H23: Attaching boom to the mast

[CoralRose]

Hello,

I am a new sailboat owner. I have a 1987 Hunter 23 purchased within the last year. I sailed it for the first time last weekend and had trouble keeping the mainsail tack attached at the gooseneck on one of the reefing hooks (ram's horns). I have reviewed the Hunter 23 Owner's Manual and there is no picture or figure showing how the boom should be attached. There is no mainsail tack attachment on my gooseneck, so I'm wondering if the previous owner never knew how to rig the boat and that I may be missing a key piece of the gooseneck? The “rams horns” are fixed to the top of gooseneck pin and rotate independently from boom. My questions are from a novice:

1. What does typical rigging look like at the gooseneck for a Hunter 23?
2. Is there a mainsail tack attachment to the mast or the gooseneck?
3. Should the reefing hooks (ram's horns) be beneath the gooseneck instead of on the top?
4. If you could send a picture of a properly attached boom to the mast for my Hunter 23 I would be greatly appreciative! Any specs about that pic and the attachment would be greatly useful.

Thanks,

Mark
Coral Rose, H23

 

[CrispyCringle]

I have an H23.5. Perhaps there arent many differences. But on my boat the main sail tack is attached to a headboard shackle, not the rams horn. The rams horn is only for reefing and should be "up". Im no Old Salt, so I could be wrong. But thats how I do it and it works.

 

[rgranger]

I have an H23.5. Perhaps there arent many differences. But on my boat the main sail tack is attached to a headboard shackle, not the rams horn. The rams horn is only for reefing and should be "up". Im no Old Salt, so I could be wrong. But thats how I do it and it works.

View attachment 165733

That is exactly hoe my H26? is set up
It sounds like you are missing the shackle.

 

[rgranger]

They sell them here on the SBO store page. You want a long shackle with a thinner than normal pin. You may need to measure the hole in the gooseneck

If you want to go sailing while waiting for the shackle to arrive you could tie the tack to your gooseneck with a piece of shock chord as your shackle

 

[P100D]

D shackle through top of Rams horn. This is on a 1987 H23. Any other questions feel free to let me know.

 

[P100D]

Another pic from the other side.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

In P100D photo, the hook is used to hook into the grommet in the sail seen just above the boom in line with the reef points on the main.

booms and mast first came from Kenyon Isomat and parts can be gotten from Rig Rite as the forum store I believe cannot get them. The other mast came from Z Spar now US SPars. You can get parts from the forum store as they know what is needed unless you go direct. Suggest forum store.