Raising the boom

[Dan]

Has anyone ever tried raising the boom slightly on a 25.5? I would like to get a bimini made for our boat but there just doesn't seem to be enough height under the current boom to have a bimini comfortably. I was thinking about raising it 6 inches or so and having a short reef point added to the sail so I could lower the boom again when not using the bimini. I was wondering how this would affect performance and if anybody else has tried this before. I could sure use the shade in the hot sun down here.Thanks,Dan

 

[Frank Ladd]

If you are not into racing

I think you could raise the boom and hardly notice the difference in speed. So many things are designed into our boats to get that last quarter knot of speed. A quarter knot is a lot when you are sailing neck and neck with another boat in a race and I have seen folks spend tens of thousands of dollars to get that extra speed so they can win. If you are not into trophies moving the boom up might make your boat a much more comfortable cruiser and daysailor. I think the easiest mod for the least performance lost is to chop the head of the sail. You'll need a modified headboard and perhaps a short batten added at the top, but you'll lose very little sail area and you'll have a sail that looks more like the modern racing boats! It shouldn't take a sail maker more than a couple hours to complete the job so I think it will be cost effective.Let me know if you need the name of a good sailmaker for modifications.Frank

 

[Paul]

sail cut

You'll need a recut main, one that is the same length at the luff but shorter at the leech. This is because your gooseneck isn't moving anywhere.Look at most of the cruising cats out there. They have booms that are much higher aft than at the gooseneck to accomodate the cabin top.It might be cheaper to have a set of luff cringles put in as you suggest, but if your sail is newer I'd check out a recut.

 

[Dan]

Thanks

I do plan to raise the gooseneck. I also just talked to someone locally who has done this on another boat and he had the sail recut at the head. He reports that he hardly noticed any changes in performance with his similarly sized boat. I think I will look at this option so I can get a decent bimini made.Dan

 

[William K. Stillwell]

Quick Fix for a new bimini

I had a new bimini built for my boat about six months ago and ended up with the same problem. I just simply shortened the topping lift about four inches and noticed no change whatsoever! You can work this thing to death, or make that change and take a slight slackness in the mainsail's leech - which I guarantee you'll never know the difference.