Booby,

Good troll for once. But, perhaps you did not read the
discussion of why the boom is bent, how it was repaired
to be stronger than when new and how the bend actually
flattens the sail as is the very same case when one pre-bends
they racing machine masts. In spite of what you may think,
a bent boom is a good thing when it's internally reinforced
to be stronger than ever.

So, let me explain. The boom broke in two at the aft bale
for the center-boom sheeting while I was beating out of
St. Augustine, FL ship channel in a gale. I should have reefed
but I underestimated the winds and seas figuring I could beat
out and then turn south and reach like hell for Miami under full
sail.

When I was about halfway out to the seabuoy after several tacks
I misjudged an oncoming wave that was about eight feet tall and
stuffed the bow just as I was coming about. The mainsail snapped
across fast as a speeding bullet and the force of the wind and effects
of the offending wave buckled the boom at the bale. I turned
and ran back in under jib and flapping main which I struggled
to get under control as I dropped it and gasketed it as best
as I could.

I repaired the boom the following week after much thought. I
used three lengths of galvanized iron water pipe. One length of
a diameter that fit snugly into the large part of the egg-shaped
boom and two smaller diameter pipes that fit above the larger
pipe into the upper (pointed) part of the egg-shaped boom.

I found the correct sized so I had to hammer the pipes into
the boom and hammer the end of the boom onto the pipes
even after having coated all surfaces with silicone rubber.

After fitting the boom back together like this I drilled and
tapped the boom and inner GIP for machine screws and
re-fitted the bales for the mid-sheet boom.These inner
pipes are five feet long and extend two and one half feet
on either side of the break. The ends are radiused to
eliminate strain sharp edges might cause. The cut ends
were painted with zinc chromate paint so they would not
rust and also coated with silicone rubber sealant. The
same thing was done on the cut ends of the aluminum boom.
The boom is sealed and does not leak. It's a little heavier
but stronger than stock boom.

As for the bend. Please look at the masts on racing sailboats.
You will note many have quite a bit of bend induced in the mast.
This makes the sail flatter and more aerodynamic. So far these
idiots haven't induced bend in their booms but once they figure
it out they will and they will go faster and have more tuning options.

I hope this helps because you need all the help you can get.

S.Simon - a sailor with a custom boom that is strong and fast.


"Bobsprit" wrote in message ...
Wouldn't a good sailor replace a bent, and probably weakened spar before
ordering a new set of sails?

Here's a pic showing the CLEARLY damaged boom of Capt. Neal's worn out Coronado
27.

http://www.homestead.com/captneal/files/Closehaul2.jpg

It's clearly compromised. Also clearly bent in this photo...

http://www.homestead.com/captneal/files/Reaching.jpg

What a disaster. What a shame. What an eyesore! Why not add a new ugly colored
set of cushions to that boat to top it off? Oh...you already did.

Capt RB