Goose-neck issues while sailing south

[SvenG]

Right now we are in Cabo San Lucas for a few more days but then we head up the coast towards La Paz where we hope to finally resolve our goose-neck problem so we can start using the main again.

The problem is outlined here and also here . Basically, when we had the standing rigging replaced a couple of years ago and a Garhauer rigid vang installed, the rigger had the rotating boom welded so it is fixed. That fixed modification causes problems when the boom tries to twist with waves or wind and puts a lot of stress and strain on the attachment to the mast.

I'm wondering who makes goose-necks for a heavy 39-footer if we decide we just have to get a new one or if anyone has any brilliant ideas about how to fix the current set-up ?

Any suggestions for a good SS wizard in La Paz would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Sven

[roverhi]

It looks a trifle flimsy for a boat the size of yours. If you aren't going to replace it with a beefier weldment would reccomend welding on one or two triangle braces on each side and or a gusset on the inside.

Aloha
Peter O.

[delmarrey]

It looks to me like the pin had come out, and while stuck in one ear, it forced it to bend.

But now that it's bent it may need to be re-welded after straightening. After repair I would use a bolt, with the full shank passing thru the whole works and then a nylock or castle nut w/cotter key on the threaded end. And saw off the excess threads.

The ears do seem a bit thin. If it were mine I'd just have a new clevis made with twice the ear thickness, welded onto the end plate. Also I'd made them shaped like this..........

.

[msponer]

I've had very good experiences with metal fabricators and machine shops in Mexico. I feel the least expensive and fastest way to fix this is to just have a better gooseneck and tang made locally.

My preference is for goosenecks to be ridiculously overbuilt; they have a lot of weird cyclic and shock loads, and you lose the use of your mainsail if it breaks. So I'd have something made that is beyond anything that you'd think could possibly be necessary, and then be happy and done with this forever. I hate worrying about things like that.

For a quick hack to get you to La Paz... It's hard to say from pictures, but you could try to constrain the twisting of the mast tang with your giant emergency boom splicing hose clamps (or banding tool, or wire wrap tightening tool, or a string together a bunch of smaller hose clamps) around the mast to pull the tang against the mast tightly and keep it from moving. Or, stronger but more difficult would be to through bolt the tang with nuts on the inside of the mast. The overall vibe is to take some nuts to a welder, have him weld welding rods to the nuts, and then use the welding rod to position the nuts through some other hole in the mast (say where the halyards exit) and allow new, longer bolts to thread onto them. Once you tighten the bolts you then break the welding rod off the nut by twisting it back and forth. It can be pretty tricky, depending on the where the access point is, like endoscopic surgery, but would be much stronger and fix your 'stripped threads in the mast' problem. But I'd still want to just replace the whole gooseneck assembly when you get somewhere.

[daddle]

You can get a nice one fabricated in La Paz. It will take some networking. Just sail to La Paz on headsail only. Half the time there is no wind anyway. And the engine. No worries, ya know.

[SvenG]

Thanks for the answers and suggestions.

We're getting used to sailing under just jib (surprised how well that works !) but are looking forward to being able to use the main again.

On to La Paz for the fix, in a few days.



-Sven

[barnakiel]

How about converting it back to a design where the boom is free to rotate?

b.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

How about converting it back to a design where the boom is free to rotate?

I thought about asking the Garhaur folks how that would work with their rigid vang but think it would be even more work at this point.

Still haven't discarded that option.

Thanks,


-Sven

[svHyLyte]

Consider the alternative of having your Main loose footed rather than tied to the boom for it's full length. That will cut down on the transverse loads that try to rotate the boom, eliminating your problem. The necessary modification of your sail will not be particularly costly or difficult.

FWIW...