Slippery gooseneck

My 76 minifish has a case of slippery gooseneck. I bought new bolts and nuts but still moves freely. I think my next step is to put a thin layer of rubber under the neck but that I’d see what the collective wisdom here is. I have a quick release on the way and want to avoid having to buy a new goose neck if possible.
 
Here is an easier solution that I have done several times. Remove the bolt and chuck the gooseneck in a vise. Then file the inside of the "ears"
down about 1/8th inch or more so the bolt will compress the goodseneck and make a nice tight fit on the boom. Takes about 15 minutes if you have a sharp fine tooth file. Problem solved without tape or rubber gaskets that will foul the quick release device,

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
I've heard that the gooseneck "gets loose" when repeated [normal] tightening compresses the aluminum spar to a smaller diameter.

If filing (or electric-grinding) the gooseneck doesn't seem to be the answer, swap the ends of the spar, and realign the hardware. That should be good for another 50 years. ;)
 
File where the two metal pieces clamp together, not the bolt hole. We have also done it the way that the US Marines would do it, taken a big screw driver and pried the clamp surfaces apart a little on the outer ends, also known as "bent it."

My answer on why it gets compressed is the relative softness of the bronze, I think it is the ears that bend. The ears are where the two bolt hole surfaces clamp together.

shoreline_sunfish_gooseneck.jpg


Copper shims were the answer on this wooden boom. Since ZIP did not want a quick release we took out the copper and used cloth gaff tape instead. Bonus points if someone can tell us why there is a hole in the boom.

Zip boom gooseneck.jpg


Sunfish gooseneck wooden gaff tape.jpg
 

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