gooseneck question

M

maciekdp

New Member
Should the gooseneck be clamped onto the boom so that it cannot move, or can there be some play? What is its recommended position?
Also, what can be done to make sure that the halyard does not slide up on the gaff.

Thanks
 
The question about how to stop the halyard slipping came up on this forum a year ago. Some brilliant inventor came up with this solution...

Put duct tape on the boom. Then tie a Clove Hitch over a Snuggle Hitch underneath a Ring Hitch on top of a Prusik Knot and finish it off with a Boom Hitch. Put duct tape over the knots. Paint it all with superglue. Then discover that you tied it in the wrong place and you are doomed to sail the boat forever looking like some recreational sailor who has rigged the sail high enough so he can tack standing up.​
 
maciekdp said:
Should the gooseneck be clamped onto the boom so that it cannot move, or can there be some play? What is its recommended position?
Click to expand...

There are two schools of thought. The really good sailors leave some play so that whenever the wind strength changes or you go round a windward mark or you go round the leeward mark you can reset the gooseneck position. To do this put the sheet in your teeth and steer with your aft foot on the tiller. Lean forward and grab the boom with one hand and the gooseneck with the other hand. Lever your front foot against the bottom of the mast and quickly reposition the gooseneck. With practice you can do this in winds up to 30 knots without going into irons or capsizing or splitting your pants more than 3 or 4 times a race.

The rest of us just leave the gooseneck alone. When you sail in saltwater do not rinse it. That way corrosion will eventually cement it to the boom and you won't have to worry about it moving.

If you do decide to adjust it, how do you know the right position? Beats me. If you are not pointing or you have too much weather helm then keep fiddling with it until you are so far back in the fleet you have given up caring.
 
Most folks get an adjustable gooseneck fitting. It has a handle you can release to move the boom easily. As for position for light air the gooseneck needs to be foward. This also helps pointing upwind. As the wind increase and you feel weather helm you move the goose neck back to regain neutral helm. The average range form the tack to gooseneck runs 15-24 inches. The actual position depends a lot on the weight of the sailor. Lighter sailers will need to move it back earlier than a heavier sailer will.
If you intend to do a lot of Fish sailing I would suggest buying a Sunfish Bible. It's available off the Sunfish home page and will have all the tips and tricks you need to keep up with the fleet.
 
Tie the halyard to the spar with a ROLLING HITCH. See knot books or sites for the correct method (it's important to tie it such that the halyard pulls it correctly). I've used this hitch for years and need no tape (or super glue!) to hold it in place. It also allows easy adjustment without undoing the knot.

Fred
 
As for position of the gooseneck, you want to move it more forward in light air and further back in heavier air. I have been out of the class for about 15 years and am just getting back, but I think the range is 14-18 inches back from the tack.

If you are sailing the boat flat and you have a lot of weather helm (she wants to head into the wind to the point that you are pulling on the tiller to keep going forward), then you probably need to move the gooseneck back (and add a vang). The further forward you can put the gooseneck and still sail flat with just a moderate amount of weather helm (you always want some) the better.

Hope this helps,

Eric W 58984
 
maciekdp,

Read the "Sunfish Tuning Guide" under "Tips and Tricks" on the Sunfish Class Home Page. It has a detailed explination on gooseneck/halyard placement and other tips. Good Luck
 
I have the same question about the gooseneck being loose on the boom.
When I tighten down the screw on my gooseneck its still very loose on the boom. Even if I had the adjustable gooseneck fitting it would never clamp all the way down to prevent the boom from sliding all the way to the next sail ring.

Troy
 
Troy, on one of my old boats I had the same problem. While Alcort just said to wrap some tape around the boom so the gooseneck would stay in position I removed some metal from the "slot" in the goosneck so it would close down farther and grab the boom.
 
Take the screw out and just bend the gooseneck end up and replace screw.
It is made of brass and will bend over time. This is a simple fix that should be done every 10 or 15 years.

Fairwinds
 
Thanks for both of your suggestions.
I think I will try to remove some metal in the slot and see how that goes.

Troy
 
Take the metal off the part that doesn't have the threads. Don't ask me how a buggered up the threaded side and had to retap it.
 
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