It certainly would have benefited from something like that! Given the degree of wear washers may not help, short of a completely new fitting I'd overbore and fit tophats(could be stainless, but I'd prefer acetal or maybe nylon), probably epoxied in place. It's also worth looking at inverting some or all of the fitting if that is possible to use unworn bearing faces.I would have expected to see two washers as bearing surface rather than aluminium on aluminium
That’s what I’ve found too. On the basis that prevention is better than cure I always rig strops from the boom end to deck fittings, port and starboard. The effective triangulation of the strops when combined with the topping lift virtually eliminates any movement of the boom.I suspect 90% of it happens when the boom is swinging a little while the sails are stowed?
There is sometimes a washer or two as a bearing surface.
I imagine they will be T-bolts of some kind so will probably slide freely up and down the groove; worth wedging something in the gap to stop them falling all the way down, a loose roll of masking or gaffer tape works well and easy to adjust the size of.To remove it I can drill out the 8 rivet heads and remove the two S/S nuts. Will the 2 S/S bolts stay put or fall down inside the mast? Anyone familiar with Z spars able to answer that?
My solution is to drop the boom down on to one of the cockpit seats when the boat is moored.That’s what I’ve found too. On the basis that prevention is better than cure I always rig strops from the boom end to deck fittings, port and starboard. The effective triangulation of the strops when combined with the topping lift virtually eliminates any movement of the boom.
Mike
I agree - much of the wear is when moored and unused, even slight swinging eventually wears away the alloy. I tie my boom off firmly to one side when moored for any length of time. The bigger and heavier the boom the more this happens: never had to do it with smaller boats.I suspect 90% of it happens when the boom is swinging a little while the sails are stowed?
There is sometimes a washer or two as a bearing surface.