My new winch mount

[Gene Gruender]

I've had a winch on my boom for reefing for a couple years, but it was bolted to the boom through a block of teak. Naturally, corrosion started under it and I knew I'd have to change that.Today I got my new mount finished, all welded up in aluminum, totally a backyard project, and I'm quite proud of it. Of course, the boom still has to be sandblasted and painted to finish the project, but here's a picture of what I got done this morning:http://www.geocities.com/rainbow_chaser.geo/wnchmnt.jpgAlso, since there is a place to paste another web address, I'll stick in a picture of my old vs. new exhaust elbow. DON'T let yours get this bad before checking! I make it back from my last passage from Mexico with some exhaust hose clamped over it. Not the best plan.Gene GruenderRainbow Chaser

 

[Ed Schenck]

Thanks Gene, but where. . .

on the boom is that mount? Can you post a picture of the completed project that will show how this works?My own exhaust elbow looks like your new one. I guess someone must have replaced it. Or is it the saltwater? There was so much written about these things when I first started browsing this site that I made it one of my first projects. Mine was wide open inside.

 

[Gene Gruender]

More informaton

<on the boom is that mount? Can you post a picture of the completed project that will show how this works?>Right now the boom is laying in the garage disassembled so a picture isn't very practical, but here's how it works. I have the winch up next to the mast. I have 3 lines led through the boom, each comes out a hole with one of those stainless plates over it, (whose name I don't know), and through a jam cleat, (one for each line) then to the winch. On the end of the boom, one goes to the outhaul, then two go to reefs. I just drop the sail a bit, wrap the reefing line I want around the winch (a self tailer) and crank away (a one hand operation for rough weather). If it's convinient, I can put it in the jam cleat, but the winch will hold it. The jam cleat is really to hold the last one (outhaul while you take the reef, etc.)<My own exhaust elbow looks like your new one. (snip) Mine was wide open inside. >I'd checked mine about 2 years earlier and it was clear. I didn't really look for rust at that time, I don't know how thick it was then. I'd always heard of them clogging, not falling apart. I was quite surprised to have that problem.