Lost my reefing pennant today.

[Topcat47]

Long story sort, the stopper knot came untied and the free end of the reefing pennant was hauled into the boom. I need to recover it, preferably without dismantling the boom itself. It's a Kemp boom with the reefing pennants running fore to aft and thence to the leech of the sail. Any ideas welcome, but I suspect it'll be necessary to remove at least one of the end pieces to effect the recovery.

I could remove the pennant from the boom at the aft end, but would then be presented with the problem of introducing a mouse line from end to end of the boom, it's around 10'.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

If you need to get a new mousing line in try a fishing "Diamond eye threader" you might get lucky.

Other then that take it off stand it on end and the nail and magnet trick.

 

[sarabande]

For poking around in tubes on land, and under berths and headlinings on board, I use a set of electrician's rods.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cables-Connectors/147804/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=electrical+rods

 

[Aja]

If you have one other reefing pennant or outhaul tie two mouse lines to one and pull them through boom. You can then fish for one of the mouse (mice?) and use both mouses to pull new pennant through and original pennant back.

Donald

 

[Topcat47]

For poking around in tubes on land, and under berths and headlinings on board, I use a set of electrician's rods.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cables-Connectors/147804/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=electrical+rods

Sounds good, I'll certainly give it a go.

If you have one other reefing pennant or outhaul tie two mouse lines to one and pull them through boom. You can then fish for one of the mouse (mice?) and use both mouses to pull new pennant through and original pennant back.

Donald

Another good idea. I'm not sure what the topography of the boom is inside. I do know the clew outhaul is rope in and wire out with a sliding pulley arrangement inside. the two reefing pennants and the clew outhaul all exit at the mast end of the boom, through brakes. I'm unsure if this will enable the two mousing lines to be separated at his end, but it's worth a look. Thanks

 

[LadyInBed]

I was replacing a line and the joint parted.
I used a tape measure to go round the block and feed along the boom.
You have to remove the tape from the cassette and feed the inner end through as it has a convenient hole in the end, if you try to use the start end the L shaped bit on the end won't go round the block and jams.

 

[William_H]

I would say dismantle the boom ends. They are likely corroded on but you will have to gain access if not this time then in the future. Good luck with the end cap removal. Lots of threads about freeing corrosion or just cut the boom and shorten it by the length of the cap insert. ol'will

 

[duncan99210]

Ive got a Seldon boom, not a Kemp one but did a similar trick last summer..... I took the boom end off and used a torch to spot the end of the disappearing line. It was about 2 metres down inside the boom. To retrieve it, I took a fishing line with a robust hook on the end, used the fishing rod to poke it down inside the boom until I could snag the hook into the rope. Then released the line on the reel, removed the rod and then used the line to pull the rope out.
I’ve used a variation on the trick, just fixing a larger hook to the end of a long pole with a cable tie, to recover escaping flag halyards as well. Didn’t use a pole in the boom as there wasn’t enough room.

 

[TLouth7]

Could you stand the boom on end and wiggle the pennant down it? You might have a hard job getting it out through the block at the clew though.

As an alternative to removing the tape measure from the cassette you could drill or punch the rivet out, releasing the L-shaped piece. This will leave you with a convenient hole for the mousing line.

 

[LadyInBed]

Just had a thought, instead of the tape measure, buy a length of net curtain wire to push through as a mouse.

 

[Topcat47]

Hard lesson learned...... check your stopper knots!

 

[solent clown]

if you want to borrow some of the electrical rods give me a shout, I have loads. We used them for poking looms down tubes

 

[lampshuk]

Had the same thing.
Disconnected the boom at the gooseneck and hoisted it vertical, having fed in as much slack as possible on the disappearing pennant.
(this was a pain because you need to remove the foot and stack pack from the boom)
Removed the pin holding the boom-end sheaves in place and just shook the pennant down the boom until I could get the end out of the boom-end.

 

[Topcat47]

Had the same thing.
Disconnected the boom at the gooseneck and hoisted it vertical, having fed in as much slack as possible on the disappearing pennant.
(this was a pain because you need to remove the foot and stack pack from the boom)
Removed the pin holding the boom-end sheaves in place and just shook the pennant down the boom until I could get the end out of the boom-end.

That was my first thought. Too late to check how the pin through the sheaves was secured as I was at home when I thought of it. Ordered the rods, just in case.....

 

[Daydream believer]

Sounds good, I'll certainly give it a go. Another good idea. I'm not sure what the topography of the boom is inside. I do know the clew outhaul is rope in and wire out with a sliding pulley arrangement inside. the two reefing pennants and the clew outhaul all exit at the mast end of the boom, through brakes. I'm unsure if this will enable the two mousing lines to be separated at his end, but it's worth a look. Thanks

Do you have a sliding pulley arrangements inside the boom for the reefing? ( you only refer to it being on the clew ) may I suggest that you chuck them away. Ask yourself if you need them on a boom 10 ft long. They just add to friction & make jobs like this harder. Particularly difficult to repair if you had a line breakage when at sea.

 

[Topcat47]

Do you have a sliding pulley arrangements inside the boom for the reefing? ( you only refer to it being on the clew ) may I suggest that you chuck them away. Ask yourself if you need them on a boom 10 ft long. They just add to friction & make jobs like this harder. Particularly difficult to repair if you had a line breakage when at sea.

Only the clew outhaul. It’s rope in, wire out.

 

[Neeves]

We have a Selden boom and had to take the boom end off in some isolated anchorage, outhaul had failed.

We discovered the boom end was attached with some fancy security fasteners, like recessed Alan headed bolts but star shaped with a central pin (and we were not supplied the required bit of kit to take it apart on commissioning). We bodged - but check before you start.

Obviously we have attachment to take of all and any of these fancy fastener now, never needed them since.

Jonathan

 

[Daydream believer]

Only the clew outhaul. It’s rope in, wire out.

In tat case the electrical rod suggestion is the best I have a set of 300mm & 1000mm & have used them may times on my boat.
May i suggest that when you have inserted the mouse line you consider using one double length so that you can leave half of it in for future emergency.

 

[Topcat47]

In tat case the electrical rod suggestion is the best I have a set of 300mm & 1000mm & have used them may times on my boat.
May i suggest that when you have inserted the mouse line you consider using one double length so that you can leave half of it in for future emergency.

Yes you may........

 

[westhinder]

If you have one other reefing pennant or outhaul tie two mouse lines to one and pull them through boom. You can then fish for one of the mouse (mice?) and use both mouses to pull new pennant through and original pennant back.

Donald

This worked for me when I had exactly the same problem