Goose Necks Attached To Mast, Permanet Or Floating?

[Noreastern]

We are planning on replacing the wood rolling furling boom on our 1965 Pearson Invicta. The way the boat was designed the goose neck was attached to the mast inside the mast sail track which enabled it to slide up and down the mast. This way luff tension can be adjusted not only with the mainsail halyard but with a cunningham attached to the bottom of the boom. A stopper bolt prevented the boom from dropping all the way down to the deck when lowering mainsail.

My question is what are the pros and cons of this system compared to a goose neck attached permanently to a fixed point on the mast like is done on most modern designs I have seen?

Appreciate all thoughts.

[model 10]

That is just too weird and sure to jam up and not to work someday. To much friction on such a small track area and not to mention the metal to metal problems..

[Noreastern]

Well I might agree and sometimes I do have to wiggle it for the boom to rise when setting the main. However it has worked for forty-seven years. The pros are a great down-haul (cunningham) and infinite boom height adjustment.

[Sailmonkey]

We've got the same sort of setup. the only time it's been a problem I created by adding a vang.

If i was going to replace the gooseneck I'd go with the fixed type and put a cunningham grommet in the main. But what isn't broke doesn't need fixing.

[cal40john]

Probably not a problem on a boat your size, but I've noticed that boats in my size range on my boat the boom comes down to a point where we can reach it to furl the main, take off the halyard, etc. Most of my friends with fixed booms have steps or stand on winches to get high enough to work with the mainsail.

[Noreastern]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

We've got the same sort of setup. the only time it's been a problem I created by adding a vang.

Our vang/preventer system with dual block and tackle setups connected to a track near the toe rail starboard/port would not make this a problem.

Thanks for that very good insight though.

[Steve Pope]

Hi Noreastern, I have a similar set up to yours and have been pondering the same question, I would be interested in a sketch of your vang setup. I have normally had the boom strapped down against the stop. Your setup sounds much better.

[roverhi]

The sliding goose neck is an outdated concept. It works but isn't needed. The racers found that a fixed gooseneck with a Cunningham gave better control of luff tension and didn't hurt the performance of the main. It's your choice whether you keep the old system. I used the car and track but shortened the track and put a bolt in it so it was essentially fixed in position when I got my new boom. Had the mainsail made with a Cunningham that I tension with a 4 part tackle.

[Noreastern]

Steve,
I do not have picture of the setup we have now but this picture shows the old setup and basic concept. Before we removed the wheel steering we used a secondary winch port and starboard to haul vang/preventer now we use a two part tackle lead to the cockpit. We are refining setup before we refit the boat and come up with a permanent solution. Since we store our dingy under the boom behind the mast we could not use a traditional vang setup and this one also works as a perventer. We use high stretch line for this application to lower the initial loads.

[roverhi]

Used a similar set up for our vang(s). Only mine is four part tackle on each side led back to the cockpit with SpinLok PXR cam cleats for instant release. Boom is quite close to the cabin top and quite long. Afraid a rigid boom vang would have put too much strain on the vang, boom and mast as well as taking up a bunch of real estate that I had other plans for.

Be careful of setting it up so you have vertical pull on a genoa track. They really aren't designed for heavy vertical pulls. Seen a bunch of the track and aluminum toe rails bent from putting too high a load on them.

[Snowpetrel]

I had a gooseneck system like that on my first boat, a folkboat type with a masthead rig. I ended up fixing the boom in position, much better for slab reefing. With modern winches, sails and spectra halyards the halyard tension can be set up tight enough and there is not the same need to tension it down from the boom end. A cunningham is much easier to use if you want to tweak the luff tension.

IIRC those sliding systems for roller booms were handy in that you could drop the whole boom a foot or so and then make the halyard fast. Then you could wind it up with the roller reefing boom.

[Steve Pope]

Thanks Noreastern I get the idea.