Tazzy Devil 18 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 My current boom is made out of an old mast tip. My boat is a R930 It’s 4.4 metres long and around 75cm back from the clew end are two opposing irregular holes around the size of a 2 dollar coin around 1/4 of the way from the bottom, will try and get some photo’s., but could have been attachment points when it was a mast. They worry me as while the boom is pretty heavy duty it’s an obvious weak point. Just got a quote on having a boom built and it’s a bit of a stretch at the moment so was wondering if these holes could be welded or repaired with a plate or sleeve? Any advice? Will try and get some pics shortly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deep Purple 512 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 A sleave would fix it but it probably isn’t a problem as-is. Booms were often drilled along their whole length. The most loaded point is from the mainsheet to clew and around the vang attachment. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tazzy Devil 18 Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 So these are on each side, actually around 1.2 metres back from boom. They are around 2.5cm each. No cracking or anything and the wall is plenty thick etc. Should I not be too worried? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vorpal Blade 89 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Put a sticker over them and ignore them, particularly if they are forward of the mainsheet attachment. If they were between the mainsheet and outhaul use a stronger sticker. You may want to clean the edges of the holes so they are a neat radius so cracks won't propagate from weak edges. Similarly the boom on VB is an old piece of mast (off the Young 12m Kiwi as it happens) and we load it up A LOT, particularly with the square top upwind in 25 knots of breeze, and it has a random collection of old tang holes and slots all over the place. It gets regular inspections and hasn't shown any signs of fatigue around these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Just so as you know, they can be either welded or patched as well. Welded and ground would make a repair that you would hardly know was there. A patch may or maynot be a pain, as you would have rivets poking into the boom internals Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RushMan 31 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 How long have the holes been there already? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tazzy Devil 18 Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 I’ll ignore them then. Holes have been there since i’ve had the boat, It’s just that the mainsail just got quite a bit bigger. Sound’s all good though! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 A bit too much metal in that hole Eric! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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