Thom Stewart wrote:
... The improved
booms of today are not meant for end loading with shear pressure.

Shear or torsion?

This was demonstrated very well on that POS that the KIWI used to
defend the AC.

I was unaware that the Kiwis boom broke when they were trying to hoist a
heavy weight on the end of the boom. I thought it broke under normal
sailing loads... by definition, poor engineering.

I grant you that poor engineering exists. I dispute that the existence
of poor engineering proves that good engineering does not exist.

DSK