The old X6 Neil Pryde boom broke bits more often than a Melbourne train in a summer heatwave. (For those from out-of-town, that's a lot.)
Whether it was too much cost cutting, a lack of attention to detail, or all of the above, bits just simply fell off 'em all too often.
It was for this reason that I was about to chuck mine in the crusher and start again, cos I'd had a ($600) gutful. (Must be said, Pryde did supply free new bits without hesitation...)
Till i spoke to Paul @ SHQ.
"Try the '010 version" he insisted. "Its all new - you'll love it. Trust me..." {imagine a glint of pearly white light off his teeth/bald head.}
There and then he (and Mr Pryde) swapped over my old X6 for a brand spanker 2010 140-190cm jobbie, no questions asked. (Now that's service!)
And its all new.
And I love it.
I've sailed the '010 X6 for a few months now, in everything from big Bay
waves to flat water Sandy Point blasting. Its been jumped, gybed, crashed, smeared and, due to the wonders of climate change, cooked in my shed before summer even arrived. Hence surely time for a review.First things first. The shape is different. Stand 'em side by side and you'll immediately notice that the new boom has way more S-bend in the arms than the old one (see above pic; 2010 X6 lying ontop of a 2008 - with any luck they're breeding me a 2011 right now). I gather that having that bigger curve nearer the front is kinda like the physics of an egg; the tighter bend actually gives the thing strength. (Go on, tap on the tighter-bend end of an egg. Doesn't break as easily as whacking its bum does it?) I reckon it works.
The grip is good and arguably feels slightly narrower, even if the stats say it shouldn't be much difference. On the downside, I don't know if its the new grip, but even though
my hands feel super secure and there's never a problem grabbing back on in a duck gybe, my goddamn harness lines seem impossible to stop sliding. Maybe I just need some decent lines - adjustable ones (that I never adjust) are the jack of all trades/master of none, and should be drowned at birth.Speaking of feel, the new X6 also feels lighter, both on the beach and more importantly, out sailing. As I often say with good sailing kit, it's when you don't notice it that you know its doing a great job. And in a gybe, I'm not noticing this boom. (Well, cept the time a Sandy Point end-of-speed-strip duck duck gybe went horribly wrong; boom clipped the water and I was ejected forward at something akin to the speed of sound; or was that sonic boom just the sound of my back whacking the water?)
The boom head certainly looks a lot different. Still the same general clamping action as before but clearly made of different stuff in a different shape and with lots more air/less plastic. Not that the lighter weight design means its less efficient - you can certainly put a lot of force on it when closing around a mast. In fact I'd say be careful, cos I have indeed heard the odd "geez dude you're hurting me" whinge from the carbon fibre as the clamping gave way to crushing, at which point I've loosened things off in self preservation.
What this means, of course, is that you're unlikely to have the thing slip when used in anger - not that that ever happened with the old X6 - plus good to know when you're trying to clamp on
extra hard to unstick a mast using the old two boom trick.Finally, and what everyone really wants to know: AB - how stiff is it??
Well we're not quite into the "schoolboy's first read of Penthouse" stiffness category here, but I'd still rate it above "Sports Illustrated Elle McPherson issue" at the very least, and well above the "National Geographic Tahitian Special" of most alumimium jobbies.
And that's bloody good for a non full-carbon boom.
The new-alloy S-bend arms are clearly stiffer than the old model even at maximum extension, and that's definitely saying something; the one piece front and back ends certainly do their job. The carbon extensions also slide more easily into the arms of the boom than ever before, even after a run in the ludicrously fine Sandy Point sand. (Hey, they don't call it Sandy for nothing.) If they can still be smooth after that, they'll be smooth after anything. The clips are also strong, firm, and appear to be made of something different than before. Or at least they're white.
And thank Ford for that.
I've used them dozens of times now and they haven't broken, which would have been a canonising miracle for the old X6. This is despite them having the seams down all the old places, which was clearly a weak point. Still, the new plastics appear to be making up for the old design, cross fingers. Likewise the tail piece is still from the previous mould, where the seam goes straight through the hey diddle diddle of the rivet, a.k.a, through the highest stress point.
Which brings us to the rivet itself; mines already showing signs of rust (see pic). How much does a full galv/stainless rivet cost? Come on Neil - splurge on a freakin' rivet dude; you're killing me.
All up?
I like it.
Its stiff.
Its firm.
Its comfy.
Its barely noticeable.
Its held together in original form so far and that's so good.
The 2010 X6 140-190cm boom
Overall rating: 8 "woohoo's!" out of 10.
Likes: Stiff, light, strong, forgettable; all the good stuff for a boom
Dislikes: The rusty rivet (Neil Pryde's personal fault). The slidy harness lines (Maybe my fault). Some decals falling off already.
Summary: In the words of Dr Suess "Green Eggs and Ham", surely in at least partial reference to NP X6 booms:
"You do not like them.Right on Doc.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say."
