Boom corrosion

[Sparky84041]

Has anyone seen corrosion like this before? This taken from my boom. It was suggested to sand this off, but I’m thinking to will scratch the metal.

Thoughts?

 

[mherrcat]

The problem with corrosion like that on aluminum is that it goes way deeper into the metal than you would think. Simply sanding it off will not stop it.

I refurbished my boom over a year ago. What I ended up doing was grinding out the corrosion with a Dremel tool and having a welder fill in all the divots. After doing that I decided it would have been cheaper, and just as good a fix, for me to fill in the divots with Interlux Watertite Epoxy before painting the whole boom with Interlux Perfection.

Overall my fix has worked, except for three areas where the internal bails come out of the underside of the boom. Corrosion has begun to occur again under the paint surrounding the holes where the bails protrude. What I should have done while I had the boom stripped to bare metal was to completely cut out the area where the bails come through, including the holes for the rivets/bolts that attach the bails inside the boom, and welded in new aluminum plate shaped to fit the curve profile of the boom.

When it was all done I think I had as much in time and materials into the project as it would have cost to have a new boom made. I would check with Ballenger Spars and get a quote on a new boom, then you can decide if it is worth trying to fix yourself or if you can live with it the way it is for a while longer...

http://www.ballengerspars.com/

 

[toddbrsd]

Looks like Mine

Yup.. looks just like the boom on my E-27. Hasn't bugged me enough to make my To Do list, but I'll be monitoring this thread for the day that it does!

 

[ref_123]

Boom

RigRite.com still has the tubes and ends for Kenyon spars... Bought a boom end from them last year, quite reasonably priced.

Regards,
Stan

 

[mherrcat]

In my experience Rig Rite is hardly "reasonable." I believe they quoted me well over $300 for the aft end fitting for the 3550 boom profile; the boom on my 30+. As I recall they also wanted around $7,000 for a complete boom.

I ended up spending almost $300 with them to replace the reefing sheaves, outhaul sheave and one internal boom bail. If I didn't need exact replacement parts I would look at another supplier.

 

[bayhoss]

RigRite

Having attempted to deal with RigRite on a mast issue I would advise you to steer clear. They are difficult to say the least, and far from reasonable in pricing. Dwyer and Seldon are very good to deal with and more than willing to assist with sizing and tech support. FTR I have no connection to any of the above mentioned.

Best,
Frank