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Boom Height

Started by Old Forum, April 07, 2014, 08:18:45 AM

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Old Forum

My boom has the original jaws, with a rope downhaul stopping them sliding up too high when the sail is hoisted. But what is "too high"? I tend to set it so the boom jaws are pulled really quite high, about 12-18 inches above the cheeks the boom jaws rest on at the bottom of the mast.



This is becaue I am tall and it gives me a good view forward and saves a cracked skull in a gybe (gibe,jybe??) But I have noticed I get a lot of leach flutter these days which is really irritating. I have a feeling that if I lowered the boom jaws, this would tighten the leach. Is there an ideal height? I have plans to get a fixed gooseneck, but I don't know what height it should be fixed at.
I noticed when looking at some photos of Galway Hookers (God's own boats, believe me) that their main sail tacks/goosenecks are set very low and the booms angle up fairly steeply to the clew end.
Has anyone experimented with this and come up with any answers?

Old Forum


Adrian Evans
   
Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 11:33 am:      
Right with you on the Galway Hookers, Julian. Beautiful boats - both the hull shape and the rig. But a terrifying amount of sail!

Old Forum

Martin Cartwright
   
Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 05:23 pm:      
The height of your gaff is going to affect the setting of your topsail. I would set your topsail and see where the gaff and thence boom ends up.

Old Forum

Julian Swindell
Username: Julian_swindell

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 08:39 pm:      
Um. I have to set the mainsail before I raise the topsail...

I know what you mean! But that raises another question, where do you tie the topsail halyard on the topsail spar? Mine has an inky line on it where I tie a rolling hitch, but I don't know if the line is in the right place. It seems to work OK. There is a fancy topsail halyard hitch, but the rolling hitch has never slipped. Well, only once.

Old Forum


Roger Parish
   
Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 09:18 pm:      
I set my boom height about three inches above the cheeks. I have never found the boom height a problem unless you gybe standing up! The higher you set the sail plan then the greater the heeling moment and the earlier you will have to reef.
Looking at the Brigs in my gallery pictures I would say the booms are set low. A flapping leech is most probably the result of a stretched sail. It could be reduced by fitting a leech line thats a like a reefing line. You would need to put in a cringle say 12inches up the leech from the clew and then use a line to shorten the leech, pulling the line tight through the clew and anchoring with a cleat mounted on the boom. Or you could buy a new sail.

Old Forum

Roger Parish
   
Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 09:23 pm:      
Have just noticed that the picture of WB 1 in the gallery shows the boom height quite clearly.

Ken

I have a fixed height gooseneck clamped round the mast so homed in on "Boom Height " when wondering if the gooseneck was at the best height.
The interesting and helpful comments highlighted that there are a number of variables in WB rigs so any further ideas on fixed gooseneck height with my high peak mainsail would be appreciated.
Regards
Ken