Davro Boomerangs Review

Euro-rang Shop | Davro Wooden Boomerangs | Davro Boomerangs Review

Review DAVRO BOOMERANGS
Review

DAVRO BOOMERANGS

Review published in the British Boomerang Society Journal No 18, 2001.

It is hard to remain impartial during a review of a set of boomerangs that includes the model which was one’s very first boomerang.

I suspect anyone that gets hooked by this sport will have fond memories of their first throws and for me, pulling the Davro Skyrider out of its packaging brought back some very dear memories from 15 years ago. So how to remain impartial? Best we could come up with was to get together a few liked minded folks and throw a few things about.

Come testing day I soon discover there are similar fond memories from others on the review team (I suspect there are few BBS members who do not have at least one of these boomerangs in their collection) and so what we are to review here is a set of boomerangs that have been closely linked (if not in some cases directly responsible) for some of the growth in sport boomerang throwing over the last 30 years in the UK.

Big thanks to our review team: Jay Butters, Willie Watts, Mark Lisney, Martin and Debs Laslett for sharing their thoughts, risking their necks on a very boggy field and being as objective as is humanly possible.

HISTORY

Davro Boomerangs have a lineage that dates back to the 1960’s when Howard Baker started producing strip laminated boomerangs under the Bakwood label. Later he sold the business to David and Ronnie Jones. On retiring two years ago, David and Ronnie sold on the company to Richard Ogilvy, who moved production to its current home of Forres, Scotland. From here the strip laminated models are made from locally grown ash managed by Richard and the other models from high quality birch ply wood.

EIGHT MODELS

The eight Davro models can be split into two groups of four: the strip laminated booms and the plywood rangs. All the boomerangs come nicely finished in a gloss varnish that really shows off the golden ash wood on the big strip laminated booms, coloured varnish on the ply models and all with transferred lettering logo. Included, is a well produced set of throwing instructions (in six languages) with a contact address for the BBS. Lets first take a closer look at the strip laminated boomerangs.

STRIP LAMINATED

Three of these models are basically scaled versions of the same boomerang; the Many Happy Returns, Skyrider and Flightmaster are all straight winged, with wide elbows at around 95 degrees and thick (7.5-9mm) aerofoil sections. These are all finished with a clear gloss varnish and single colour tips. All the boomerangs carry the Davro logo and the model name.

At 45cm (18”) the smaller of these three is the Many Happy Returns. It is constructed from 11 laminations of ash and weighs in at 100g. It has a very easy and forgiving throw and would be a great first boomerang. Being relatively small and light (compared with the other strip laminated booms) it was fairly easy and safe to catch and due to its construction method it would be resistant to the inevitable knocks and bangs of learning to throw. The ideal flight path for this boomerang (and it was similar for the Skyrider and Flightmaster) involved 25m-30m range with a round climbing turn to a peak at around two thirds of the way round, at which point the boomerang was more or less flat and in a fairly stable hover. From here the boomerang would generally sway once or twice down to within a few paces of the thrower. I always think it important for a beginners rang to have what I would call a “readable” flight pattern so that the learner can start to anticipate the boomerang. This one certainly has it and priced at £14.69 all in all it would make an ideal first boomerang.

Next biggest is the 50cm span (20”) Skyrider. Made with 13 lovely ash strips, this model behaves very similarly to the Many Happy Returns. Predictable, reliable and a great learner boomerang if (at 120g) you don’t mind risking the odd rap on the hands. This boomerang is again very robust (as demonstrated by my own 15 year old model that shows no more than nibbled wing tips and a loss of varnish). This is an honest easy to throw boomerang which at £15.39 represents great value as an introductory boomerang for someone with a fairly strong arm.

The largest of all the range is the Flightmaster. At a whopping 60cm (24”) span and made of 15 separate ash strips this is a big boomerang. Although not requiring a really hard throw there is a definite knack to launching the Flightmaster. It requires lots of layover and a long committed action to get this one airborne. Once on its way this boomerang displays a marvellous lollopping gait and seems almost to be spinning in slow motion. The fascinating flight continues until you actually realise this monster is on its way back and a hasty retreat is called for. Great to watch, always gets attention from onlookers but although a reasonable £22.91 it represents little more than a novelty big boom.

