tricky to
adjust on a short board since you need to stay powered to stay floating.

Ken Poulton

The boom you should get is the Bic UP high-end boom.  It uses the
Nautix head (which is the most used boom-head on the pro tour) and
the Neil Pryde back end.  The NP back end is great!  It has micro
adjusts that let you change the boom length after the sail is already
connected.  Works great.  And, as is typical for Bic, the price can't
be beat.  A team rider for Bic turned me onto the design.  He used to
sail Nautix, but he discovered that the Bic's were cheaper and combined
the best features of both Nautix and Neil Pryde.

Yes, I have these Neil Pride booms. They are great: they clip onto the
mast, the outhaul string-loops just hook over the clew and tension is
adjusted by twisting nuts (with a quick-action release provided), and the
booms swivel on the mast clamp to allow adjustement of boom height without
causing point loading on the mast. The only disadvantage I have found is
that if sand gets into the these rotating 'nuts', on occasions, heaven and
earth would not free them up, which can be tricky...
__________________________________________________________________________
Dr Peter I. Somlo FIEEE | CSIRO Div. Appl.Phys. | "Every coin has three
Head RF/Microwave Proj. | Natl. Meast. Lab.     |  sides - at least"
FAX: 61-2-413-7383      | POB 218 Lindfield 2070|  (Somlo, cca. 1985)
TEL: 61-2-413-7505      | NSW AUSTRALIA         |
__________________________________________________________________________

my $0.02 worth
-Kirk (215 lbs) out

Ken Poulton

Ken Poulton

tom.

|>

|> (Dan B. Kasha) writes:
|> |>
|> |> OK, I need equipment advice.  I think I am going to buy a Neil Pryde
|> |> boom, the one with the red clamp on that has a twist adjust to it, and
|> |>
|> |> [deleted]
|> |>
|> Yes, I have these Neil Pride booms. They are great: they clip onto the
|> mast, the outhaul string-loops just hook over the clew and tension is
|> adjusted by twisting nuts (with a quick-action release provided), and the
|> booms swivel on the mast clamp to allow adjustement of boom height without
|> causing point loading on the mast. The only disadvantage I have found is
|> that if sand gets into the these rotating 'nuts', on occasions, heaven and
|> earth would not free them up, which can be tricky...

I've had one these booms for a couple of months now and I like it too. The
continuously adjustable outhaul is a dream.

The only real problem I've experienced is that of the front end slipping
down the mast a little when sailing in really heavy chop or landing to hard
from jumps. The twist adjust nust can get jammed with sand but a quick rinse
usually clears the lock-up.

One feature I particularly like is the ability to take the boom completely
to bits. If you extend the back end as far as possible (until the nuts are
sitting on the unthreaded part of the tube) a gentle rock of the back end
will then free the nuts from their housings on the boom arms. You can then
unclip the front end from the tubes using the push buttons. Be careful not
to try and pull the back end out too far as you can end up leaving the
*** sealing plugs stuck inside the ends of the arms.

As I carry all my gear around inside a VW Golf (Rabbit) it's handy to be
able to break the boom down to a more managable size.

I always dismantle the boom after sailing and clean out any sand from the
nuts.

Dave

Dave Lumby, Software Maintene[e]ance Group, Software Technology Division, BT
Research Labs, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, IP5 7RE, UK
Phone:  +44 473 642613

"I don't mind valid criticism, as long as it doesn't come from other people"

        tom.