How to make a carbon windsurf boom

Step 21 Evaluation

The boom sails very well. It is very stiff. Also the hockey stick grip is all right despite its small thickness. The total weight of the boom including grip and boom head is just under 2 kg. This is lighter than commercially available booms of this size (194 cm).

I realize the manufacture of this boom is quit complex and requires a good workshop to complete (vacuum equipment, large oven, per-peg stored in a refrigerator, bagging materials etc.). It took about 50 (work) hours to make the moulds and the first boom. The total time from first intent to sailing on the water was about 2 months.

If the carbon pre-preg and oven are not available, the carbon might also be applied using a wet lay-up method as described in the instructable about making a carbon bicycle: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-I-built-a-carbon-bike-frame-at-home-and-a-bam/
This would however take a lot more building time, because then each separate layer is wrapped with tape and then cured.

Thanks for reading.