After taking my newly aquired o'day 20 it seems the boom is sagging much more than i have seen before. does this happen to sailboats after the years go by since it is a 1974. or is there something that seems to be wrong that needs attention? When the boom is unhooked from the topping lift or uphaul the boom tends to sag almost a foot from that point. I wasn't sure if that was normal or not for an o'day?
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When sailing...
...the topping lift should not be attached to the end of your boom. At the very least it should be totally slack. The topping lift is NOT a sail control. Its sole job is to hold the end of the boom up when you are ready to drop the main. Many boats(including mine) have completely eliminated it.
...the topping lift should not be attached to the end of your boom. At the very least it should be totally slack. The topping lift is NOT a sail control. Its sole job is to hold the end of the boom up when you are ready to drop the main. Many boats(including mine) have completely eliminated it.
Perhaps normal
As far as my O22 is concerned when the main is dropped, the boom will drop as well if it is not supported. In my case there is a clip attached to the backstay which connects to the clew of the boom when not in use. With the main up of course, the hook is undone and the boom maintains horizontal position via sail trim.
As far as my O22 is concerned when the main is dropped, the boom will drop as well if it is not supported. In my case there is a clip attached to the backstay which connects to the clew of the boom when not in use. With the main up of course, the hook is undone and the boom maintains horizontal position via sail trim.
What it probably means is .....
is that you are probably not raising the mainsail far enough. Most non-racing sailors hardly ever fully raise their sails correctly. Assuming that the sail is made from woven dacron, raise the sail as far as it will go. Then take a *square* of paper or cardboard put it on the sail side of the boom and check the angle that the boom makes with the mast .... it should be 'very' close to 90 degrees (usually 88 degrees but close enough). If the boom aft end seems to be much lower than it should be and the boom not at ~90 degrees ....... apply MORE halyard tension to the mainsail halyard until the boom is near 90 degrees. If you cant get 'near' to that 90 degrees, it means that the heavy rope inside the sleeve at the forward part (luff) of the sail has shrunken in length .... fixable by sailmaker. A sail in which that 'rope in a sleeve' is not shrunken, unless stretched out will make the boat s-l-o-w, will have excess heel, and will usually have a great amount of 'weather helm'. The 'general rule' for a woven dacron sail with a 'rope in a sleeve' (boltrope) at the luff is that that 'rope' after the sail is 'up' needs to be additionally stretched (by the halyard) by 1" for every 11 feet of luff length. Properly tensioning that 'rope in a sleeve' will 'raise the aft end of the boom', position the 'point of maximum draft' ... where the draft is the 'biggest' exactly where the sailmaker designed it for sailing in ~15kts of wind, plus the aft (leech) section of the sail will be 'cupped'. Putting correct main halyard tension will make that 'point of maximum draft' go further forward (towards the mast) and the leech portion will be come more 'flattened'. If that 'rope' isnt stretched out properly you will have a very 'baggy' sail, the leech portion will be very curved, and a boom that 'droops' (aft aft end will be 'much' lower than the boom connection at the mast. hope this helps.
is that you are probably not raising the mainsail far enough. Most non-racing sailors hardly ever fully raise their sails correctly. Assuming that the sail is made from woven dacron, raise the sail as far as it will go. Then take a *square* of paper or cardboard put it on the sail side of the boom and check the angle that the boom makes with the mast .... it should be 'very' close to 90 degrees (usually 88 degrees but close enough). If the boom aft end seems to be much lower than it should be and the boom not at ~90 degrees ....... apply MORE halyard tension to the mainsail halyard until the boom is near 90 degrees. If you cant get 'near' to that 90 degrees, it means that the heavy rope inside the sleeve at the forward part (luff) of the sail has shrunken in length .... fixable by sailmaker. A sail in which that 'rope in a sleeve' is not shrunken, unless stretched out will make the boat s-l-o-w, will have excess heel, and will usually have a great amount of 'weather helm'. The 'general rule' for a woven dacron sail with a 'rope in a sleeve' (boltrope) at the luff is that that 'rope' after the sail is 'up' needs to be additionally stretched (by the halyard) by 1" for every 11 feet of luff length. Properly tensioning that 'rope in a sleeve' will 'raise the aft end of the boom', position the 'point of maximum draft' ... where the draft is the 'biggest' exactly where the sailmaker designed it for sailing in ~15kts of wind, plus the aft (leech) section of the sail will be 'cupped'. Putting correct main halyard tension will make that 'point of maximum draft' go further forward (towards the mast) and the leech portion will be come more 'flattened'. If that 'rope' isnt stretched out properly you will have a very 'baggy' sail, the leech portion will be very curved, and a boom that 'droops' (aft aft end will be 'much' lower than the boom connection at the mast. hope this helps.
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