Boom replacement

[Gordonmc]

Recommendations, please, for easily available wood to build a replacement boom.
The boom which came with the boat, 8 Ton Hillyard, aft cockpit, has bowed.
The plan is to get a suitable piece of lumber, rip saw down its length and glue back together end to other-end. Then shape to take the original bronze fittings including sail track.
Sitka is plentiful, but probably too quick growing around here and I would need to season.
Douglas? Is it available?
What would be the best spar variety likely to be available from a general timber merchant?

 

[twisterkai]

As weight is not really an issue, Douglas Fir / Scots Pine will be absolutely fine. In fact, I believe Collars, up/down in Oxfordshire use Douglas Fir for their spars and they are superb - a friend had a new bow sprit made for his Hans Christian, it's about a foot square & 11' long, finished with epoxy, beautiful......

Most builders merchants stock Douglas Fir, if not then find a timber merchant either near you for a roof rack job or mail order. I would have thought that any 'soft wood' variety grown in scotland would be ok. You're right though, slow grown and straight(ish) grain is what you're after. Building method sounds fine. I made one many years ago for a much smaller boat in DF, and as far as I know it's still giving good service.

 

[Blueboatman]

This is a forum so every suggestion must get a resuggestion..TWISTERKAI is absolutely correct ...But is there any practicable way to remove the existing boom end fittings ,saw it down the middle..and reglue it overbent against the existing curve ? Just a thought.

 

[nrorke]

A bit of weight in the boom is a good thing on a traditional boat where you don't have a modern vang to hold it down.

 

[Gordonmc]

That thought crossed my mind, but the old boom isn't symetrical along its length, wider at the clew end than the gooseneck. I think I would lose too much getting it evened up.
Plus, there are numerous holes in the length to accommodate various generations of reefing blocks.

 

[Peterduck]

Your description of "wider at the clew than the gooseneck" suggests that it was originally built for roller furling, where this profile works better than a parallel boom.
Peter.