Does my small saiboat need a boom?
 

Newbie question: I was given an old, very small sailboat (just 8' or
9'). The hull was in a poor state but the sail and mast were in good
condition. I cleaned the hull and repainted the boat and it now is
seaworthy. Well, almost seaworthy. The people giving it away told me
that two things were missing and they could no longer find them: the
centerboard and the rudder.

I figured I could probably build these things so I agreed to take the
boat. I have yet to build a basic centerboard and rudder for it but I
also realized that the boat does not have a boom! Is it possible
that, given that it is such a small boat, it may not require one? I
cannot figure out if they simply forgot to give me the boom
(unfortunately I cannot contact them anymore), if they didn't have a
boom anymore or this type of small boat simply doesn't need one...

If it does require one, how difficult would it be to make a simple one
and what material (wood, metal, etc.) would be most appropriate.

Keep in mind that I am not trying to turn this thing into a competition
sailboat. Just want something to float around and have something to
play around with on a windy day (when it is too wavy to waterski behind
my powerboat). Cheers! Andre

Melandre wrote:
Newbie question: I was given an old, very small sailboat...
... (snip for brevity) ...
... the boat does not have a boom! Is it possible
that, given that it is such a small boat, it may not require one?

Yes, it's possible. Some sailboats, even big ones, don't have booms.



If it does require one, how difficult would it be to make a simple one
and what material (wood, metal, etc.) would be most appropriate.

Personally, I'd go with aluminum but wood may be simpler if you can find
a good grade of light, straight, clear grained lumber (spruce is ideal).

You don't describe the geometry of the sail, or the rigging. Is the sail
triangular or four sided? If the sail is hoisted on the mast without a
boom, how is the sheet rigged? What happens when you pull it in tight?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:55:32 -0400, DSK wrote:

Melandre wrote:
Newbie question: I was given an old, very small sailboat...
... (snip for brevity) ...
... the boat does not have a boom! Is it possible
that, given that it is such a small boat, it may not require one?

Yes, it's possible. Some sailboats, even big ones, don't have booms.



If it does require one, how difficult would it be to make a simple one
and what material (wood, metal, etc.) would be most appropriate.

Personally, I'd go with aluminum but wood may be simpler if you can find
a good grade of light, straight, clear grained lumber (spruce is ideal).

Personally, I'd go with a 300 horse E-Tec. :)

Later,

Tom

Personally, I'd go with aluminum but wood may be simpler if you can find
a good grade of light, straight, clear grained lumber (spruce is ideal).



Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
Personally, I'd go with a 300 horse E-Tec. :)


I thought he said "boom," was it really "zoom?"

DSK

DSK wrote:

If it does require one, how difficult would it be to make a simple one
and what material (wood, metal, etc.) would be most appropriate.


Personally, I'd go with aluminum but wood may be simpler if you can find
a good grade of light, straight, clear grained lumber (spruce is ideal).

You don't describe the geometry of the sail, or the rigging. Is the sail
triangular or four sided? If the sail is hoisted on the mast without a
boom, how is the sheet rigged? What happens when you pull it in tight?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


A couple of boat plans I had purchased over the years (but never used)
suggested going to a farm irigation supply company for the aluminum
tubeing for mast/boom. Should be much cheaper.

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 21:46:46 -0400, DSK wrote:

Personally, I'd go with aluminum but wood may be simpler if you can find
a good grade of light, straight, clear grained lumber (spruce is ideal).



Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
Personally, I'd go with a 300 horse E-Tec. :)

I thought he said "boom," was it really "zoom?"

You mean he didn't?

Whoopsie...

Don White wrote in
:


A couple of boat plans I had purchased over the years (but never used)
suggested going to a farm irigation supply company for the aluminum
tubeing for mast/boom. Should be much cheaper.

If it's an 8' - 9' boat, you might even be able to use a tent pole, closet
bar, or some such

For the rudder and centerboard, they don't have to be fancy, just 1/2" or
5/8" marine ply with plain urethane paint or varnish will last years if
stored out of the water. An old ash baseball bat can be a good wood source
for a tiller.

--
Steve (remove anti spam XYX in return address for correct email)
http://www.gulf-stream.net