I have read that the boom height pre 85 should be 3' 6" from mast step to top of boom does this sound right? mine is set way to low and I wanted to make it right. Thanx again as always Alan
boom height
- Thread starter piedpiperIII
- Start date
Not sure on the measurement, but I always hoist the main to the top and then, using a small line, pull down the goose neck as far as she'll go, tying off at a mast cleat. This keeps the boom high enough to not hit me in the head while seated and makes for a flatter sail, too. I'll have my crew take measurements next time.
Im not familiar with this concept as it relates to the boom and thinking about how it might work....
I can understand the sail is lower in higher winds if it is reefed, but do you also have a slider on the mast so that you can lower the boom on the mast and reef also?
l would think it would be best to have the boom lower on the mast in lighter winds as well so that you can maximize the sail area, with the exception that the luff of the sail is only so long and the head of the sail should be as high as possible in light air...(in heavy air you can reef the main) so unless you have an assortment of main sails with different lengths on the luff, it would cause one to think that the boom could remain stationary on the mast.
to the op, the head of the mainsail should go to the top of the mast, and the length of the luff will dictate where boom has to be attached to the mast.
it IS possible that someone has changed the main and moved the boom to fit the sail, as it does sound about a foot high to me, but then I dont know the sail plan for that boat....
Center,
Early Catalina's were often equipped with a sliding gooseneck. See image below. A line held the part in place and kept it from pulling up when the halyard was tightened. I'm never understood really why. Its not a great idea. It functioned poorly as a cunningham. Catalina now offers fixed goosenecks as retrofit parts.
I was never concerned about boom height since it has a sliding gooseneck. Like Drinkmilk said, raise it up all the way and pulled the boom down to tighten the luff. I am thinking Gene does not raise the sail to the top in higher winds which means the boom is lower when tightened down.
I recently added a boom kicker on my 86 and set the height to 3'3" from the mast step. My boat was without a topping lift and I wanted to add a bimini which the sliding gooseneck would prohibit while at anchor or in the slip. I was using a sail tack to hold the boom at a raised height along with the pigtail to secure it but didn't feel comfortable with weight resting solely on the tack so I wend the boom kicker option. I believe I read on the forum the height should be 3'6" for early models with the taller mast. I had the posting bookmarked but removed after my install. I'll see if I can find it for reference.
Center,
Early Catalina's were often equipped with a sliding gooseneck. See image below. A line held the part in place and kept it from pulling up when the halyard was tightened. I'm never understood really why. Its not a great idea. It functioned poorly as a cunningham. Catalina now offers fixed goosenecks as retrofit parts.
Yep, that's what I have. In light air, I keep the boom as high as possible while still being able to get proper luff tension using the halyard. In heavy air, I secure the boom much lower, to reduce heeling. This was a tip I picked up from Watercolors last year. It's working well for me so far.
I asked because there is a set screw that the boom rests on and it looks low to me, when I looked closer I see that this screw has been adjusted many times from the marks on the mast. as it is now my sail does not go to the top if the mast is tied down to this screw height and the last sail slug is so close to the mast gate it looks like it may pop out. And this makes the boom very low at the mast.