Hobie Cat Forums

I have 3 16's - I'm slowly rebuilding them all - and my best one (in best shape) I've been replacing with new gear and moving the better used items to the other older boats.

ANYWAY I have new sails in - and I put my battens in my new jib, and now I want to work on the main sail. My current boom on this boat has a goose neck connection to the boom that allows it to do this.



It doesn't come out... but is this a problem? (should I use a boom and goose neck combo that doesn't do this? (I have one) but I wondered if this maybe was a later version that allowed for easier goose neck feeding into the mast track? is this ok to use? Or should I use another boom and goose that has no slop?

I've used this for lots of sailing and it doesn't seem to have been a issue?
but since I'm doing a new sail install why not get it right?

The pressure from the down haul, and the pressure from the out haul, probably hold it in there while in use. But if your putting new sail on there and that pin has excessive slop in it when its installed, I would put a sleave on the pin and drill the end cap so that you could tap it in so it wedges in there, to shim it or replace it all togeather. You could use brass, aluminuim, plastic, to make a bushing. If it were me, I'd probably still use it, but would want it to be in there snug with minimal play. I would still think that if it would pivot, so you can twist the boom on it that would be alright. If that pins got some wear, I'll bet that hole it goes in, in the end casting, is worn more because its softer material.

_________________
79 H16 #46803

The rod part of the gooseneck that slides in/out of the boom casting has either a roll pin or an "E" clip on it's end (inside the boom) to keep it from falling out of the casting.

The rod needs to be able to slide in/out and freely rotate to work properly. I definitely would not recommend using your other boom where the gooseneck rod is stuck to the casting (probably due to corrosion).

Any tension on your outhaul (on the aft end of the boom) will normally keep the gooseneck's rod mostly in the boom's forward casting. Normally the outhaul should be tensioned just enough to get the wrinkles out of the main sail.

_________________
Tim
82' H16
Sail # 88863
Panama City Beach, FL

Thanks for taking the time, but is it just me? (why am I always confused?) = )

So yes the rod is suppose to go in and out this much? It rotates and stops from the pin inside. But I have 3 other booms and they also rotate freely (NO CORROSION), we have saltless sea's up here called the Great Lakes.

But those other booms do not allow the rod to go in and out like this one. They stay in... and rotate freely. So I wondered if this one is (flawed) or a newer design that should do this? Using it has been fine, but like I said I'm putting on new sails, so should I swap to one of the other booms or keep this one?
What is the norm... the way my other 3 are or the way this one is? I suspect like the other 3.

This is an older boom and the behavior is perfectly normal. The have been minor production changes like this over the 40+ years of production.

So... use it? or swap to one of my other booms that don't pull out like this?
I have 3 others that stay in all the way - and rotate freely.
Was this a later change (better for a reason?) or earlier than my others?

Yes.
If you like making work for yourself, go ahead. It won't make any difference in the way they work.
As I said before, it's an older gooseneck. When Hobies were first being made, they had to buy some off-the-shelf components - which included the early goosenecks with long pins. I'm sure that when they started buying these by the hundreds / thousands, then they could be more picky about the specifications. By shortening the pin, they cost less.

You're really overthinking this.

Not really - just can't get a real answer - ALL MY BOOMS ARE EARLY.
I suspect I'll use one of the ones that don't pop out this far then.
I want the latest model parts on this boat (that I have around).

Trust a Matt for the "Real" answer.

They only have to rotate... how much they pull out makes no difference at all in function. Simply small design changes to optimize the product as Matt B. noted.

The outhaul and sheets keep the boom pushed forward onto the pin.

_________________
Matt Miller
Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Hobie Cat USA