Hi. I'm new to this forum and am really glad it's here. Does anyone have a good source for a ready made replacement gooseneck? Fixed to the mast type is what I want. I'm hoping to not need to reinvent the wheel and have one custom made.
Thanks,
Paul
Hi. I'm new to this forum and am really glad it's here. Does anyone have a good source for a ready made replacement gooseneck? Fixed to the mast type is what I want. I'm hoping to not need to reinvent the wheel and have one custom made.
Thanks,
Paul
It seems this post never got a response.
My gooseneck has now reached the end of its service life. Below is a rough diagram of what I have. The piece I broke on Saturday I call the "eye." It emerges from the center of the boom. I'm thinking it might be the end of a long rod that runs inside the full length of the boom. Anybody have any info on that?
I took this picture last Winter. The whole business is pretty ugly. You can see that one of the "ears" is broken off. The "saddle" looks brittle, deformed and suspect.
The gooseneck is fairly critical. I wish it were a more robust structure. There is a brief mention in the Manual about a fixed gooseneck. I kinda like the downhaul, but I'm open to suggestions.
I broke that "eye" piece on Saturday while sailing in heavy winds. I didn't know it until I got back home and dropped the sail. Then it broke apart and the boom started flopping around. Could have been an ugly scene if it happened while underway.
Pete,
Check with RigRite--
They have a lot of New Old Stock Pearson Spars parts like this. If you don't see it on the website, you might call them up as I have found they have more misc. than is listed.
Alternatively, you can have a machine shop duplicate the original parts. My Triton has nasty cast aluminum everything which is old and pitted...in which I have little faith. I am having a fellow in the technology department at the local U. duplicate all of the parts from billet stock, which shuold be much stronger. I'm going to be sure that a Delrin bushing goes between the stainless parts (like your "eye") and the rest of the assembly, as well. Cost--especially on things like the spreader sockets--is markedly less than buying the stock cast-aluminum items.
Dave
C.P. ,
I've seen the gooseneck end fitting on the Rig-Rite web site. In fact it was then that I found out that the boom on my ariel was in fact a furling type. They have the center eye which in fact is just a spring loaded post affair replaceble on its own or I believe they have the whole gooseneck end fitting as well as the saddle. In fact I think they have the right size boom extrusion too.
My "eye" was worn nearly clean through and the saddle was also badly worn. A friend welded up the hole in the eye which I then redrilled to proper dimension and I milled out a new saddle from a piece of scrap aluminum which I had pack-ratted away for 23 years!!! Pack-Rats rule!!
Good luck getting the end fitting out of the boom.
Russ
C'pete,
Looks like the boom/mast fittings on 338 are just like yours, not broken yet. Very much hope that your research leads to an upgrade you can tell us about.
We have cast aluminum parts breaking all over the place. We gotta put a stop to it!!
On #76 we replaced the aluminum gooseneck toggle with a duplicate made of stanless steel. Ditto for the eye in the boom, which was a spring loaded bit of machinery for the old roller reefing system. It is now bolted solid to the boom end fitting.
Preliminary investigation at the rigrite.com website didn't reveal a match for the "saddle" (gooseneck toggle).
This one looks pretty close
I spoke to Rudy at D&R. He thinks the end boom casting with the ears may be the same as on the P-26 and he can get it. (I'm not so sure its the same). It would have to be machined for the holes.
I'm sure my old one is fused on.
He believes that he has the "eye" piece (he called it an arrowhead). It can be taken off by removing the bolt at the back end of the boom. I'll let you know. I'll have to take measurements and make some more calls.
I'm thinking that if I buy a different "car" (gooseneck slide) for the 7/8" track I might have more options. Maybe get a toggle with reefing hooks and do away with the broken ear and the reefing hook I've been using.
In the meantime I've been sailing with just the genoa like some lazy weekender. I'm cobbling something together to get the mainsail back in operation (don't ask).
OK, I'll take the risk.... My initial reaction to the idea of having to take the bolt off at the back (aft) end of the boom to get at the arrowhead thingy was....WHAT??!! Sorry, but it is a complete puzzle to me as to what effect that action would have other than to free up the bolt and butterfly. From what pics I saw on Rig-Rite a year or so ago, I assumed ( makes an ass of U & me - word), The arrowhead (eye) was a short spring loaded shaft that the boom can rotate around when pulled aft enuff to release the arrow head base from its capturing socket in fwd boom cap casting. If the shaft is somehow connected to the after end of the boom ..... How can this boom furling action take place?
Am I missing something here? Help!
Russ
More on the above....
Unless it is a non furling boom and someone figured it was cost effective to install a very looooooooong bolt with an arrowhead on the forward end rather than a short bolt captured firmly in the end cap.
Maybe the bolt in the boom (aft) end cap is causing some confusion. It is short and is there to act as an axle on which the boom will roll while being held up by the topping lift as you reef the main. The total assembly of the locking axle with eye at the forward end is only about 4 inches long.
Bill,
Guess you've been there...
Now if I can only free up the bolt at the aft end of the boom, strip off all the eyes, jamb cleats fairleads, turning blocks, and cleats I can give the boom a whirl....
Nah...
Russ
I replaced the boom with the one from my old Commander. Its the bottom one in the photo. Both "ears" were broken off, and the "eye" (arrowhead) hasn't got much left to it.
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