Just temporary, but it should hold

[71Irwin32]

Not the top ring, see at bottom...



Then my temporary rigging



...and the problem close up



...what this piece on the end of the boom called?

[scottyt]

it looks as thou the boat was set up for roll reefing on the main. if this is true and you dont use it you could put 2 or 3 bails thru the boom to attach the main sheet to. you might be able to get away with one but i would use 2 and put seperate pulleys on each in case one lets go and to spread the load out some. then you could do away with the swivel on the end of the boom

[scottyt]

here is a stolen google pic of a bail being used to mount a boom vang, but you can do the same thing for the main sheet

http://www.sailingtexas.com/picboomvangscotg.jpg

edit here is a link for a bail

Ronstan Boom Bail 100Mm X 70Mm Binnacle.com

[71Irwin32]

Originally Posted by scottyt

it looks as thou the boat was set up for roll reefing on the main. if this is true and you dont use it you could put 2 or 3 bails thru the boom to attach the main sheet to. you might be able to get away with one but i would use 2 and put seperate pulleys on each in case one lets go and to spread the load out some. then you could do away with the swivel on the end of the boom

This is a "dutchman" main...no problem with the sail, mostly the main stay at the lower ring.

Sorry, I don't know the nomenclature for lots of these parts. I need to replace the outer piece that is bolted to the boom casting.....or maybe you're right, I need to replace the whole end piece.

[scottyt]

okay dutch man is a flaking system, it has nothing to do with the stays, the stays are what hold up the mast.

i could be wrong but what i see your setup is:

from what i see the cable coming off the top is the topping lift, it holds the boom up when the sail is down. yes the dutchman system attaches to the topping lift. the main sheet in the line that you use to pull the boom in to get it where you want. now the tooping lift used to connect to the broken fitting on the rear of the boom ( top broken loop ) and the main sheet attached as it is to the bottom of the fitting. the fitting rotates on the boom, this allows the boom to rotate and have the sail wrap around it for reefing. at the front of the boom it should also have a swivel type fitting that is probably screwed in place so it cant rotate anymore.

the topping lift is now attached to the boom where i would think the out haul would go. which should be fine, but you need to find a way to securely attach the main sheet, either by replacing the fitting that is worn/broken or by a bail thru the boom. using a bail is probably the cheapest way, as they cost 15 bucks each. then you can do away with the rotating fitting on the end on of the boom. you could also get a "strap" to go on the bolt that holds the swivel on and have the main sheet pulley/block attach to it

[71Irwin32]

No, but I'll take a longer photo tomorrow so you can see more of that area....I meant the "boom stay".

[scottyt]

okay i will wait but i still think i am right. but we shall see. off to do some more googling.

but you boat could have a boom stay, which is similar to a preventer, as it locks the boom in place to prevent jibs

edit from what i have found so far you boat did come with geared roller furlering main

i will keep looking

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by 71Irwin32

No, but I'll take a longer photo tomorrow so you can see more of that area....I meant the "boom stay".

Irwin, when you say "No" above, what are you referring to?

Scotty is essentially correct.

You appear to have an older boom that was originally fitted with roller reefing. Roller reefing allowed the sail area of the mainsail to be reduced by wrapping it around the boom. It was a very poor way to reef a sail, resulting in lousy sail shape, and was largely abandoned. Most owners who had roller-reefing boom arrangements eventually converted over to conventional slab reefing, as appears to be the case with your boat.

So the broken fitting at the end of your boom is really a vestigial organ. Scotty's suggestion to add a boom bail or two as a replacement for the broken end-boom fitting, is a good one. Very inexpensive, too. For more information on boom bails, see What is a Boom Bail?

Also, don't worry about the terminology. Most of us can usually figure out the intended meaning based on the descriptions. But it's always good to improve terminology, just for the sake of simplifying communication. With that in mind, I'll reiterate what Scotty said about the "dutchman" system you mentioned further above, i.e. it is not related to the photos or the hardware you've shown here. Strictly speaking, you do not have a "dutchman main", instead you have a conventional mainsail that is fitted with a topping lift and dutchman lazyjacks.

I will also confess that I am not familiar with the terminology "boom stay".

[Faster]

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

I will also confess that I am not familiar with the terminology "boom stay".

I suspect he's thinking of the topping lift??? unless, Irwin, you're referring to the mainsheet itself, which is connected to the suspect part.

[CaptainForce]

I agree with Scottyt & JRPollard. My '73 Morgan has a similar boom end cap that allows the boom to rotate as a reefing system. It's inefficient and I never use it, but it was an innovation at the time. I'd cut off the broken piece and rotate the end cap 180 degrees for the topping lift and add the bails for the main sheet as others have suggested. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew