MGambling
Member
I have recently purchased a boomstrut but find that the ' easy to fit ' instructions aren't quite that. Anyone fitted one of these have any tips before I start.
Barton Boomstrut
- Thread starter MGambling
- Start date
paulrae
Well-Known Member
I agree. There's a considerable amount of faffing around before you get on with the enjoyable drilling and hacking stuff.
Testing the maximum amount of weight to compress the strut was a pain, but it does help check that the fibreglass rods are 'bendy' enough. I think that I should have spent more (ie some /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) time doing this, as ours require real grunt to bend.
I found that the thickness of the aluminium on the underside of the boom was a little thin for tapping. Over time our bolts work themselves loose. I'm now looking at an alternative means of mating the under-boom fitting to the boom (eg rivnuts in the boom).
Be careful about cutting the fibreglass rods to length, from memory I think that they can only be trimmed at one end, but I'm not sure.
After using it for a season I'm certainly happy that I fitted it.
Good luck
Paul
Testing the maximum amount of weight to compress the strut was a pain, but it does help check that the fibreglass rods are 'bendy' enough. I think that I should have spent more (ie some /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) time doing this, as ours require real grunt to bend.
I found that the thickness of the aluminium on the underside of the boom was a little thin for tapping. Over time our bolts work themselves loose. I'm now looking at an alternative means of mating the under-boom fitting to the boom (eg rivnuts in the boom).
Be careful about cutting the fibreglass rods to length, from memory I think that they can only be trimmed at one end, but I'm not sure.
After using it for a season I'm certainly happy that I fitted it.
Good luck
Paul
Gin
Well-Known Member
Deceptively simple instructions.
The weight thing is only a guide, and once cut the rods can be useless.
in my case(Sadler 26) the advice for size was misleading and I needed the shortest kit but even now the bend is too great for very light airs and I am now faced with trying to refix the boom bracket a few inches further aft so that the strut supports the boom but does not raise it. The situation now is that not only is the main leech baggy in a zephyr but the considerable force still required to shape the main by overcoming the strut tension means there is too much kicker torque. Also I too have a boom bracket which if I did not have to refix it would need an oversize tapped thread to maintain a secure fitting.
I still think it's worth persisting with but it is not an easy thing to get exactly right first time
The weight thing is only a guide, and once cut the rods can be useless.
in my case(Sadler 26) the advice for size was misleading and I needed the shortest kit but even now the bend is too great for very light airs and I am now faced with trying to refix the boom bracket a few inches further aft so that the strut supports the boom but does not raise it. The situation now is that not only is the main leech baggy in a zephyr but the considerable force still required to shape the main by overcoming the strut tension means there is too much kicker torque. Also I too have a boom bracket which if I did not have to refix it would need an oversize tapped thread to maintain a secure fitting.
I still think it's worth persisting with but it is not an easy thing to get exactly right first time
jsl
Well-Known Member
Mine works well, but I did have to make my own aluminium slugs for both mast and boom. I found that bendiness is not critical, though I suspect our boom is a pretty heavy one. The rods just bend a bit and then take the weight. More weight means a little more bend. Boom pops upward a bit when the sail is hoisted; kicker easily pulls it back down.
I have a couple of photos somewhere.
I no longer use a topping-lift.
I have a couple of photos somewhere.
I no longer use a topping-lift.
