Missing link

Bill Blohm (bblohm@boi.hp.com)
Fri, 14 May 1999 16:03:11 -0600


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Had my P-19 out for the first time last weekend. In the process
of rigging it, I handed out the boom, only to discover that the
gooseneck was missing. We went through that boat thoroughly, and
all we found was a bent nail rusted in half. I found a cotter
pin that was almost exactly the same diameter as the hole in the
shaft of the gooseneck. After inserting the gooseneck shaft into
the hole in the end of the boom, I rotated it until I could see
the hole in the gooseneck shaft through the hole in the boom.
I dropped the cotter pin into that hole and rotated the gooseneck
around until the split end of the cotter pin was visible in the
hole in the boom. With a large nail, I split the ends apart so
the cotter couldn't drop out.

We went sailing. Good winds, 6+ mph in the boat. Some heeling,
a couple poundings, heaved to to yell with the regatta boat, spray
over the bow. Rigged the main sheet wrong and lost it through the
guide/jam by the tiller, out the starboard block, but managed to
grab it 3" above the end as it went flying to try to get through
the block on the boom before I could catch it. Beat it! Hah! All
the regatta boats would sail in below the docks, heave to, drop
sails, and motor in to the docks. Not me. I sailed out from the
dock, I sailed back to the dock. Not much choice, anyway. The
motor was making a funny sound, so I left it home this time. All
in all, the four of us had a blast, although I was a bit tense
because it was the first time I'd had her out in this kind of wind.
Plus, I was worried about heeling too far in the P-19 with it's
hard chines. I didn't have my compass with the heel meter installed
yet, so no idea how far over we went, but definitely not as far
over as those round-hulls were doing!

Anyway, anyone know what's supposed to hold that gooseneck in
place? It can't be a bent nail. I figure the cotter pin's got
to be better than that. Plus, it's a near exact fit to the hole
diameter. This cotter pin is also just about 3/4 thelength of the
inside diameter of the boom.

Bill B.
P-19 #454, "Dream Catcher"
Nampa, ID