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E 29 Reefing Hook / Gooseneck question

napleskayak

Junior Member
Can someone please tell me the correct reefing hook for this gooseneck? I plan to have double slab reefing
Thanks
Chris
NaplesKayakCompany.com
 

selous

Inactive Member
I don't mean to sidetrack this thread but napleskayak how on earth does your boom move up and down the mast with that setup ? It looks like the boom can only swivel from side to side !
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The boom gets Goosed

I don't mean to sidetrack this thread but napleskayak how on earth does your boom move up and down the mast with that setup ? It looks like the boom can only swivel from side to side !

Well, Until Naples checks in again, I have an answer, or at least part of one...
Somewhere in the mid-70's or so the sliding gooseneck was replaced with a fixed gooseneck on most/all sailboats.

There were several unrelated but coincidental reasons. For racing, the black band on the mast came into being to give competitors a quick read on whether the mainsail was staying within its measured position and thereby showing that the boat was not cheating with extra unmeasured sail area.
Boat builders noted that the whole boom-and-sail-foot no longer could be pulled downward below the band to change the shape, and saved a buck by changing to a fixed gooseneck (held by bolts, rivets, or welds). The cunningham adjustment took the place of the former sliding gooseneck to tension the luff of the main when underway.

Finally, we buyers/customers increasingly enjoyed this change a lot, especially those of us really using our "racer cruiser" boats for family cruising.
With the boom at a fixed height, the owner could add a dodger, and not only would the boom not come down on that dodger, it also stayed a predictable height above the heads of the crew! :)
Or, if not completely above them, at least at a position they could remember.

Then along came the many advantages of the rod vang, which required a solid gooseneck attachment for the ninety degree part of that boom support triangle.

*Sidebar: if I had known of the practical real-world sailing advantages of a solid/"rod" vang before buying our Olson I would have changed over my prior boat in a heartbeat. ;)

So, like my receding hairline, it's an age-related concept!
:)

Happy Independence Day,
Loren
 
Last edited:

selous

Inactive Member
Thanks for the excellent explanation Loren,I learned a lot from it,just goes to show what a newbie I really still am when it comes to different rigs.Makes good sense to have the fixed boom height and just hoist the sail instead of sail and boom together! My E27 has the sliding gooseneck and a downhaul to tighten the luff.
 

napleskayak

Junior Member
Thanks

Thanks for the interesting responses. I did but a pair or reef hooks and I will just bolt them on. I thought that it was something more complicated then that.
This is the oldest boat that I have owned and I had forgotten that the older the boat the more outdated systems can be and the total number of modifications add up.

I am trying to to decide if I should keep it all simple like I got it or start making more changes like leading all lines aft- I have read lots of pros and cons on this. My father in law had an E35 that had everything led up and color coded-eg #1 and #2 reef - everything just a pull, it was pretty nice...
 
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