PLATINUM SLS SERIES

We know that there are 2 challenges every windsurfing boom has to face:

• Fact #1: the longer the boom and the smaller the diameter the softer it becomes
• Fact #2: the smaller the diameter (in the grip area) the higher the grip comfort and the lower the fatigue (= longer sessions on the water and/or more power for the race)

Our aim was to achieve a long race boom, combining maximum grip comfort (through the thinnest possible grip diameter) with maximum stiffness - usually two things which can’t be combined as they work against each other.

Utilising the industry's longest experience in engineering windsurfing booms after 3 years of relentless development we have come up with an innovative solution: SEGMENTED CROSS-SECTION TECHNOLOGY

Replacing the usual round cross section, the new PLATINUM 190-250 boom features 3 different cross sections each fulfilling individual tasks tailored to the specific section of the boom:

1. FRONT-END SECTION
   The front-end section, especially right next to the front-end, is responsible for approx. 30-40% of the total boom stiffness. The forces operate in multiple directions due to the lateral pull from your hands and the downward forces from your bodyweight. Therefore here the PLATINUM 190-250 features a massive square cross section which effectively increases the overall stiffness - in both directions, laterally and downward.
    
2. TAIL-END SECTION
   The tail section has similar influence on the overall boom stiffness as the front section, although the influence increases the further you extend the boom length. Unlike the front section where the forces act in multiple directions, 90% of the forces on the tail section occur laterally as the main force comes from the sail pulling sideways. With the forces only operating in one direction, the most effective geometry here is an asymmetrical oval cross section that is horizontally orientated.
    
3. GRIP SECTION
   By drastically increasing the stiffness in the front- and tail sections, we were able to reduce the outer diameter in the grip section by 1.5mm to now 28.5mm. Whilst this might not sound like much, in your hands the difference in grip comfort and fatigue is like day and night. To further increase grip comfort and reduce fatigue we have added a “bumper” to the inside. 

The result? Our revolutionary SEGMENTED CROSS-SECTION TECHNOLOGY creates an unmatched racing boom setting a new benchmark for stiffness AND grip comfort. 

Being even stiffer and lighter than the previous version with 30mm diameter in the grip area, as of today there is no other boom out there with a similar diameter-stiffness-weight ration than the new PLATINUM 190-250!

1. NEW-SCHOOL/WAVE CURVE
   On New School shaped booms the curve is concentrated in the first 25-30 cm while the rest of the boom is straight. This means that you don’t need to twist/bent your front hand even on smaller (wave) sails as it's still positioned within the straight part.
    
2. CLASSIC/RACE CURVE
   Classic shaped booms have a curve ranging further back to approx. 45cm. On smaller (wave) sails this means that the front hand is twisted/bent resulting in increased fatigue or even hand-wrist pain.
   The larger the sail though the more the draft (and with it your hands) moves back so that the front hand isn't twisted anymore.
   Bigger sails also have a deeper profile. Classic shaped booms with their curve ranging further back make the boom become wider in the middle avoiding the sail touching the boom.
   Therefore classic shaped booms are still the first choice for larger sized freeride/slalom sails (6.5 and up).

Carbon booms are 3 to 5 times more expensive than aluminium booms. The reasons for this drastic price difference are the massive difference in the raw material prices and the fact that a carbon boom is 100% custom/hand made. 

Since carbon is a much stiffer raw material than aluminium carbon booms offer 4 essential advantages:

1. When a gust hits your sail you need to pull hard to avoid loosing control. A softer boom bends more the harder you pull. This sideway bend results in the boom to become shorter. When the boom gets shorter the sail becomes fuller/baggy = loss of control.
   The longer the boom (180 and up) the more obvious the difference in stiffness becomes.
    
2. Carbon booms can be made much lighter (up to 20%) while still offering at least 20% higher stiffness. 
    
3. With carbon you can go for thinner diameters (up to 4 mm) while still offering at least 20% higher stiffness. In general the thinner the tube diameter the more comfortable it becomes to hold on to. This becomes very obvious once you go back from a thin diameter to a thicker one. 
    
4. Carbon does not bend. Therefore a carbon boom usually lasts 3-4 times as long as an aluminium boom because any overload (crash, catapult, ..) will eventually result in a bent boom.
   Also due to the fact that carbon doesn't corrode a carbon boom requires much less care than an aluminium one. Check the condition of the ropes once in a while and worst case get the grip replaced and a carbon boom will last for years to come. 

Usually the longer and/or the more extended the boom the softer it gets. Problem is that the bigger the sail (= longer boom) gets the more crucial the boom stiffness becomes for the sail performance and wind range (see above CARBON VS. ALUMINIUM). 
Since you pull with your back-hand when accelerating or pumping or when a gust hits your sail the tail-end section is the most crucial part for the overall stiffness of your boom. All booms nowadays either come with an inside- or outside tail-end.

