gooseneck

Jun 14, 2014
4
Hunter 23 Coos Bay, OR
Does anyone know it the original gooseneck was adjustable..we are having trouble with the boom hanging too low in the cockpit..the piece with the gooseneck attached is riveted to the mast..there is still room for the main to go up when tight.. it looks like the boom was intended to be attached higher on the mast where it is reenforced...if it was intended to be adjustable any clues where to find that piece
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,531
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Is the mainsail original? Is the topping lift or boom Kicker allowing the boom to be too low. It should at least clear your head with sail up. Now, I would suggest two photos be posted of the gooseneck that is on there and another for any holes in the backside of the mast would help us all. Photos would help resolve this issue vs. 1000 words.
 

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Nov 5, 2013
73
Hunter 22 1983 Lake Norman
I had a similar issue on my H22. A new mainsail solved it. The old sail just let the boom hang down too far, I guess because it was blown out and the leach was stretched.

Not a cheap solution, but one that works well. Adding a kicker would get the boom up, but the sail would be really baggy then, and tough to control in a blow. Fine for light winds ( sorta (c: )
 

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Nov 5, 2013
73
Hunter 22 1983 Lake Norman
Crazy Dave, I release the topping lift when sailing. I could make it so the boom was higher, of course, but then the TL begins to chafe the leach of the sail. Do the Hunter keelboat guys just ignore this ?? My only other keelboat experience is with an Ensign, and not much of that. They have a clip for the TL and it's on the backstay, used only when the boat is not underway. My CB dingys all use no TL when the boat is under sail.
 
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Jun 8, 2004
10,531
-na -NA Anywhere USA
take a side photo with the sail deployed and no topping lift holding the boom. I too suspect if the original sail, it too has stretched over time so photos please.
 

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Nov 5, 2013
73
Hunter 22 1983 Lake Norman
take a side photo with the sail deployed and no topping lift holding the boom. I too suspect if the original sail, it too has stretched over time so photos please.
Dave, check the post two above this one w/a question concerning the topping lift...Thanks
 
Jun 14, 2014
4
Hunter 23 Coos Bay, OR
I will get the pics tomorrow or friday..sail is possibly original but still odd that it is about 6 or so inches from the top of the mast..thanks
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,531
-na -NA Anywhere USA
The topping lift served two purposes. One it kept the boom up without the mainsail deployed in the absence of an expensive boom kicker plus it is a safety device to keep the boom from falling an hitting someone in the head. For that, I would put up with the topping lift sometimes touching the sail but not an issue with chafing. Basically I left it a little loose and remember when sailing, it falls away from the sail under a good wind. Never experienced any chafing issues.

The question originally posed was why the boom too low. Not enough information without photos and most would agree. A picture is worth a thousand words. Plus I use to be an investigator which is why I asked for those photos. When an issue arose while a dealer, I used my investigative skills learned previously in my thinking to find what caused an issue and come up with a solution.
 
Jun 27, 2012
34
hunter 23 Acton Lake Hueston Woods State Park Oxford OH
I have the exact same issue. 85 h23. Original sails. I suspect the main is blown. My boom hangs so low that the only head it would clear are anyone that sits up against the cabin. My topping lift with a PO was taken out of the boom so it's in the way of everything. This weekend I'm planning on routing it back in hoping it will help.
 
Apr 27, 2010
1,279
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
I followed someone else's suggestion to reroute my topping lift (H23). The PO had attached a thin (say, 1/16) wire rope to the mast crane with cable clamps and a thimble at the lower end attached to aft end of boom with a shackle - thus not adjustable.

I cut the wire rope so it was about 3 feet short of the boom when the boom is horizontal, put the thimble in the end and a small swivel block on the thimble. The topping lift line runs up into the fore end of the boom, out one of the sheaves at the aft end, up to and through the block and then back down to be tied to the end of the boom. It is now adjustable, and the block gives me a bit of mechanical advantage when lifting the boom.
 
Dec 8, 2011
172
Hunter 23.5 New Orleans
I followed someone else's suggestion to reroute my topping lift (H23). The PO had attached a thin (say, 1/16) wire rope to the mast crane with cable clamps and a thimble at the lower end attached to aft end of boom with a shackle - thus not adjustable. I cut the wire rope so it was about 3 feet short of the boom when the boom is horizontal, put the thimble in the end and a small swivel block on the thimble. The topping lift line runs up into the fore end of the boom, out one of the sheaves at the aft end, up to and through the block and then back down to be tied to the end of the boom. It is now adjustable, and the block gives me a bit of mechanical advantage when lifting the boom.
Another (simpler?) way to get the same result is to run a soft topping lift line from the mast head through a block at the boom's end and then tie a rolling hitch with the end of the topping lift line on the standing part of the line coming from the masthead. Then boom height is easily adjusted by sliding the rolling hitch up or down the standing part of the topping lift.

Kind regards

Hugh
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,531
-na -NA Anywhere USA
What I use to install on the end of the boom was a double sheave block with a V jam which was easy to secure/unsecure with a perm. knot at the end to insure the boom would not fall all the way. My customers like that set up and it is the block used on the smaller boom vangs but used the largest I could find.