Bent boom! Should I be concerned?

[ThatJeffGuy]

I was out chipping the ice out of the cockpit drains today ad took the time to look down the length of the boom (with no sail on it) and I noticed that it has a bend right where the spring loaded vang connects, it seems to bend to port about 1" (the very end of the boom is deflected about 1" from it being perfectly straight). Is this a mission critical or a "find a new boom when I find a new boom", or a "keep sailing and ignore it", or "look into straightening it" type situation. I am not a racer, I don't try to push the boat to its limits by any means, going to guess the previous owner had a hard jibe while racing.

Has anyone else had this issue?

The boat is a 1974 32-2

 

[nquigley]

I was out chipping the ice out of the cockpit drains today ad took the time to look down the length of the boom (with no sail on it) and I noticed that it has a bend right where the spring loaded vang connects, it seems to bend to port about 1" (the very end of the boom is deflected about 1" from it being perfectly straight). Is this a mission critical or a "find a new boom when I find a new boom", or a "keep sailing and ignore it", or "look into straightening it" type situation. I am not a racer, I don't try to push the boat to its limits by any means, going to guess the previous owner had a hard jibe while racing.
Has anyone else had this issue?
The boat is a 1974 32-2

If you're not pushing the boat hard, it'll likely be OK. But, you might want to have a close look at the vang's attachment point on the boom for any hairline cracks in the paint. Maybe caused by a hard jibe, or maybe a near knockdown that dragged the outboard end of the boom in the water for a ways (the latter is a common cause of broken booms, right where the vang is attached). If there's a rigger nearby, maybe get a second opinion - I doubt he'll suggest straightening it, but he might suggest riveting a reinforcing sleeve over that area if it appears to have been weakened. Good luck!

 

[Christian Williams]

How is your main sheet attached to the boom? Got a photo?

 

[ThatJeffGuy]

If you're not pushing the boat hard, it'll likely be OK. But, you might want to have a close look at the vang's attachment point on the boom for any hairline cracks in the paint. Maybe caused by a hard jibe, or maybe a near knockdown that dragged the outboard end of the boom in the water for a ways (the latter is a common cause of broken booms, right where the vang is attached). If there's a rigger nearby, maybe get a second opinion - I doubt he'll suggest straightening it, but he might suggest riveting a reinforcing sleeve over that area if it appears to have been weakened. Good luck!

I have been looking online and it looks like bending at the Vang mount is a pretty common issue. I have a feeling this will not be a fix I do this year, but next winter I may take the boom, straighten it, and then make an internal reinforcement to stiffen the boom against the greater lateral loading at the vang connection. I will have to straighten the boom at the same time or it will not be able to slide in place! I happen to have access to a full machine shop so making an aluminum reinforcement sleeve for inside of the boom out of something sufficiently robust, like two layers of 3/32" 6061 aluminum running through the first 8' of the boom, basically from the mast to just past the traveler connection. Have an upper and lower "U" with a flat through the middle of the boom, like running an I beam laid on its side down the length of the boom. Or if it works out size wise, machine some 6061 U channel to fit the space and serve the same purpose, with plenty of attachment surface along the sides. The additional weight would not me that great, but the additional strength would be huge!

 

[kapnkd]

I was out chipping the ice out of the cockpit drains today ad took the time to look down the length of the boom (with no sail on it) and I noticed that it has a bend right where the spring loaded vang connects, it seems to bend to port about 1" (the very end of the boom is deflected about 1" from it being perfectly straight). Is this a mission critical or a "find a new boom when I find a new boom", or a "keep sailing and ignore it", or "look into straightening it" type situation. I am not a racer, I don't try to push the boat to its limits by any means, going to guess the previous owner had a hard jibe while racing.

Has anyone else had this issue?

