Tools to remove end of boom

[eddystone]

Considering removing end of boom (Kemp on sadler 32) to free jammed outhaul (just the splice at the end). I have the drill but only a Halfords £20 rivet gun which I use on the family dinghies. Do I need something more meaty? - TBH I struggle to get enough leverage with that gun even on my daughter's Topper mast.

 

[Lakesailor]

Try a rivet of the size and type you will using in a hole in a piece of metal at home and see if you can do it. I find that nibbling at the rivet stem (repeatedly moving the jaws along it, and not starting at the very bottom. Llift the nose of the pliers 3 or 4mm up the stem before squeezing the handles)) gives more control.

 

[prv]

If you're going to use rivets, then you'll need lazy tongs. But maybe bolts or some other fixing would work?

Pete

 

[VicS]

Considering removing end of boom (Kemp on sadler 32) to free jammed outhaul (just the splice at the end). I have the drill but only a Halfords £20 rivet gun which I use on the family dinghies. Do I need something more meaty? - TBH I struggle to get enough leverage with that gun even on my daughter's Topper mast.

Hire a heavier gun if you can esp for monel, although you dont say what size rivets. The long handled type probably the best choice. IMHO better than lazy tongs

I found it difficult to find them for hire

I had several jobs to do and did not reckon, even when I found a hire place with a (lazy tongs) riveter available , I'd be able to do all in one days hire as some were at home and some were on the boat ( boom!)

In the end I bought an inexpensive lazy tongs type from Toolstation (under £20 )and cheaper than 2 days hire. Only a Rolson Tools one but more than adequate for what I was doing but probably would collapse if used on large Monel rivets. But I have it for future use if needed.

Too far away to offer to lend it to you.

 

[doug748]

I have a Kemp rig on a similar boat.

My boom ends are fixed, both ends, by c6mm'ish panhead screws. It is a very handy arrangement and very easy to do if you can get hold of a suitable tap and tapping size drill.

 

[vyv_cox]

I replaced the rivets at the end of exactly the same boom with Rivnuts. I can now access the inside of the boom by removing the set screws. Doug748's suggestion might be easier and cheaper to do as there is enough meat in the end cap casting for tapped holes.

 

[30boat]

I replaced the rivets at the end of exactly the same boom with Rivnuts. I can now access the inside of the boom by removing the set screws. Doug748's suggestion might be easier and cheaper to do as there is enough meat in the end cap casting for tapped holes.

I was going to suggest tapping and machine screws.Don't forget the Duralac or it'll seize in place in no time.

 

[nigelmercier]

The long handled type probably the best choice. IMHO better than lazy tongs...

Quite agree. Never thought I would recommend Am-Tech tools, but this looks the business: http://amzn.to/RZhSKZ

 

[eddystone]

Quite agree. Never thought I would recommend Am-Tech tools, but this looks the business: http://amzn.to/RZhSKZ

I think that's less than I paid for my Halfords one!

 

[nigelmercier]

I think that's less than I paid for my Halfords one!

It does say:

RRP £45.66
Price: £17.52 & FREE Delivery in the UK.
You Save: £28.14 (62%)

http://amzn.to/RZhSKZ

 

[earlybird]

On my Selden boom, I re-fitted the outer end using short, pan-head 6mm SS screws and nyloc nuts. There was sufficient gap in the fitting to start the nuts whilst they were held by tweezers, so no tapping required.
For insulation, I put nylon washers under the screw-head and nuts. That was years ago. Still OK.

 

[eddystone]

I am pretty doubtful of my ability to replace rivets with removable nuts so have ordered Faithfull HD rivet gun which looks a bit more robust than the Am-tech one. Complete idiot question - I've only done rivetting on dinghy spars (even then the tongs type guns are pretty inadequate) with rivets supplied with a kit. What size/type are the rivets in a Kemp boom on a 32ft boat likely to be? How can I measure them before drilling out the old ones? And what's a Monel rivet - is that the normal type with a long thin bit that breaks off? Is any particular type of rivet recommended? And when the rivets are drilled out, do I just pull the end fitting off, presumably after giving some slack in the lines running through it? Does anything fall out?

 

[prv]

what's a Monel rivet - is that the normal type with a long thin bit that breaks off?

Monel is a non-corroding metal alloy. A monel rivet is a normal pop-rivet as you describe, which happens to be made out of monel. It's stronger than the aluminium otherwise often used, which is a good thing for the structure you're holding together, but possibly a bad thing if your tools are a bit feeble.

Pete

 

[nigelmercier]

It's stronger than the aluminium otherwise often used, which is a good thing for the structure you're holding together ...

I've been wondering about this, as my boom end is some sort of plastic. Could a Monel rivet be too strong?