Gulftech boom

[swchandler]

Bob, I'm a bit curious. Does the Gulftech carbon connector design retain the original bent curve of the old design? Do you have a photo of a fully assembled boom with the replaced connection?

As I commented earlier, I have an old Gulftech slalom boom from 1992 that was retrofitted by Gulftech years ago to include a carbon connection, but the boom seemed changed. The bend in the front seemed quite different, yet the real downside was the terrible front end that they were using. To be honest, I only tried to use the boom once because a newer Gulftech Glory boom I was using froze up and wouldn't adjust. Things were less than ideal because of the moment.

I still have the boom today, but it has been buried deep in my newer shed. I also have a later Gulftech slalom boom, still made in TX, but the front end is broken-off, so it is difficult for me to replicate the bend overall. I think that there was a difference in bend design between the 1992 slalom versus what I think was maybe a later 1996 model. There was certainly are many visual and manufacturing differences that can be seen when contrasting the two.

I have to say that absolutely loved that 1996 model. There is nothing like it today, and it was so light.

[thombiz]

The bottom picture is of a complete boom I made using parts scavanged from the Gulftech shop. I built it to use on my largest sails...a 10.4 Gaastra and a 9.5 Simmer 3X. I only showed the boom front due to limitations on the number of you can have in a picture to be posted and a boom that big would use a lot of pixels or it would get blurry. I don't have any idea which yoke goes with what boom series and, it mostly doesn't matter. Before epoxying the yoke into the arms, I set the assembled boom on a work table and set the tailpiece at the mid-point of the adjustment range, then I insert the yoke and make any adjustments until it fits well and seems correct based on the ability to adjust the range of the tailpiece. Usually it all goes together correctly. If it just doesn't seem to fit properly I try a different yoke. This does not happen very often. There are no part numbers or anything like that because these are mostly all prototypes. They are EXTREMELY STIFF and STRONG.

[swchandler]

Sorry Bob, I guess I wasn't quite clear. I was hoping for complete photo of the boom top to bottom.

With such a photo, I think that you would be able to discern the fair lines of the arms, and the degree of separation between them at the front end.

Also, I should ask what is the date(s) of the boom you modified.

I also have a newer Gulftech large course (c. 1998), and a shorter wave (c. 1996-97) sized booms, but it's hard to compare such different sizes because I think that the bends aren't quite the same between them.

[thombiz]

Ok this is the boom for the 9.5 and 10.4 . It has two sets of extensions and the ones shown are the shorter ones. The longer set adds about 16" more to the length. The most recent modifications to the booms happened about 10 years back, and the ones prior to that were about 2004 starting with the big boom. The big boom was the most difficult because of the very long range of adjustment. The carbon on the big booms are hand wrapped and very light. I remember it being difficult to find mirror matched boom arms that long. I found one arm right away in a boom with a broken arm. It was maybe a week later that I found boom with a broken arm that could be the donor for the second arm.

[swchandler]

Thanks Bob. It's quite a bit different than my smaller slalom boom, but it looks like your large boom has a very nice bend curve that is nicely faired. I guess I could picture my older 1992 boom, but that will take a bit of work right now. It's ironic that yesterday I removed and replaced a bunch of stuff trying to find my polyester resin stock and related products for a current project right now.

I guess it's up to me to document photographically what I've got with that old 1992 boom. While I'm convinced that it's not quite right, I'm thinking that the 1996 slalom boom might have a better horizon line should I want to revisit it.

[thombiz]

Seems like I remember about 1995 sails started to get a lot flatter and Don McCormick responded by making some booms with a much shallower chord depth. Often sails were right up against the boom arm. Dunkerbek and Pryde led the way with these changes.

[swchandler]

Bob, I believe you are right. Flatter sails with a more flexible leach were definitely a part of a lot of changes going on. Also, boards went through a huge design revolution too.

[lmabadie]

Hi Bob!
thank you for your answer. That is quite an involved repair that is probably the best way to do it, but I would need to get several components for it that I do not have. Some questions for you:
1) Where is a good place to buy carbon fiber for general repairs (boom, masts). Any recommendation on what type of fiber to buy? 2) Those front pieces you mention in your first posts that I would need. Do you have any of them available?
3) Did you ever repair a broken boom arm / joint to front piece just putting a sleeve in the outside or inside and then wrapping with fiber? This question is for a different book, a Fiberspar boom that I broke a while ago. Now I am questioning myself which of the two booms should repair, or maybe while I am at it, repair both.


Just to clarify, I am the guy that used to drive through corpus in my way from KC to SPI every year and you did several same day sail repairs for me .


Thanks!

MIguel
Miguel

[thombiz]

Hi Miguel, yes, I remember you now. You were always traveling with the family and usually headed for SPI. Usually trying to make it a one day trip from KC to SPI. For the most part...carbon fiber is made by only a few manufacturers so there is not much quality difference between suppliers. I usually buy supplies from`US Composites in West Palm Beach, Fla.

I have not repaired a broken boom arm because I had access to old booms with one arm broken allowing the other boom arm to be a donor for the needed repair. I've built racing sailboats and lots of other stuff so I have the experience, the knowledge, the understanding of how to use the materials to make a reliable repair. For you......I would not recommend it. Take replacing a boom head for example. With shipping you will pay about $140 for a replacement MauiSails head, then I need to get $40 for a yoke, then you would need resin and hardner ...another $70, then carbon fiber or S-glass, $30. Then add acid to eat away the aluminum of the previous boom head, shrink tubing to close the end, sandpaper, masking tape, etc.
So you'll spend at least $290 before you even start the repair. If you use the material regularly and have it already on hand, then the cost is much cheaper, but starting without those materials....it gets expensive.

I would recommend trying to find a good used boom. Lots of people are getting out of the sport and finding a good used Streamlined or HPL.

I sold a used sail to a guy in New Orleans. He was just getting into windsurfing. So, I also found him a used HPL boom that had maybe been in the water 10 times so it was in great condition for $225 + shipping.

If you were already in the business using carbon and resin it would work, but having to buy all the extra materials would make it too expensive to be viable.

Just my 2 cents.

[thombiz]

Miguel, you might check here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/425661507450784/permalink/2742363135780598/?sale_post_id=2742363135780598