The boat is a 1974 32-2

Back in the late 70’s with my E32 coming back to Miami from Bimini in 6 to 8 feet rollers at my back and a strong breeze I was moving right along going wing and wing with a makeshift vang/preventer. One slightly bigger wave shoved the stern enough to cause a job. It bent the boom with a good 2+” dip in the middle.

I sailed with that dip in it into the late 90’s with no problems. We had refinished the boom, my son had put a Harken logo sticker on it as well and it caught the eye of one of my racing friends with an S2. He saw the bend and asked curiously to which I replied, with as straight a face I could, that it was that new “Super-Draft” boom from Harken! He chased me around for quite a bit wanting to know more and how much before I fessed up.

We all, including him still have a good chuckle over it to this day. I would suggest that if you aren’t a super serious racer, don’t worry too much and maybe just get a Harken logo sticker and have some fun too!

 

[ThatJeffGuy]

How is your main sheet attached to the boom? Got a photo?

The main sheet has the little torpedo cars to hold it to the boom, here is a picture, also shows my usual sailing conditions ;-)...

 

[Christian Williams]

Good, end-boom doesn't concentrate the sheet strain as some mid-boom rigs do.

I'd sail it as is, too.

 

[ThatJeffGuy]

Good, end-boom doesn't concentrate the sheet strain as some mid-boom rigs do.

I'd sail it as is, too.

I would not mind moving the traveler connection forward about a foot, just to keep the lines from interfering with the throttle and shifter all of the time!

 

[tenders]

Back in the late 70’s with my E32 coming back to Miami from Bimini in 6 to 8 feet rollers at my back and a strong breeze I was moving right along going wing and wing with a makeshift vang/preventer. One slightly bigger wave shoved the stern enough to cause a job. It bent the boom with a good 2+” dip in the middle.

I sailed with that dip in it into the late 90’s with no problems. We had refinished the boom, my son had put a Harken logo sticker on it as well and it caught the eye of one of my racing friends with an S2. He saw the bend and asked curiously to which I replied, with as straight a face I could, that it was that new “Super-Draft” boom from Harken! He chased me around for quite a bit wanting to know more and how much before I fessed up.

We all, including him still have a good chuckle over it to this day. I would suggest that if you aren’t a super serious racer, don’t worry too much and maybe just get a Harken logo sticker and have some fun too!

My 32 has also has also a small bend in the boom at the vang attachment, and it's been there since at least the late 80s. Every time I take the boom off I've been tempted to try to fix it, but when I sleep on it I realize how many ways there are to botch that, and the status quo is't so bad, so I leave it alone.

 

[markvone]

I have been looking online and it looks like bending at the Vang mount is a pretty common issue. I have a feeling this will not be a fix I do this year, but next winter I may take the boom, straighten it, and then make an internal reinforcement to stiffen the boom against the greater lateral loading at the vang connection. I will have to straighten the boom at the same time or it will not be able to slide in place! I happen to have access to a full machine shop so making an aluminum reinforcement sleeve for inside of the boom out of something sufficiently robust, like two layers of 3/32" 6061 aluminum running through the first 8' of the boom, basically from the mast to just past the traveler connection. Have an upper and lower "U" with a flat through the middle of the boom, like running an I beam laid on its side down the length of the boom. Or if it works out size wise, machine some 6061 U channel to fit the space and serve the same purpose, with plenty of attachment surface along the sides. The additional weight would not me that great, but the additional strength would be huge!

Jeff,

I wouldn't do anything to try and straighten the boom. Aluminum is not very ductile and tends to fracture when re-bent. A slight bend like you have is no big deal. Do check the vang attachment area for any stress cracks. Your boom wall thickness is around 3/32" so a single layer of reinforcement sheet is all you will need and it only needs to extend past the current vang attachment point by +/- 6 inches fore/aft and up the side by +/- 1 inch. Remember that the outhaul and reefing lines run inside the boom. The outhaul may have blocks (inside the boom) to multiple the purchase so a U channel or anything that takes up space inside the boom will probably interfere with the existing lines inside.

Mark