Replacing a wooden boom roller gooseneck

[airborne1]

I have a wooden 1949 built 25ft boat with a roller boom reefing gooseneck arrangement.
I want to convert the roller rachet to a fixed arrangement, the gooseneck arrangement and mast ring that the gooseneck fits into. I also want to change the swivelling wood block that stops the sail slider slugs falling out of the "C" shaped track to a hinge type gate.
Has anyone done this and know of any firm capable or willing of some original thinking and machining.
All the so called spar manufacturers (for manufacturers read assemblers) want to do is sell me a metal boom with internal reefing and do-dabs and find a bit of simple engineers all to difficult for them.
I can design or decribe what i want easily enough. Why they call themselves engineers astounds me.
Thanks in advance

 

[oldfrank]

Yes, I've done just that. Basically I removed the roller gear but left the boom end (tack) fitting as original - it's a huge chrome device and looked entirely in character. I've never liked roller reefing - sails reefed by this method set so badly. All I had to add was a hook fitting to take the reefing points on the luff rope and fix some blocks to the boom to take reefing lines that run down leech. Voila slab reefing.

Depending on the height of your boom you may wish to have some line to deal with the volume of reefed mainsail if it flaps about or gets in the way. Be certain to ensure you maintain pressure along the foot of the reefed mainsail.

My own mast has a 'flare' down the trailing edge that was supposed to facilitate roller reefing. Rather than fit a gate to stop luff slides falling out, I drilled a hole across the track and slip a stainless pin through when required. Because I can't remember where I left my glasses, the pin is suspended nearby on a short length of line. Quite a simple job!

Old Frank

 

[ctelfer38]

Hi There. You should not need any re-engineering. I have a roller reefing boom - but simply never use it. My mainsail is set up for low tech slab reefing ( 3 reefs) with block and tackle reefing pendants running either side of the boom with rams horns at the gooseneck. If your mainsail has cringles at the luff and the leach, it is a simple matter to fit luff downhauls or rams horns and reefing pendants/block and tackle and cleats each side of your boom. Hope this helps.

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Get a good sailmaker to cut the mainsail for roller reefing. It's a skill, and you'll learn to love it. Reef on the wind, off the wind, across the wind without easing sheets, and in increments of a single turn (rather than three great slabs). You just need three hands, one to work the ratchet, the other to ease the halyard, the other for the boat.