Mounting a boom higher on the mast

[Rehunter]

Hello Everyone,

I need a little help here and I believe you guys are the worlds best for advice soooooooooooo....

I am getting ready to purchase my next restoration project boat, it is a 1977/8 33 foot Hunter with the long ports in the cabin (Well Hunter is my last name)...

I like this boat, it is not very easy to find this model with the long ports and I would really like to restore this boat but it has a boom that is 12 inches off the cabin deck which puts this boom at neck height and welll I would hate to see myself or family member get nailed in the head accidentally.

I would like to raise the boom about 20 inches higher. The boom is mounted to the mast by a stainless plate with 6 holes/3 each side. No frils for sure.

One problem I see is the entry for the sail rollers is 6 inches above this plate. I was told by someone I coud just grind a new entry point for the rollers higher. This boom also does not have a vang. Can I use the current mast mount location for the vang mount? When the boat is finished I will take her to the San Blas so I dont want to have any safty issues so I need some good advice.

And last but not least, This boat has a 1 week old rigging due to a demasting in Hurricane Dennis (The mast broke clean at the spreaders) The mast was sleveed and welded (Did such a nice job you cant even see it) BUT how safe is a sleveed mast at the spreaders? I know there are a lot of larger boats out there with a sleveed mast but this mast was not designed to be sleveed. I am aware as the mast may only be safe if the job was done right but what is your thoughts on this.

Thanks in advance

REHunter

[PAR]

You can raise the boom, do some grinding and welding for the sail feed and attach the vang at the mast base. Sleeves can repair a stick quite well and it's a common repair. You'll loose a healthy percentage of your mainsail area (near 10%) in doing this and will have to re-cut for the new dimensions. Several of the lower panels will need to be redone, because the sail is shaped differently as it approaches the boom. Just cutting it off and sewing in a new set of tack and clew reinforcements just doesn't work well. This is a lot of work, when a well placed "Duck" can do.

Getting hit in the hat holder isn't much fun (I know from experience, but don't like to talk about it) and surly can be dangerous. I've found most folks learn pretty quickly when they see it come screaming over the cockpit, in a jibe. The cockpit is deep and secure feeling, though I don't know the cockpit sole to boom height, it seems to be reasonable.

I too, like the long port version of this boat. It also has a good capsize screen number, a comfortable 267 D/L and she has a 16.4 SA/D which will drop some what if you cut down the main, which can hurt her light air ability. Personally, I'd install the vang and teach the crew to keep their heads down when the boat is tacking or jibing.

[Rehunter]

Thanks for the reply!

I am not too worried about the sail as it will be replaced... I just Loooveee the crisp feel of a new sail. I will have the old one cut just to keep as a spare, it's about had it anyway.

As I dont plan to race this boat, safety is more important so the loss of performance is a small price to pay to know my wife and friends wont get clobered. It's easy to tell them to duck but people dont always listen and if the boom is up then no matter what, I know that no one will get hurt.

When I do these little restorations I tend to go all out from the best hardware to good stainless portholes, remove the plywood floor and do solid teak strips etc. When I am finished they are 10X better than when they were new. The interiors look like a mini Swan. Very plush compact boat with (almost) the best of everything. I never really get all my money out of them when they are finished and I go to sell them but it is a great hobby and a 30 to 34 foot boat restoration does not kill your wallet like a 45 footer would.

Again, thaks very much for the reply. It is good to know you guys are willing to help with advice and share you knowledge.

Cheers

[MarioCoccon]

Hi: This is my third time writing here but in experience I can talk a little bit. My father and me restored 14 boats until to day just for fun and the pleasure of enjoy our company. All of the boats haved problems with mast, rigging, chain plates, tracks bla bla. Talking about the sleeve we repair three mast until today and we are not riggers. The first one was a Watkins 27 with the mast broken in the same place of your Hunter, not a big deal if you do it wright. The magic here is that use a sleeve that fit almost exactly inside the mast because outside looks ugly. You can use an old mast and worked to fit. The minimun to put in each side is three feet then you can cut holds and welded because you dont want the sleeve taked off. People say to us ahhh with that you gone to loose mast angle who want angle in a cruise boat that is already not disigned to have angle. With the Allied Sea Wind 30 we do the same but this time with ribbets and then filled. In the Jeanneau 27 Fantasia this one have a crack in the spreader area the same of the C&C 35 MkI we only puted Aluminium plates 1/4 with ribbets one foot of long. In any of this boats that steal racing and cruising haved problems. Only be sure and ask who they doing it if feel that the sleeve is to short cuted back and redone the job. Use your feelings thats the only way to be save in a boat. About the boom and sorry for all this explanations we do that in the Allied 30, Columbia 28 and Watkins 27 the same way, use the same boom base ribbed back with monell ribbets then cut the channel with a dreamer 20 minutes job then measure the sail. For the boom bang its better to have it at the end of the mast and three or four feet from the corner of the boom the one closer to the mast. Never putted in the middle the boom cn broke and heart some one. I hope this information work to you is a one they job and a safe sailing, we only feel 1 angle lost on windward