bamboozled by boom

[bugbitten]

My poor 9.2A is finally back in the water after fourteen excruciating months on the hard. I accomplished much, but probably fourteen weeks worth of work for the average Joe, at most.

I'm dying to get in a sail, but I made the mistake of dismantling the boom at the beginning of this ordeal, and I'm baffled by the outhaul assembly. Actually, I could use help with ANY of the boom's bits, but if I can get the outhaul together, then at least I can get the mainsail hung. There was an internal block that had frozen, so in the photo of what I think are the relevant bits on my unvacuumed dining room rug, you'll see a new block that was as close as I could find. I attached the eye-spliced line to it that had been attached to the original, so that part of the set up should be good. That line is about 9 1/2 feet long (it looks nearly new, so I assume it's completely inside the boom). The other line that I think goes to it is about 17 1/2 feet long, 5 1/3 feet of which is a smaller diameter line with an eye splice on one end that I guess I cut (my memory sucks) to detach it. I marked the other end as coming out the gooseneck on the starboard side.

I'll attach some other photos I took when first taking things apart. I'd hire a rigger to take care of it, but they're all too busy to bother with a small job like this.

A sketch of how it basically goes together would be great, but I'll take any help I can get.

Thanks.

John

 

[kloudie1]

Probably 2:1 internal outhaul.. Small diameter wire from outhaul car, around pulley at outboard end, and to becket or body of block.. Outhaul line anchored at gooseneck end to block sheave then back to outlet fitting then to cleat.. You will have to get both end caps off to re-rig it, I think.. Not perfect, but it would look something like this:

 

[kloudie1]

And for more fun:
https://www.google.com/search?q=2:1...Yf4Cw#imgrc=dyxv6RCBIsUrgM:&spf=1496522684095

 

[bugbitten]

Oh, man, that looks right to me! Thanks a ton for taking the time to do the drawing and find the links. Now I need to get a piece of new line to run to the gooseneck. I did drill and tap the gooseneck for bigger, allen head bolts as the old ones would simply fall out on their own. It'll be easy to get that back off.

John

 

[Mark Maulden]

Why is the outhaul line going to the gooseneck? Did i miss something?

 

[kloudie1]

Has to be anchored on the end not being adjusted.. He said one end had been in the gooseneck.. the other end is by the cleat for adjustment.

 

[Mark Maulden]

Cant help ya John..but you got my interest peaked so i looked up the clew end of my boom...i have a rod that goes fwd looks like to a bolt that goes through the boom. Maybe my fwd point is that bolt which i also think was for the original bail for the sheet. My traveller got moved fwd... not sure what that rod does...

 

[Benny17441]

Always thought that the outhaul does not get much adjustment from the average sailor so having a perfectly working purchase mechanism inside the boom might not be a necessity to go sailing. Just place a small cleat at the end of the boom, tie a line to the clew of the sail and pull tight and cleat the line and go sailing. Obviously I present this as a quick fix to get in the water and it may not be an appropriate remedy for larger boats which may require more pressure than a guy doing a straight pull might deliver.

 

[bugbitten]

I'm pretty sure that's right. I'm okay at fixing my boat; I'm not that great at sailing it and thus have not used the outhaul that much! I'm luckily sailing on a pal's boat tomorrow up in Deltaville. I'll get back to my heap Monday and give all this a try. I'll put the Harken 2:1 outhaul image below. In that, the upper end of the line going over block B heads back to the cam in the gooseneck, I think. The other end comes out as indicated at C (but on the side of the boom), and is tied off on a cleat, as Claude suggested.

John

 

[bugbitten]

Um. I've found a complication. My bock B, in the Harken diagram, has two shackles, not one. One of them would, I think, go to the cable running to the clew, per the illustration. But then there's the eye spliced, fresh-looking line attached to the other end, with the longer line going over the sheave, out the gooseneck on one end and out the side of the boom on the other. So, where does that shorter line go? I'm pretty sure I moved the spliced eye directly from the old block to the new one, so it's where it should be.

John

 

[bugbitten]

In my pictures taken during disassembly, on boom3, which I'll attach again below, it looks like that fresh line that must be internal exclusively, loops over that block that's attached to the plate on the side of the mast, and the longer line goes over that sheave that's actually on the outside of the boom. Sorry if my terminology isn't correct.

