I just measured the wooden boom on my #234 gunter-rigged Potter.
The overall length is 105-3/4 inches. The gooseneck/slide assembly extends
2-1/2 inches forward of the boom. The gooseneck drops into a track on the
mast that allows the boom height to be adjusted. A spring-loaded pin locks
it in place on the track.
I added a similar gooseneck (free-sliding, without the locking pin) to the
gunter yard and an additional, longer track on the mast. I found that to be
a big improvement over the classic gunter yard cheeks (or jaws, or yoke, or
whatever you call it) - the pieces of plywood that straddle the mast. That
mod is something you might want to think about later after you get the
normal rig working. In the meantime, you will want a light line tied
loosely across the open end of the cheeks. Otherwise the whole yard
sometimes separates from the mast and flops about when you are hoisting or
lowering it.
The boom cross section is 1-3/8 inch wide by 1-7/8 inch high. The boom is
constructed in the same manner as the gunter yard. It has a bolt rope slot
for the foot of the original type sail. The Mk II sail is cut to be loose
footed, attached at only the tack and clew. I added a slug at the clew. The
slug fits in the bolt rope slot so that the outhaul only pulls the sail aft
while the slug holds the clew to the boom.
The boat sails well with the Mk II sail, and the sail sets well on the
gunter rig. It will need slugs sized to fit the bolt rope slot in the
gunter yard. But you will probably find the long batten in the Mk II main
to be a serious nuisance when you lower the yard. The batten stabs straight
down when the yard is horizontal and has to be removed in order to furl the
sail. There is a photo of Manatee with the Mk II sail partially furled but
the portion with the long batten hanging over the side at
<http://songbird.com/potter_yachter/pics/tightfit.jpg>. Still, the extra
sail area is nice when winds are light.
I conceived a neat reefing system for the original main, but reefing the Mk
II, with its larger area aloft, is more complicated.
One thing that might work for using the Mk II main is to rig two halyards -
the existing one on the mast, and a second one on the yard. That way you
could leave the yard up and lower the sail in about the same manner as on
the newer boats. Not as fast and convenient as the gunter rig, but it could
solve the problem of the long batten. For reefing you could use both
halyards, which would allow you to lower the yard to reduce weight aloft at
the same time as you reduce sail. I understand the winds are pretty steady
in your part of the world, so you may just want to use the smaller original
sail.
I am interested in the design of your replacement lazarette hatch. My
original hatch is warped and never had any sealing or locking provisions. I
hold it in place with a bungee cord.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
>After more than a few months of fiddling and diddling -- and a great
>deal of deeply appreciated help from the folks on this list -- I'm
>pleased to report that P-14 hull # 362, floats and is a successful
>Hawaiian stinkpotter.
>
>Hull and trailer repairs are complete and she now has a nice new bow
>pulpit, handholds, hatch fittings, vee-berth, Nissan 3.5 motor,
>lazarette hatch, and other various doo-dads.
>
>Now I needs to make her sail. Her new mast is finished, and the old
>gunter yard is okay, but I need to build a boom. I figure that the
>best thing would be to make it to the same dimensions as the original
>boom.
>
>I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone could tell me the dimensions of
>this spar. I have the original mainsail and (thanks to Rye Gewalt) an
>unused Mk II sail.
>
>Aloha,
>
>-----------
>Rich Duffy
>P-14 #362
>Kula, Hawaii
