Has anyone modified a Weekender or Vacationer to have a taller boom? How much would it throw off the balance of the boat.
It seems like there would be more usable cockpit space if the boom rode above the heads of the crew.
-Dave
I am going to put Gaff jaws on my vacationer. It would allow You to set your boom where You want it, and I don't see anything wrong with it. Just My two cents anyway.
Brian.
I raised the boom and the whole mast 1 foot when I built the boat. When I moved down to Texas I had to cut 8 inches off the bottom of the mast to get it in the garage. I didn't notice any differance in the way she sailed when I did that.
Pat
16 inches made no noticable difference in my ballested Vac.
Ahoy Craig,
Was that enough height to give you ample headroom?
Many of us don't relish the idea of getting hit on the noggin with these booms.
That could hurt, or worse yet.
Craig, the reason I say this is because some of the BYYB folks out this way may have suffered an unfortunate blow to the head. I mean when I first met them, they seemed normal enough, but after they had sailed for a month or two, well, you know the rest of the story.
Their behavior became . . . shall we say suspicious, downright abnormal even.
This is a noticeable side effect (possibly a benefit for some) among sailors, which is time honored, over the many generations. I have a lovely scar I can brag about, on my forehead and seem no worse for wear, though I have developed conversations with invisible friends from time to time. As you get older it becomes a handy excuse to explain away your ever increasing baldness. Boom scalping is also a wonderful method to control unruly guests. I've more then once employed a quick jerk of the helm to get a drunken crew member to sit their wobbly butt back down or literally face the wrath of the wayward boom. Sharpening the lower edges can increase the potential of clean cuts, rather then the bruising blows often encountered. It's much easier, for the shipboard doctor, to control infection in a clean wound, then a mashed and serrated gash, produced from an unsharpened spar.
You wanted a pirate ship, you scallywags. It's difficult to qualify such decisions, when you can lose a finger cutting a hunk of cheese from the wheel at dinner, let alone forgetting to duck as the boom passes through. I bet you don't run with scissors either . . .
16-18 will do the trick Jim; however you still need to take care and not be sitting on the afterdeck as I love to do. There you still need to bow a bit as the stick comes over. I hope these knots on my head go down some day. :lol:
I raised the boom approx 6" from the plans, and intend to raise it another 6"....
Now we know why it's called a "boom"
Dave,
I built my vacationer with the mast and boom matching the plans, then decided I didn't like the position of the boom being so low over the cabin/cockpit . I raised the whole mast assembly by putting a 1 foot long block under the base and adjusting the shrouds as needed.
Personally, I like the boom being higher - I can sit on the back deck as I steer and not worry have to worry as the boom swings from one side to the other. As far as changing performance, I can't say, but I've not had a problem yet that I would say could be attributed to the elevated mast/boom.
Good luck with your build!
John K.