John

 

[bugbitten]

Here's another photo, as I was just starting to pull it apart. I wish my memory were better.

 

[bugbitten]

I did some searching specifically for Kenyon boom outhauls. Rigrite seems to think I have the E section boom and that it has a 4-1 set up. Here's what they say about the internal outhaul (I think the two cams at the forward end of the boom may be for reefing lines - that one I had marked as coming out of the starboard side of the gooseneck may not have been related to the outhaul - or maybe it'd been jury rigged at some point).

Here's the page: http://rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/E-boom.php

and here's the relevant text, which is pretty confusing to me. I'll ask them what this kit costs. I'm betting it ain't cheap. The big question will be if it comes with instructions and lots of pictures. I'll upload the picture of the kit, but it's pretty tiny and doesn't show how it's laid out in the boom.

E-Section Internal Outhaul Tackle, 4-1: K-90227M:
Internal Outhaul Tackle for use with E-Section Boom provides a 4-1 purchase. Block and Tackle assembly includes 22' of 5/16" line and 14' of 1/8" wire spliced to the Blocks. Becket block attaches to bolt at forward end of boom, line exits through centerline Gooseneck sheave, wire exits through centerline sheave in outhaul assembly. Wire length is suitable for longest standard length boom, but must be cut shorter in most applications. Includes fiddle block, single block w/ becket, spliced line, wire, and loose captive-pin Clew shackle w/ thimble & nicopress. An 1/8" Nicopress Tool is required for installation.

 

[bugbitten]

This photo is from an Ericson website. Based on the RigRite description, I think this is getting pretty close.

 

[LeeandRick]

What is the new Harken block for? Was the old block bad or did you want an eyesplice instead of a knot inside the boom.
Looking at the parts from picture number 1 and using the new Harken block, attach the wire rope to the becket opposite the line. Run the line (From Harken) around the block that is attached to the exit block and back around the Harken block then back to the exit block. Discard the old becket block. The trick is getting it all inside the boom. You may have to add a piece of line to existing line (tape or thread) so it runs cleanly through the blocks to give you enough length in the tackle to reach while installing.

 

[bugbitten]

The old block was bad. I just transferred the eyespliced line from the old block to the new one (I still am baffled by the line's unsullied and unworn condition - if it exits the side of the boom and is cleated off, then it should show signs of wear and weathering - again, it may well be that some PO had jury rigged an alternative). I restudied the photos from the Ericson site, and I don't have, that I can see, a way to have one block (the new one) anchored at one end by a bolt through the boom, per the photo and, I think, per RigRite's description, as it would then leave me without a way to attach anything to the outhaul wire. I think your method, if I understand it, may be right. Let me try running it that way, and, if it looks logical, I'll upload a snap.
Thanks!
John

 

[LeeandRick]

You don't need to anchor a block with a bolt since the block is anchored on the exit block housing.

 

[bugbitten]

Looking good, I think, or at least logical! One thing that perplexes, is in boom2, which I'll attach again, I took a picture of the old outhaul that exited the boom and you can see how frayed and ugly it is. It would seem it either was somehow tied to the proper, still pristine outhaul in the boom, or maybe they had bypassed that block altogether, and simply tied a line with an eyesplice at the other end directly to the wire rope. It was (again, my memory is very fuzzy to nonexistent) as if they'd spliced the line directly to the loop in the cable, as the piece of relevant line (I thought) looked like I'd cut it free. Hmm. Anyhow, I'll take your suggested assembly to the boat tomorrow and give it a try. I suspect that, not only will it work, but it'll work a ton better than whatever the PO had in there!
Thanks so much.
John

 

[bugbitten]

Things are looking good. I took the outhaul assembly to the boat this morning. I think it's going to work just fine. It wasn't long enough to reach the end of the boom, so I had to bring the rear assembly home to pull apart (no c-clip pliers at the boat, at least that I could put my hands on), to free the outhaul cable. I think that, with the cable preattached, the assembly will be plenty long enough to get installed. I'll attach a rather dark photo from my iPad of the assembly as I was about to pull it through. Luckily, I stopped and measured its length first.

John