Gulf Coast 18 Mast Step and Gooseneck

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Spot

On my bigger boat, the cap at the end of the boom has a couple holes in it to facilitate a topping lift and an outhaul for the maintain and a strap that may hook to something else as well. On the kid's boat we cast a new masthead from aluminum since the old one was broken and for a half-wire halyard.

On our Sandpiper 565, the boom end is an aluminum casting, and it had an approx 1/2" threaded end, from which was attached two identical SS plates with two holes in each. (and a raised eye for the outhaul pulley). One hole of each plate went on the above threaded stud, and for one plate the other hole connects to the mainsheet, and the other plate is for the topping lift.

I say 'had', cos one fine day the cast stud on the boom end just snapped. So I had to drill out the pop-rivets holding the boom-end casting to the boom, pull off the end, drill a hole where the cast stud was, and put in a SS bolt and nut to hold the plates again.

To the OP - can you not re-use the current boom-end once you cut a bit off the boom?

[Spot]

L/E-
Mine has a bolt through it and a couple straps as well, originally set up for roller boom reefing.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Spot

L/E-
Mine has a bolt through it and a couple straps as well, originally set up for roller boom reefing.

Nice. Our boom also has some provision (gooseneck and boom-end) for rolling the boom to shorten sail, but then you lose the boom vang. I've opted for conventional reefing, with one reef point in the mainsail. Nice to think that rolling the sail on the boom is still an option. Thanks for reminding me.

[M.B. Naegle]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

...

To the OP - can you not re-use the current boom-end once you cut a bit off the boom?

The boom I have doesn't have anything in the outside end and inside end was a wood plug with an eye bolt to attach it to the gooseneck.

[johnn33]

Try Googling

reefing claw ring
John

[Spot]

Originally Posted by johnn33

Try Googling

reefing claw ring
John

The claws and/or any associated tackle are sometimes called 'boom vangs' up here.


I should really get one in case I need to rig something while the sail is rolled on the boom as my mid-boom bail/padeye is obscured by fabric once the sail is roller reefed.


That still would not solve all the functionality of a missing boom end cap.

[M.B. Naegle]

After looking at other mast steps and studying what came with my boat, this is what I came up with for the mast step hinge. I took the big pin that was attached to the mast step when I got the boat, and turned it down on the lathe to snuggly fit into the masts back slot. That gives a pivot point so the base of the mast doesn't pull forward or drift to the side when I try to raise the mast. It's probably about as simple as can be.

The next step will be to fabricate a gin pole (A frame style) and a mast crutch to fit over the transom. Once my new transom is solid and mostly finished, I'll try raising the mast again.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

The next step will be to fabricate a gin pole (A frame style) and a mast crutch to fit over the transom. Once my new transom is solid and mostly finished, I'll try raising the mast again.

We mostly just hand-bombed our mast up- me lifting from the cockpit -with the jib halyard run thru the bow roller and pulled/held by my gude wyffe. But I did finally make a ginpole about 6 years ago. It's just a single aluminum spar with a U that's attached to the mast at its base, and rope guys to hold it center. I attach the jib halyard to the ginpole's end, and then a 2:1 pulley setup to the bowroller to hoist with. Might go 3:1 to make it even easier. The mast is now stable and easy to lift at every point of the raise.