Bad luck, need help

SGTLaser

New Member
Hello everyone. I was back home the last week, and got the chance to sail in the first small boat race of the year before heading back to Iraq. It is amazing what you forget when you don't sail for 7 months. Any way, it was fairly windy out but nothing close to being heavy. About 12-17kts. good wind for a laser, right? Wrong, at least not for mine and a green sailor. I made it through the first race ok, but on the second race I ripped out the rivets that hold the mainsheet blocks to the boom. My day was done. Upon a closer look at the boom, the spot where both rivets went is badly corroded. An sugestions? And further inspections revealled my mast step craking. I know what has to be done to fix that, just not looking forward to it. Anyway, any thoughts on the boom would be helpful.
 
Hi,
for the boom: take suitable "Monel" rivets and "Duralac" paste. Both is to get from the local marine store.
For the mast step: go for a search at TLF ("Search" button, "extended search", at the TLF task line above). There is very much to find about mast step repairs.
 
Not too worried bout the mast, It is interesting the way it happened though. I hear all the stories of the bottom of the mast step giving and therfore ripping th mast out of the boat. But on mine the area around the tube developed a cack where the deck and the tube meet. the bottom of the maststep is still solid, just the top. It's also suspcet becuase this boat already has a maststep repair kit in it. I didn't do it myself, but bought it like that. I am begining to think that no matter the size of the boat, all get to be expensive.:)
As for the sugestion on the boom, would that be solid enough? The whole and the corrosion around it is too big to take another rivet, I was leaning toward though bolts with big fender washers, but unsure of the stresses to the washers and the boom.
 
Hi again
like I see, you usually sail your Laser recreational. So, "class rules" are not the aspect you have to look for.

OK, the problem are not the washers or the bolts. The problem for the "stress"/overload is the hole itself, not the washers/nuts (at engineering-science we know the phenomenon of the overload of holes... ="bearing stress", if the translation is correct ...). The stress to the boom is 2-dimensional, so, it is a bit lower than it would be at a 1 dimensional stress. If the corrosion is not to much, I would try first to use stainless steel nuts (such that do "not loose") and staniless steel washers (and Duralac) and turn the boom a bit.
Problem here: How to fix the nuts and before that: how to add the washers... For the washers, only a bamboo stick would be enough (stick the bamboostick from the side at the gooseneck hole...), but for the nuts: one need a "flat ring wrench" for backing (to big for the hole at the gooseneck plug of the boom, I'm afraid). So, you careful do the work from the opposite side of the gooseneck plug of the boom...with a stick that is more durable than a bamboo-stick. TLF's "gouvernail" did describe a secure method how to get out the plug there, with a suitable "metal/steel rod" of a construction area. BTW: you better ask him for the repair of mast step, too. But you better not ask him this weekend, he has a big meeting with "Mr. E.Bunny" at Lake Travis/Austin/Tex. ... .

Alternative method:
If you probably have an old mast top segment of a Laser in stock: then you perhaps take it and use it for a boom. You have to add all equipment of the boom (including the inner sleeve of the boom, if you have one inside), cut it to the correct length and drill out new holes etc.

Any way, if I would be you: I would think of a new used hull for about 300 to 500 $ and a new used boom for about 50 to 100 $ (f.e of: ebay.com or TLF). Already a new mast step repair kid already at APS does cost over 370 $.

Happy Easter
LooserLu
In attachment is the mast step problem you have, correct?
 

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Personally, I'd be following LooserLu's first suggestion but picking up a new top section, as your existing top section is probably in as bad a condition as your current boom. With the old top section, cut it down and convert it to a boom. Use duralac and monel rivets on the boom, new top section and also the bottom section. It's not worth damaging a sail by having your spars fail.
 
RE: Boom Repair
Below find a link to some pics I posted last year pertaining to through-bolting the eye straps. They are pretty self explanatory, and if you do have a lot of corrosion such that the rivet holes become oversized, you should still be able to salvage the boom by using the fender washers like I did; as well as a LOT of lanocoat. Remember to shape them to match the curvature of the boom. I also placed some small nylon washers (1/32" thick and available at any hardware store) between the eyestrap and the boom. This is another way to lessen the effects of galvanic corrosion.

Last but not least, Thank You for your service to our country.

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=9018&highlight=Nuts,+Bolts,+Rivets+&+Boom+Repairs
 
Hi i think what you need to do on your boom, as you are only recreationally sailing is to move the block that ripped out forward or backwards and drill some new holes.
 

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