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importance of boom height--a zen moment

 
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outhaul



Joined: 27 Sep 2011
Posts: 254

PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 7:41 pm    Post subject: importance of boom height--a zen moment Reply with quote

I'll preface this by saying this is true for me and that there's always the exception to the rule but wow, having the boom high enough (just under chin height for me) make things so much easier.
I've read about the importance of this many times but today it really hit home.
I'm 6' tall and I'm getting near the top end of the sail's boom cutout on my 8.5, but after going up an extra 1.5" everything seems so much better and balanced. Sail handling and pumping is easier and more comfortable.
I mention this because when I stated in the sport a few years ago a lower boom felt
more natural, albeit with a much smaller sail.
Today was a light wind day but I can imagine with the boom now higher I'll be able to get better "hang" and be able to apply more mast foot pressure.
It's just cool when one experiences these zen moments after hearing and reading about some of these general rules (again, I know there's exceptions to this rule) and then actually feeling the reason why it's generally true.
My harness line length may need to be tweaked but I can see why maybe it's important to get the boom height dialed in first and then adjust harness lines accordingly.
It's a small thing raising the boom 1.5" but amazing how this can influence everything else.
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manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2014 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used to ride very high booms especially on the big gear. Now sailing waves, I ended up dropping it to around shoulder level maybe a bit higher. I thought it actually freed up the board with more lateral force coming from the rig rather then vertical. It made it easier to load the front foot and control the board with more finesse.

A high boom did eventually set off tendinitis in both my shoulders while lowering it to shoulders height resolved the issue. Wave sailing involves more unhooked maneuvers as well as hooked in slogging and tends to be more demanding on the body.

If one has issues with shoulders throbbing after a session at night, I'd recommend lowering the boom.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2014 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first rule of thumb I noticed in 1980 was "Tired shoulders => booms too high; tired legs => booms too low". It still works pretty well, even though it's not that simple.
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steve1



Joined: 30 Apr 1998
Posts: 239
Location: Alameda, CA

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

isobars wrote:
The first rule of thumb I noticed in 1980 was "Tired shoulders => booms too high; tired legs => booms too low". It still works pretty well, even though it's not that simple.


Yes good point!
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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1546

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some of the new freeride and freemove boards have a scooped mast track. You must raise the boom a bit to compensate. A boom to low can cause spinout...A lot depends on harness lines, type of harness, foot strap position, how wide of a board, sailing style and preference. Try different heights until you get it right for you.
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outhaul



Joined: 27 Sep 2011
Posts: 254

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

isobars wrote:
The first rule of thumb I noticed in 1980 was "Tired shoulders => booms too high; tired legs => booms too low". It still works pretty well, even though it's not that simple.


That sounds right, I remember feeling like my legs were unusually tweaked several times, maybe this will help.
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