>My other options are to get a new one fabricated from scratch, or buy one
>from IM at about $280. That seems a little steep for something with no
>moving parts, but I hear the new ones are galvanized so actually an
>appealing solution too.
The new one sounds like the way to go if your old one isn't galvanized. My
31-year-old galvanized centerboard is still going strong.
>
>2) The bottom edge of my mainsail extends slightly beyond the end of my
>boom. This keeps me from adjusting the amount of wind that spills off the
>bottom of the sail and it generally runs pretty loose. Is the aft end of my
>boom missing something (like an end fitting or something that would extend
>the length) or is it likely that the sail has just streched out over the
>years? The boom tube (not counting the gooseneck) is exactly eight feet
>long.
Let me guess. Does your main attach to the mast via slugs instead of the
boltrope? And is there hardware attaching the slugs to the sails? The
combination could be moving your sail 2 or 3 inches further aft than the
original installation, where the boltrope of the sail was inside the mast
slot. I understand the boom was of minimum length so that it could be
stowed in the cabin, so there wasn't much leeway. You probably have some
sail stretch also.
If my guess was correct, you can recover some of the loss by using slugs
that are sewn or lashed instead of being attached with hardware. I don't
know if you're missing an end fitting since my boat is an old gunter rig.
Someone else will tell you, or you can check the photos on the web pages.
In any case, it should not be difficult to add an extension to your boom.
Dwyer Masts <http://www.csiworld.com/dwyer/> or any spar shop could
probably offer a simple solution. Perhaps it could be removable to allow
boom storage in the cabin.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA