Previous owner was tall, and raised our boom a foot. The boat is Bristol 41.1 center cockpit. The boat sails beautifully as is, but the height of the spar is frustrating as I am not tall. It seems like a huge deal to drop the boom back to its original height and redo all the rivets, but it would make sailing less frustrating for this short person. My question is, what happens when the boom height is altered from the original boat design, does it change the way the boat sails, heels, rollover numbers, CLR and CE variables, other impacts, advice please?
Spar Height
- Thread starter Sailing Know Return
- Start date
Raising the boom will raise the center of effort. In theory, this will make the boat heel sooner, however, raising the boom without raising the mast will reduce the sail area reducing heeling. In a way, it is like sailing with a reefed main.
How much was the boom raised? An easier alternative would be adding a couple of mast steps that will allow you to reach the head board to attach the halyard.
How much was the boom raised? An easier alternative would be adding a couple of mast steps that will allow you to reach the head board to attach the halyard.
Thank you, makes sense. The mast was not raised, in fact, he cut a few inches off the base of the mast to remove corrosion, but then also raised the boom 12", so the mainsail had to be on the first reef point always. We got new sails, but wondered now if we should have also returned the boom to its original location.
If the boat sails beautifully the way it is, what is frustrating you about the current setup? Difficulty reaching the boom for sail handling? Dlochner's suggestion for steps at the mast might be helpful in that case. You could also put in some dorades, lockers, or perhaps a liferaft on the cabin top that you could stand on further aft. It would be cheaper to do that than to lower the boom and get new sails again.