OUTSIDE TAIL-END
Invented by the DUOTONE team back in 2007. Here the tail-end tubes slide OVER the boom body. 
The larger tail diameter/cross-section increases the overall stiffness of your boom by minimum 30%. Plus in contrary to inside tail-ends the boom stiffness isn't affected when you extend the boom length.
Nevertheless the outside tail-end has 2 limitations:
a. When changing the boom length you need to move the adjustment locking system alongside the tail-end tube. This makes it less comfortable and slower to operate.
b. With the usual 50 cm of adjustment range an outside tail-end requires a minimum boom length of 180 cm. Any shorter and your back-hand may end up being positioned on the (thick) tail-end tube.

INSIDE TAIL-END
This is the classic version to adjust your boom length since the beginning of booms becoming variable in length. Here the tail-end runs INside the boom body.
Advantages are:
> Works for any size/length of boom as the tail-end will never interfere with your back-hand.
> The adjustment locking system is fixed to the boom body. This way it's easier, faster and more comfortable to adjust the boom length.
The only disadvantage is the reduced stiffness which gets worse the further you extend your boom. Usually the tail-end angle is parallel to the boom body angle (in the back). This way you have the least friction between the 2 parts making the tail-end slide very easily inside the boom body. This makes it very comfortable to adjust the length, sometimes up to a point that you can hear a certain "click-clack" when you're heavily "wobbling" your boom.
The only way to increase the boom stiffness featuring an inside tail-end is to generate a certain "pre-tension" in the boom. To do so the angle of the tail-end gets increased so that it doesn't match with the boom body anymore. With this pre-tension you increase the boom stiffness but at the same time remarkably reduce the comfort and ease of use when adjusting the length (therefore only used on PLATINUM 170).

INSIDE GRIPPED TAIL-END
In 2014 we introduced this inside tail-end version for the first time. Same as the boom body the tail-end tubes get covered with an EVA grip. This way it's much more comfortable and grippier to hold on to during ducking moves. The "cuddly"/dampening EVA also completely silences any noise between the boom body and the tail-end. But since the dampening EVA reduces the stiffness we use 100% gripped tail-ends only on PLATINUM 140 and 150 booms whereas the PLATINUM 160 comes with a 50% gripped tail-end (to increase the stiffness when the boom gets extended).

Under usual conditions yes. But for super heavy usage you need to differentiate between carbon- and aluminium booms.

• The worst case scenario on a carbon boom is a breakage when massively overloaded. Carbon booms do not bend though. Therefore carbon booms can be used without any limitations even when fully extended. 
   
• Aluminium though can break and bend. Therefore a heavy rider and/or overloading (e.g. wipe-outs/catapults or landing super high jumps) might cause an alloy boom to bend when fully extended. As a guideline for really heavy (ab)use do not use the last 15-20 cm of the boom range. 

You should always try to avoid getting sun cream onto your EVA grip. Not only can sun cream contaminate especially the lighter EVA colors. But more so the grip gets very slippery thus you need to grip harder which is very exhausting. Most important though is once sun cream gets onto the EVA the grip becomes slippery forever. 

There are 2 simple solutions to avoid getting sun cream onto your EVA grip:

1. After applying sun cream wait until it's fully soacked into your skin which takes at least 10-15 minutes. Since we all wanna get onto the water asap this isn't very practical though. 
    
2. Free your hands from sun cream either with alcohol (quite unpractical) or by using sand to "wash" your hands. 

1. Even for storage or transport please always make sure to close the length adjustment lock system. In the open position the snap part is fully stretched out and therefore might loose a bit of its snapping function after a while. 
    
2. Over time even stainless steel and aluminium parts get affected by salt water.
   Therefore after holidays in salt water please remove the tail-end and rinse it as well as the inside of the boom body with fresh water.
   For winter storage make sure to remove the tail-end from the body. 
    
3. Please make sure to regularly check the condition of the ropes (front- and tail-end). Over time the rope surface might get damaged through the clamping in the metal cleat. When you start seeing the white core it's time to replace the rope. 
    
4. The EVA grip is very cozy on your hands but it doesn't like sharp objects. Therefore don't rig up on concrete but try to rig on a soft ground (e.g. sand or gras). 
   Little cuts in the EVA you need to "ignore".
   Little parts peeling off can easily be repaired using super glue.
   In case the grip needs to be replaced (cause it's halfway gone or cause you cannot stand it destroying the beauty of your boom:-) do not try to do this on your own. It's a very delicate and time-consuming procedure which you should leave to professionals. 
    
5. Need any spare parts? Here you go

In general most people do not use enough tension here resulting in the boom to slowly slide down during heavy sailing. When designing the front-end lever we made sure that you cannot break the mast while snapping on the front-end.

We use a rather "cheap" Polyester rope here by purpose. Compared to Dyneema/Spectra rope Polyester has a certain elasticity. This tiny bit of stretch buffers peak loads (e.g. during massive crashes or landing high jumps) thus preventing overload and a possible breakage of the plastic parts. 

TIPS & TRICKS

The VTS TAIL fitting is not compatible with older tail-ends. Yes it requires the same tail-end diameter as the iTail Wave fitting (the iTail Race requires a different/larger diameter altogether). But the VTS TAIL fitting is attached to the tail-end by TWO screws (instead of one) - and these screws are in a different position. Therefore it is not compatible.
But since the dimensions of the tail-end have not changed you can buy a complete tail-end including the VTS TAIL fitting to use it with your older iTail Wave boom.