Boom Gooseneck Fitting

[Niantic Mike]

To be honest, I have an unquenchable desire to tinker and mess around with everything I own, so owning the "perfect" catboat would probably bore me very quickly. So really my SC is a blessing and I love it and have enjoyed the process or fixing and modifying it.

[bruce]

And it's free. Have fun!

[Roland of Macatawa]

Bruce, Mike:

1.  Recall that Com-Pac guru Keith Scott (RIP) of the Sailboat Co of NC recommended that the SunCat always be sailed with the boom below the mast hinge joint.
I believe he recommended that due to structural strength concerns.
However, I don't due that with my SunDayCat. I position my boom slightly above the hinge.
My purpose in that is to keep the aft end of the boom slightly above the mast gallows when tacking.

2.  If you choose to keep the boom below the mast hinge,
you may want to consider recutting the angle of the foot of the sail to raise the aft end of the boom above the mast gallows.

Regards, Roland

[bruce]

On the PC, the boom downhaul is a 1/4" line made to a horn cleat mounted in the mast track (like the pad eye discussed previously), 1:1 purchase. To adjust the downhaul isn't as easy as it is on the Sun Cat, which has a nice Spinlock cleat, and in fact I never have adjusted the downhaul from the way it was delivered from the factory. I tension the luff with the throat halyard, and don't have a problem. The boom clears the gallows by several inches. I would certainly tension the luff higher on the mast if the boom was hitting the gallows, I see no reason not to. Our gooseneck is just above the hinge when sailing.

I do recall some arguing for the the gooseneck to the below the hinge for a strength issue, but I don't remember offhand where I saw that. Can anyone provide a link?