Boom Attachment

FranS · Post by **FranS** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:08 am

We have issues with the main sail shape. The foot of the sail always has several wrinkles in the forward corner close to the mast, as if the sail is not raised all the way and the top and the sail shape stinks. Our boom is rivited to the mast, isn't it supposed to ride free in the track? Has anyone experienced this as well?

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:35 am

Funny you should mention it, I was noticing myself yesterday that although my halyard was hoisted all the way to the masthead (to the point that the splice between line and wire was caught by the sheaves) I have a lot of loose sail right at the mast/boom connection.

I've never noticed whether or not my gooseneck is riveted to the mast or not, I was blaming a stretched wire. Maybe mine floats and was too high, I'll check it tomorrow on the way from work and see.

FranS · Post by **FranS** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:42 am

Thanks for the tip! We have an all rope halyard so I'll shorten it a bit to see if that helps.

Banshi · Post by **Banshi** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:44 am

Mine slides and I actually use it as a way to adjust the sail both to adjust the shape and to lower it in heavy weather to reduce heel. A small amount of wrinkle at the bottom is normal because the boom is straight and the sail is curved and if you tighten the downhaul to flatten the sail it will make it wrinkle even more but you gain more from the flattened sail than you loose with a small wrinkle at the bottom. You can also tighten it up by doubling the halyard at the cleat. You loop it around the cleat then back through the loop that attaches your rope to the wire portion of your halyard. Then, while holding tension down on the free end of the halyard, pull out on the halyard wire and take up the slack created by pulling down on loose end. I assume this will work on the 26 as well as it works on the 22. I can not get mine raised properly without doing this.

Guillaume C. · Post by **Guillaume C.** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:58 am

I had issue with this corner of the sail too, at first I used the cunningham hole and suposed the sail was too old and had loose its shape.

But last week I tried tightening it more by using a carabiner hitched to the rope and did as Banshi explained (exept I have an all-rope halyard, hence the carabiner) so I can tighten with a 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio. This removed the problem.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:45 pm

mine its lose. I installed a block in the goosneck, and a cleat to pull the boom down and get rid of the wrinkles. (I'm obsessed with sail shape)

FranS · Post by **FranS** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:29 am

Thanks for the replies. I'm pretty good at sweating a line , so I don't think that's the issue. Im more certain now that it has to do with the fact that the gooseneck is bolted to the mast. Can anyone think of a reason to do this, or any problem in undoing it?

PS ...had the most amazing sail on Saturday late afternoon. Wind was about 15-20. She sailed beautifully on a beam and broad reach. At one point it actually felt as if she lifted, we both looked each other and said, did you just feel that? I was wild.

Banshi · Post by **Banshi** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:29 pm

" (I'm obsessed with sail shape)" Me too but as you probably already know when the wind drops below 10 kts and especially when it gets real light below 5 you don't want the sails flat you want to let them sag as much as possible. Ease off the on everything and move to the leeward side of the boat to induce heel so the sails will hold their shape even if the wind dies completely. Wrinkles are a good thing then both to help maintain laminar flow of air across the sails which will reduce drag and make maximum use out of what air there is by changing the shape of the sails to a higher curvature. Ooops ran off on a tangent there.

Just in case you misunderstood I was not just referring to sweating the line but adding some leverage to take out the slack you create by sweating it. Even on my 22 I can't get it tight enough for heavy air just going around the cleat and I weigh in at 280

Gus · Post by **Gus** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:27 pm

your bolt rope probably streached out...

SailRacer · Post by **SailRacer** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:38 am

Have you tried using a cunningham line?

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:58 pm

Turns out my gooseneck is also riveted in place on the mast after all

essen48183 · Post by **essen48183** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:49 pm

My c22 came with a fixed gooseneck, but my sail shape was actually embarrassing. I thought I needed a new sail. The gooseneck also crushed the hatch when stepping the mast requiring removal of the hatch to step it. Since the chrysler manual said it had a sliding gooseneck, I purchased one that fit and it had a downhaul ring already welded to the bottom. I slid a sailstop into the slot before installing it a little lower than the lowest it is stretched to hold it up when sail is lowered.

I put two of those knurled sail stops through pad-eye type u bolt from west marine and slid the assembly to the bottom and cranked em tight. There was already a hole there, so I slid a cotter pin as extra measure of security. This serves as my lower attachment point for both downhaul and boom vang.

I then added a bail on the mast to attach the vang at between a 30 and 45 degree angle.

Garhauer sells a 4:1 vang package for around $100 that includes two blocks (one with becket and one with cam cleat) and ample rope already spliced. Two of those should do you nice.

Now I raise the main halyard (100% staset x kernmantle - no wire) all the way to the top and cleat it, then I tighten the downhaul and put a little tension on the vang and voila! Wonderful shape, and I can step my mast without removing the hatch.

I used what looks like a cunningham cheek block and cleat on the boom near the goosneck as a jiffy reef type deal along with it's mirror image further out on the boom for the leech's reef point. There's no way that I could think of to you could put enough oomph into that block and cleat without any mechanical advantage to straighten the sail out using it as a cunningham.

Heres a crude drawing as I don't have a picture:
http://www.essenproductions.com/www/for ... ksetup.png

essen48183 · Post by **essen48183** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:02 pm

oops let's try that again!

gooseneck from dwer mast online $63.50:
DH 4100
Gooseneck Slide
Fits Grove Size: 5/8" deep Mast Grove

part numbers from garhauer catalog:
downhaul:

Boom Vangs
25UAG 4-1 length: width:
weight: shackle:
Safe working load is 1000 lbs. Comes with 30 ft. of 5/16" line.

$95.36

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and boom vang:

Boom Vangs
30UAG 4-1 length: width:
weight: shackle:
Safe working load is 2000 lbs. Comes with 40 ft. of 3/8" line.

$103.95

-------------------------------------

Bail, padeye-thingy that sailstops fit through, and sailstops:
off the shelf at west marine. about $30

FranS · Post by **FranS** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:08 am

Thnaks for the detailed reply. If you get a chance a pic would be great!