Hey Tony.
Hope that an opinionated and experienced sailor drops in here for a chat!
Always equated strop with something you hang on to - as in subway car strop. Envision strop with block off end of boom (rather than a bail or the pair of tangs on 338's boom held on by a loose bolt stuck in the end casting) leading to travelor?
The outhaul tackle on top or bottom of boom would have to, IMHO, be infinitely ajustable and easy to use while sailing. Would have to be mounted to a track or something - with ballbearing cars like the sheet travelor? Maybe the strop the tailor was talking about goes over or around the outhaul on top of the boom to take some of the strain off the outhaul? You know, like a super velcro muff?
This multipart outhaul (or whatever outhaul for the loose foot) must pull the boom into the mast considerably. Flattening the sail with the outhaul while sailing must measured in 100s of pounds. Shouldn't the mast at the boom-end have a sort of saddle-plate? Distributing the point force over a wider area on the mast?
I don't like the 'weakest link' being the gooseneck fitting either!
It is, however. the 'quietest' point for an accident to occur. Wouldn't I prefer a kindof universal joint at the gooseneck?
Gooseneck is a misnomer now, isn't it, as there is no downhaul anymore. Right? Howabout a ball-in-socket joint for the boom to mast fitting? The loads would be fair at almost any boom angle.
But I really hope someone will enlighten us about the forces on the A/C loosefoot boom. And what are the highest recomendations for the end fittings and mast connection? 338's boom is not a very impressive piece of aluminum.
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