boom position when reefed...

[alsantini]

Hello everyone.  Well I am now the proud owner of a 2007 Eclipse.  With two friends, I launched her in Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin.  Winds were really up.  Probably averaging 15+ with gusts over 20.  We had a great time and the boat performed perfectly.  I was both pleased and impressed.  I do have a question though.  We were reefed down and had the halyard tight.  The boom came up to the bottom of the mast at the hinge split but would go no further.  As a result every time we tacked the boom would bounce across the arch.  Does the boom slide up into the mast or is it only able to go up to the split.  It was too windy to try and figure it out and when I got back home I was pooped so I have done any research.  Ideas appreciated.  Thanks,  Al  (boat will be named Off The Wind in the future.

[skip1930]

" The boom came up to the bottom of the mast at the hinge split but would go no further "

I don't know anything about the Mastender system on a Eclipse.
However that never silenced me  from guessing.
At the dock. With no wind.
Raise and set the sail.
I assume the boat has a down haul to pull the boom down "in the slot". Undo all of it after you mark the boom's location.
At the pulled down point put in a sail stop under the boom. And put in a sail stop above the boom.
With sail stops on place, tighten up the down haul.

skip.

[Vectordirector]

Hi Al,

Congrats on the new boat.   20+ knot gusts is more than I like in the Eclipse.  Just too much work not relaxing.  I pulled my boat out of storage on Saturday and gave her a bath. Wind was howling 20+ gusts to probably 30 with whitecaps at Lake Geneva or I would have taken her out.  Nobody was out, never a good sign on a beautiful 70 degree day. 

I had the same problem with the main the first few times I launched mine.  The boom does tend to get stuck at the hinge but I assure you that it will go up further with a little finesse/muscle. Have you lubed the sail track and gooseneck with something like mclube sailkote dry lubricant?  Seems to help in getting the sail up. Then, make sure the downhaul is loose/uncleated.  Then if the gooseneck gets stuck, walk up to the mast and push up the boom by hand until it clears the hinge while pulling on the halyard. This can be a bit tricky.   The sail needs to be all the way to the top of the mast in order for the boom to clear the arch.  The last foot or so is the most difficult part.  Once the sail is all the way up, cleat the halyard and adjust the tension on the downhaul appropriate to the wind conditions.    The other way to do it is to use the long pin.  What you do is after raising the mast, take the long pin and insert it through the two holes below the hinge after raising the boom/gooseneck above the hinge.  This will keep the boom/gooseneck above the hinge and make it easier to get the sail up.  Note:  Don't forget to remove this pin and move the gooseneck and sail slugs below the hinge before lowering the mast or the sail track will be damaged.  I also found that having the pin in restricts the downhaul range thus making the sail shape worse. This is all without reefing.  I've never reefed mine so I don't know if that makes it different although I assume that you would still want the gooseneck above the hinge to keep the boom from hitting the arch.

I'm sure one of the others will chime in soon.  Good luck.

Vectordirector

[Eagleye]

Al,
Congrats on getting your Eclipse in the water!   Skip is right on about taking the time to practice and figure out the rigging at the dock or on the dry.  I spent many hours in my back yard playing with our Eclipse before attempting it in the water but it was all new to me and I needed a lot of practice.

Vector made excellent comments that will definitely help you out.  I agree that your problem is not a reefing problem but is more likely an issue of getting your sail hoisted completely to the top.  Not only will the downhaul restrict you from obtaining a complete hoist but your boom vang and main sheet can interfere also.
Using the long pin is a great idea for holding the gooseneck (and sail slugs) above the hinge point, one which I used initially myself.  The small drawback is to remember to remove it after you hoist the sail, and it also requires stepping into the cockpit to reach it.

Another option is to use the knurled locking screw in the sail slot.  Once you have sailed her for a while note the lowest position that your gooseneck will reach.  Then before leaving the dock lift the gooseneck and set the slot lock at that point.  That should help getting the slugs and gooseneck through the hinge point.

So what works for me is:

-   Uncleat and relax the downhaul, the boom vang and main sheet.
-   Point the bow into the wind
-   Deftly raise the main completely and cleat the halyard.
-   Tighten the downhaul and boom vang
-   Cinch up on the main sheet.
-   Unfurl the headsail.
-   Turn off the motor and go sailing.

It takes less then 15 seconds.  Try different things and come up with your own methods that make sense to you. 
The boom should clear the stern arch once the sail is all the way to the top.  Give it a try and let us know how you made out.

As Vector indicated, while sailing the Eclipse in 20 + winds you won't be sipping your wine and flipping through your latest issue of "Small Craft Advisor" ...but it sure is thrilling and she will handle it well.

Here is a pic from last October.  My log reminds me that the winds were 21 with gust to 26 and we had both sails reefed.  We were cruising close hauled at 5+ knots with a 20 degree heal (most of the time).  This was my first (successful) reefing experience so there is much to learn yet.





Regards,
-Allen

[Glenn Basore]

Hi all,

I've had problems too with the boom hitting the arch.

The first time was when I tried sailing loose footed. I think this May have caused the sail to drop a bit. I re configured the main so it was loose footed.

I was also thinking of using the head sail halyard ( it's not being used for anything) as a topping line tied to a cleat at or near the end of the boom. You could tighten the headsail halyard just enough to give you the clearance of the boom going over the arch.

I had a smaller boat which used this design to hold the boom up. It worked fine.

I have not tried this on my Eclipse as yet, may be this summer ?

Glenn

[Craig]

Topping lift will work but sail shape will be lousy in winds strong enough to reef. Getting the gooseneck above the hinge is the way to solve the problem. Suncats and Horizon Cats have a similar problem.
The above solutions should work, especially making sure the track and gooseneck are well lubed. You might also check the allignment of the track at the hinge and make sure the are no burrs or sharp corners that are causing the gooseneck to hang up.

[alsantini]

One of the suggestions regarding lubrication did most of the trick.  It seems that just above the hinge the inside of the track is a bit rough.  I started with McLube and thoroughly coated the track and boom slide.  This improved the situation and allowed me to muscle up the boom.  I switched to some brake lube, a silicone grease that is water proof.  What a difference it has made.  The boom now goes up with just the halyard and clears the boom gallows by a good 4-6 inches.  i am back being a happy sailor.  Thanks everyone for the suggestions.