Sure looks like these boomend fittings are due for replacement. Who was it here that was going to look into this?
From my perspective (searching for the ultimate Ariel boom, if that IS what I'm doing) certainly the family here has opened a Pandora's Boom of problems. Real and Imaginary. I am just plain inexperienced with aluminum spars. Need this discussion to help sort it out. Our old spars seem to be beefier tho than that photo of sheet metal (a Catalina boom?) Tony's sailmaker sent him to illustrate the strop set up.
That group of (4?) outhaul and reefing sheaves on that Catalina boom looks like just the ticket to reduce gear, BUT I don't think that much could be put into the end of the A/C boom. Never say never, if something like that exists in an aluminum casting, it'ld be easy enuf to shape to fit an Ariel boom. Wouldn't it? But, of course, that fitting is all stainless.
I'm suspicious of old aluminum castings. There are plenty examples of substantial wear, pitting and crystalizing around. Maybe it is time to design, or have designed, new modern fittings. It can't be any more difficult to have aluminum castings made than bronze. Naturally, I want my new set done with Almag 5, which will never corrode. I just recall that the idea was to have new fittings machined from billets. Anybody want to bite the billet on this?
And while fantasizing here about this loosefoot boom (it isn't brunettes any
more) why not reverse the boom, putting the groove on the bottom side and
weld in a truss. The stiffner would be widest at
the vang attachment and toward the middle, graduating to zero at the
ends. The vang could attach to the new flange. Not much weight, and a
lot less bendy. Any thoughts??
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