GP14 Sailing Forums Forum Different types of boom?

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    • #25279
      Steve
      Participant

      Hi all,

      I’ve finally got around to fitting the mainsail reefing components to my Selden mast and (unknown) metal boom.
      I bought a couple of boom sliders (see pics) to fit to the underside of my boom, but I’m pretty sure that they will need some sort of track to slide into, and my boom doesn’t have such a track (see pics).

      Have I bought the wrong boom sliders for my boom?
      (Are there in fact different designs of boom for the GP14?)
      Can my boom in fact accommodate boom sliders, or equivalent?
      If so, any pointers as to what I need instead of the boom sliders I have?

      Many thanks in advance for any advice.

       

      • This topic was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by Steve.
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    • #25284
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      The sliders look fine,  but your boom is a fairly old one which does not have a track,  so you will need to buy a short section of track to match the sliders,  and pop-rivet it in place.

      I would expect that the chandler who supplied the sliders could also supply the track.

      This one might be suitable,  but check the dimensions before buying:   A..26 Alloy Mast Track Anodised Silver 0.3m – Travellers & Fairleads from Pinnell & Bax Limited UK (pinbax.com)

       

      Oliver

      • #25288
        Steve
        Participant

        Thanks Oliver,

        I’ll take a look at that link 🙂

    • #25285
      sw13644
      Participant

      * I’ve finally got around to fitting the mainsail reefing components to my Selden mast and (unknown) metal boom.

      * I bought a couple of boom sliders (see pics) to fit to the underside of my boom, but I’m pretty sure that they will need some sort of track to slide into, and my boom doesn’t have such a track (see pics).

      Indeed your boom does not have the track into which you are hoping to slide the sliders.

      * Have I bought the wrong boom sliders for my boom?

      Yes, because your boom does not have a track for sliders to slide into.

      *(Are there in fact different designs of boom for the GP14?)

      Yes. As many booms as there are decades of GP14’s. Maybe many more.

      * Can my boom in fact accommodate boom sliders, or equivalent?

      No

      * If so, any pointers as to what I need instead of the boom sliders I have?

      What are you hoping to achieve with the sliders? I assume that you are looking to attach slab reefing points onto the boom to accommodate the slab reefing of the leech of the mainsail. I know someone will have a GP14 with such a fitting and if not I can take some pictures of my slab reefing but my GP14 is away at the moment and it will be a picture of a Comet Trio but the setup on both my boats is the same.

      Yours,

      Steve.

      • This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by sw13644.
      • #25287
        Steve
        Participant

        Thanks Steve,

        Yes, I’m looking to attach slab reefing points.  A picture of your Comet Trio would be really useful.  Thanks

        Steve B

      • #25289
        Oliver Shaw
        Moderator

        There would seem to be two options.

        One is to rigidly fix your attachment points,  which would not then need sliders;   merely some sort of eye plate pop-rivetted to the boom.    If they are in the right position,  right first time,  they will remain right for as long as you retain that same sail;   but they may need to be moved if you ever switch to a different sail.    Although all GP14 sails are “made to measure”,   according to the Class Rules,  it is a matter of record that mainsail roaches today are very much more pronounced than those of (say) fifty years ago.   I suspect that the difference is in the evolution of the Class Rules,  but I have not researched that point.

        The second option is to instal a track,  so that if   –  for which perhaps read “when”  –  you don’t get the position right at the first attempt you then have the facility to adjust.

        Personally,  I would regard the benefits of flexibility as outweighing the benefits of saving the (modest) outlay,  always provided you can find a track that suits at a sensible price.

        All being well,  once you have got your system set up you will not normally need to change the position.

        By way of informing that last comment;   I set up the system on A Capella in 2006,  and re-adjusted it for the first time in 2022  –  16 years later.    Once I had it set correctly it remained correct for a very long time.    However on my bigger boat I have fixed positions (on a wooden boom),  which I confess I have once adjusted,  by the sheer brutality of drilling yet more holes.   But,  again,  once set it remains correct for a good number of years.   But when I set it up I knew what I was doing,  so I was reasonably confident that I had got the positions right.

        If I were in your shoes,  I would go for the flexibility of having a means of adjustment,  even though ideally it will need to be adjusted only once in the life of the sail.

        Hope this helps,

         

        Oliver

         

      • #25711
        Steve
        Participant

        Thanks Oliver.

        Very helpful, as always 🙂

        I’ve managed to fit the clamcleats and fairleads today, and have ordered a track for the boom sliders.

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