The fourth strip laminated boomerang in the Davro range is the Swift . This is an elegant multi coloured strip laminate boomerang (33 strips) that would grace any boomerang collection, from the beginners bag to the boomaholics wall of fame. The mixed colours of red blue and green dyed maple veneer are set between layers of natural maple wood, and finished with a coat of varnish. The open vee shape results in a very pleasing form both to look at and to hold. This boomerang would suit both the competent thrower and beginner alike, easy to launch, a circular flight path of approximately thirty metres rising on the turn to a graceful hover and very easy catch. Highly recommended for sport throwing. £26.44 plus P&P.

PLYWOOD MODELS

The second group of four Davro boomerangs are those made from birch plywood. They include the cheapest of all the range the Traditional. The name of this boom says it all really. The Traditional has an elbow angle of around 100 degrees with slightly tapering wings. This is a no-nonsense boomerang that is very easy to throw, has a short range and light enough for a safe catch. At £10.87 plus P&P it represents good value but may not prove as robust as the strip laminated models.

The Outback was the only boomerang from the sample that needed a bit of tuning. At first this model seemed heavy, needing a very strong throw and was quite unpredictable towards the end of its flight. A good twist of positive angle of attack on the lead arm seemed to help tremendously and completely change the boomerang. Although still needing a fairly strong throw the Outback became a lot more accurate and reliable. This boomerang would seem to be well suited to the thrower looking for a second model who is willing to spend a little time practising their technique. £11.34 plus P&P would seem to be very reasonable for an Outback.

The only triblade boomerang from Davro is the Astro model. It is made from 6.5 mm, 5 ply birch and sells at £13.81 plus P&P. The plan shape for the Astro is different on each wing, as is the aerofoil section. The central hole is a little off centre but overall the boomerang is nicely finished. This is an out of the packet throw with, on initial inspection, tuning is as you would expect for a tri-blader, a lot of anhedral on one wing, a small amount on another and the last wing neutral. No noticeable angle of attack tuning. As with all of the Davro booms there is no real need to know about tuning. This rang was first tested in very light winds, after a few throws it was getting good returns but was needing a hefty chuck to get a full return or plenty of layover to gain height to get it back. Once the best throw was found it came back with a good hover making the catch quite easy. This boom holds it spin well and is fairly heavy (90g) so some care is needed in catching. This is an easy rang to throw, but needs a fairly strong arm and offers easy (if sometimes a little painful) catches.

The Trailblazer is a well established boomerang which makes for a good first distance throw. It is made from 5-ply, is a fairly traditional omega shape and has considerable weights in the underside of each wingtip. It needs a little layover (like any self respecting distance boomerang) and given sufficient power, will do over 50m. The flight path is more elliptical than circular and the return needs to be watched carefully as the boomerang can swoop back at a fearsome pace. It tolerates windy conditions better than most of the rest of this range, to the point where it will struggle to make a full return in calm conditions. It’s a good boomerang but it will make your arm ache!

CONCLUSION

As a well established maker, all of Davro’s boomerangs represent well made, good value, very robust (strip lam models) that, by way of their size are going to appeal to beginners. By conforming to the view of the uninitiated that these are what ‘proper’ boomerangs look like, and combining this with reliable and easy throws these booms are therefore ideally suited to newcomers. With experience it is likely that the keen thrower will soon find most of these boomerangs a little on the heavy side for repeated catching but as introductory models these boomerangs have proven, over many years, to be more than capable of meeting the needs of the new thrower. There is something quite reassuring in knowing that a great many people continue to first witness the awe and wonder of our incredible sport using a Davro boomerang.

Current stock: 0

Euro-rang Shop | Davro Wooden Boomerangs | Davro Boomerangs Review

Copyright 2008, New Heart Trading. Euro-rang is part of New Heart Trading, run by Peter Thake, a registered Sole Trader. Established in 2005. All images and trade names are used with permission. VAT Registered 901 9153 46.

Items:
Value: