Most of us, regardless of the sport, are quietly looking for the next upgrade, whether for performance, convenience or safety. It is simple human nature. Cyclists seek the most slippery aero carbon bars, football players might want stickier gloves or a lighter helmet and sailors always have a wish-list of upgrades that are lusted after.
Replacing sails, adding a Code Zero, replacing steel rigging with textile are all likely suspects as is a boom upgrade that can deliver performance, enhanced safety and convenience to every sailor’s time on the water.
While an entirely new rig might be what many sailors really want, our experience is that if there is a budget in place that prevents this, a staged approach, starting with the boom, gives immediate benefits at a lower price point.
Carbon fiber booms offer several performance advantages over aluminum booms. These benefits come mainly from weight reduction and are equally valid for Grand Prix sailors and family cruising yachts alike.
Carbon booms can be 35-50% lighter than aluminum booms. This might only be a small impact to the boat’s overall weight but this is dynamic, moving weight that is a long way outboard.
- Improved Gybing Safety and Ease: A lighter boom has less momentum, which makes gybing less dramatic, easier, and safer. The reduced loads on mainsheet and other sail controls through a gybe reduce wear to any point to which the main is attached (mast, hull, shrouds, traveller and runners/stays)
- Reduced Boat Roll: A lighter boom reduces the tendency of the boat to roll when sailing downwind with the main sheeted out and a lighter carbon boom can lead to a more balanced boat in quartering seas.
- Efficiency and Responsiveness: With a carbon boom the sailboat can respond more quickly to changes in sail trim and wind conditions, enhancing overall sailing efficiency and speed.
- Increased Stiffness and Improved Sail Trim: Carbon booms have a section modulus twice as high as an aluminum boom of the same weight per meter. The rigidity of carbon fiber ensures the boom maintains its shape and does not flex under load, providing precise control over its position, this can further reduce traveller loads.
The key benefit beyond weight is that Carbon Fiber manufacturing methods allow us to “sculpt” a boom rather than simple aluminum section this allows us to:
- Minimize material in low load areas to save weight.
- Reinforce high load areas for better stiffness and longevity. Our engineers work closely with your sailmaker, yacht designer, and boatbuilder to place strength exactly where it is needed.
- Integrate fittings for a smooth, snag free finish. This is more than just the look, a carbon boom should be designed to have free running control lines, making life simple at critical moments.
- Shape the boom sections specifically to your boat’s use case and consider aspects such as accommodating furling, slab reefing and mainsail storage in the design for a slick and bespoke solution.
Which boom is right for your yacht and sailing program?
After decades of designing and manufacturing Carbon Fiber Booms for a wide variety of yachts we have developed an extensive tooling library that we can draw from, reducing the overall costs of a new boom.
- Tube boom - simple, light and high performing we generally supply these to race yachts that are seeking every advantage at the expense of convenience. Once the tube is built we can hand lay reinforcements where they are needed and base this on the engineering plan.
If a sailboat is looking for a little bit of added convenience we can also install trusses that help to simplify sail handling with minimal weight and added structural stiffness.
- V-boom designs are a great compromise for the competitive cruiser/racer. An inverted triangular cross section makes for a very clean look and the flat top section provides a clean area for slab reefing and storing a flaked mainsail.
The flat top section also allows a large area along the foot of the mainsail to run control lines while the lower area only has Mainsheet and vang controls which are perfectly centered.
We recommend a V-Boom to all but the most competitive race boats.
- Furling boom - when made in Carbon they do not need to be heavy
Traditionally the weight of in-boom furling made from aluminum was too much of a trade-off for many sailors. With Carbon Fiber we can now make in-boom furling more than just convenient, we can make it light and safe too! The cruising sailor wants convenience, safety and most importantly relaxation, putting another reef in no longer needs to be complicated and stressful with our Carbon Fiber furling booms.
A little luff, ease the halyard and just roll in as much mainsail as you need. Snug everything off again and go on your way. In many cases this can all be done from the cockpit making for safe and simple shorthanded sailing.
- Park Avenue booms - style and performance aren’t only for a J-Class
Similar to a V-Boom but the flat, top section is recessed meaning that any reefs or a stored sail are completely captured (and hidden) in the booms structure making for an incredibly clean look without sacrificing performance.
If you value clean lines, whether racing or sunset cruising, a Park Avenue Boom is the number one choice and is always a consideration for superyachts.
Durability and maintenance isn’t always a key driver for an upgrade wish-list but aluminum with steel rivets or screws is a fundamentally flawed material choice for a marine environment.
Carbon fiber is highly resistant to corrosion and degradation from exposure to saltwater, UV radiation, and other harsh marine conditions, leading to a longer lifespan and reduced maintenance compared to metal components. Conversely carbon fiber does not corrode in a saltwater environment and offers durable finishes, also there is an improvement for annual and routine maintenance: the lightweight nature of carbon booms makes them easier to handle and install, reducing the physical effort required by the crew.
Handsome is as handsome does but us sailors, we always want to keep everything looking “ship shape and Bristol fashion.”
Carbon fiber provides a sleek, modern appearance that is often preferred by sailors who value both performance and style. Offshore Spars offers various finishing options, including clear coat varnish, painted finishes, LED lighting, and even faux bois (wood grain) finishes for classic yachts.
Regardless of your boat and sailing ambitions, Offshore Spars can build you a carbon fiber boom engineered specifically to your needs. Contact us to discuss how a new boom could make a big impact on your sailing enjoyment.
