If the joint sleeve is attached with more than one rivet, it multiplies the risk of breakage at that point. If there is only one, don't worry.Why do I need to flip the top section of the mast if there does not appear to be anything wrong with it?
It actually doesn't have anything to do with the purchase ratio of the vang. But if you can make your boom more durable, why not? You'll even have more room in the boat when the boom doesn't bend as much...Do I need to put the boom sleeve in if I don't plan on upgrading the vang?
If it has a sleeve, it will be the short one; it will break at the mainsheet block. The new sleeve goes past the mainsheet block and make the boom pretty much bulletproof.I thought a 1988 boom would already have the sleeve, Stick some narrow but rigid object through the front plug hole to find out; the forward end of the sleeve should be about 10-15 cm in. If it's there, then you have one thing less to worry about!
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I have the short (65 cm) sleeve, but I don't worry about my boom breaking anytime soon. I'd say switching to the longer (90 cm) sleeve isn't worth the trouble, but if you have none at all, then go ahead and get one. Emilio already posted a link.If it has a sleeve, it will be the short one; it will break at the mainsheet block.
If it has a sleeve, it will be the short one; it will break at the mainsheet block. The new sleeve goes past the mainsheet block and make the boom pretty much bulletproof.
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You may have simply installed it too far forward... but it doesn't mean your boom will break next time you go sailing.Should I be concerned???
Not next time, but eventually....You may have simply installed it too far forward... but it doesn't mean your boom will break next time you go sailing.
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Or you can go to your hdw store and get 3' of alu tube 1.7/8"od and install that.LaserPerformance says that the sleeves are not available, but APC does have them with a 4 week lead time
And your boom won't be a Laser boom after that. This one needs to be an original LP part.Or you can go to your hdw store and get 3' of alu tube 1.7/8"od and install that.
How would anyone (ILCA enforcer) know if there is a reinforcing sleeve or is a LP part or of a certain length? Take the boom apart?And your boom won't be a Laser boom after that. This one needs to be an original LP part.
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The length and location are easy to measure through the hole in the front plug with a long stiff wire or some such. Of course you can't see whether it's an original part or not, but that's beside the point, which is rule compliance in general. Is it ok to cheat if you don't get caught?How would anyone (ILCA enforcer) know if there is a reinforcing sleeve or is a LP part or of a certain length?
Absolute, talk to anyone of my F1 buddies, LOL. What if my top mast connection fitting has 3 rivets? Even more susceptible to breaking or is it more reinforced?Is it ok to cheat if you don't get caught?
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It's even more likely to break! If you go sailing with that, be sure to rotate it so that the middle rivet points aft. But yes, that spar should really be end-for-ended.What if my top mast connection fitting has 3 rivets? Even more susceptible to breaking or is it more reinforced?
Boom were fully sleeved by the year 2000 or so, well before GoPro cameras.Lots of talk about old booms breaking. Mine (1981) took a hellish beating and bending for many years and never broke, while mast sections (upper and lower) broke several times. Any YouTube videos of a boom breaking? (Now, I do have the new one with a sleeve....)
But if the manufacturer no longer provides the class legal sleeve, I would not feel bad about using a similar generic alu tube.Of course you can't see whether it's an original part or not, but that's beside the point, which is rule compliance in general. Is it ok to cheat if you don't get caught?
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Probably has to do with the double-ended controls, which don't look very well-working at all (in addition to being spectacularly illegal). Get rid of it, and the fairlead below the vang tang as well. That lower mast has quite a few extra holes to snap at.On the lower section of the mast there is a metal ring and I forget what it is for.
Good.there are 3 clam cleats on either side, but I am planning on going back to the standard official set up.
Their being at different cross-sections does reduce the risk somewhat, but you might as well end-for-end the spar anyway. It's not a huge job.The top section of the mast has 2 rivets. They are 180 degrees from each other and one is at the top of the black plastic ring while the other is at the bottom of the ring. Does it still need to be flipped?
As I said, stick something thin, long and rigid through the hole in the forward boom plug. If the sleeve is there, you will easily feel its forward edge.How can I tell if the boom has the sleeve inside without taking it apart? Does it really matter in light winds? For the cost of buying and installing the sleeve I could pretty much replace it if it breaks. It seems like a lot of work to put the sleeve in.
It does look like the vang fitting in a Force 5.The metal ring around the lower mast is mysterious to me. Did this piece come from another type of boat?