Hi all,

I wonder if anyone out there in Merlin land could offer me some advice?

I have recently acquired an old Summer Wine, which I love to bits. She has a hog stepped aluminium mast and aluminium boom. The sails I have are lose footed and given the tapered shape of the boom securing/adjusting the outhall is at best a compromise. I have considered a couple of options although I am sure there are others:

1. Fit a slider (slug) in the boom track to attach the clew in a traditional fashion.
Question - will this work with a lose footed sail as the clew wont be hard down against the boom given the need to attach with a shackle or such like?

2. Obtain a modern boom (carbon?) which is better suited to the lose footed sails.
Question - will this work with the old mast and how many millions of pounds are carbon booms. I think I know this one is a non-starter but its worth asking the question?

3. Obtain an old aluminium boom which is not cut away or tapered at the end and use a clew tie.
Question - Does such a beast exist?

4. Carry on with basically a 'set and forget' outhall.

Any advice or guidance gratefully received as a newcomer to the class.

Tony

Tony, I have been using the set up you have for years and a slug in the track on the boom works fine, don't start spending loads on a new boom, you won't see an advantage.

1.) That boom had a slider on a track above the rope groove when it first went on 3240 and was secured by a shackle, the boom was ex 3496, I purchased a Super Spar round section carbon boom for 3496 and 3240 aquired the aluminum boom when a set of modern sized sails were found not to fit the original aluminum boom that 3240 currently had so a return to the slider or a slug should work fine.

2.)circa £400 round section £600 oval section and they hurt a lot less when you get hit by them! fit is down to the goose neck spiggot.

3.)I dont know.

4.) Or find an older not toataly knackered dacron rope footed main (like the one in my shed) and give that a try !

Thanks both for confirming what I thought/hoped would be the best solution. I will try the slider as it seems to be the most elegant (cheapest if I am honest) option.

Tony

Tony, if you could let me have your email address I can send you a photo showing 3346 with an ali boom and loose footed main. The main shown in the photo had a shackle at the clew to attach to a slug in the boom track. A later dacron main I bought secondhand actually had the slug crimped to the clew permanently. I had no problm adjusting the outhaul in this configuration. The tack was secured to the mast with a lashing maintaining the luff line down from the luff boltrope.

Hi Tony
Even on carbon booms we use a Velcro wrap to get the clew down to the boom and still let it slide. You can do this on an aluminium boom also.  This often works better than a slider, as the sliders tend to jamb with the tiniest bit of debris

Hi Piers,

The problem I have is that a strap or string won't slide along the boom as it has the back end cut away so its a wedge shape. Actually thats not strictly true it will slide one way e.g. towards the end of the boom but not back so I can tighten but not losen.

Thanks for the info anyway.

Tony

RS 200s have the same cutaway and use a slug at the clew with a slot where it drops in.

Lasers have same section boom all along length and use a clew strap with elastic pull back ... a standard fitting which can be bought

My Merlin clew strap is in fact an RS 200 tack strap!

The 'Slug' works a treat.