Firefly boom for rotating mast rig

[ACB]

F3000 has a woodentop mast; alas the mainsheet fitting at the outboard end of the boom broke at the end of last season and replacing it looks a bit complicated - does anyone have a spare boom for the rotating mast set up that they would consider parting with?

[Michael Brigg]

Although the old boom matches the reynolds mast section, it is the ginglymous nature of the gooseneck joint on a rotating mast that allows the motion of the sails and thereby the boom to cause the mast to rotate. In fact any boom will work equally well provided the square part of the gooseneck pin is not oversized and can fit all the way in to the tack end of the boom. This might present a problem as obviously the measurements have gone from imperial to metric.

Fixing the mainsheet attatchmentat the clew end should not present such a problem. Mine simply has an aluminium plate with a hole in each end. One provides an attatchment to a shackle and the other has a round headed srainless bolt through it screwed into the boom end and fixed with a lock nut so that the plate is loose enough to swivel. You may have to drill out the old one if its corroded.

Would a photo help?

[Rupert]

If you are wanting to keep "the look", I have a spare Reynolds boom here, with complete end fitting. Very old, of course, so cannot vouch for the amount of corrosion inside. No more than the mast, though!

[ACB]

Thanks for that very generous offer, Rupert!

I will follow Michael's advice first (wood, I can do - aluminium I am not confident with!) and hope for the best.

The bolt, in my case is not stainless, but heavily corroded mild steel!