Definition: Boom - "The sound you hear which informs you that your head is too high when tacking on a sailboat with that funny metal bar on the bottom of the sail."



A boomless rig is one literally without the boom, and hence without that painful sensation of hitting it repeatedly with your head, nose, neck, groin (hey, it could happen!) etc. A good boomless main has a working camber all the way to the bottom, is lighter, and, without that heavy boom, jibes slightly more gently, providd one does it right (imho). But don't give up on booms altogether; often they can more precisely set up the foot flatness. ANd if you know what to do with the sheeting attachment point, you can almost perfect your mast rotation without a rotator, among other things.



Roto-molded hulls seem in my limited experience to go a little less "crunch" and a little more "sproing" on impacts. I'm not knowledgeable to compare other characteristics. Don't attempt to use them to stop a real bullet.



Where will you be sailing, and wht kind of sailing interests you?



Ed Norris