[C320-list] What is inside the boom?

[Irving Grunes]

Dennis,
I had the same question in 2001 #851. This is what I found out.

There is a fixed single block inside the boom, Not visible externally.
At the aft end of the boom, if you pull on the line that does not go
straight thru the boom. You will pill out a single block with a fiddle on
the end.  You may have to feed the line from the mast to give you slack to
move this block.
When you see the block, you will find that the line from the mast end of the
boom is fed thru this block, then goes back thru the fixed bloc at the boom
mast end , and then comes back to terminat at the aft end of the block.
Then a line is attached to the fiddle end of the block and comes out the end
of the boom to go over the sheave.

On our 351, we use this line to connect to the outhaul of the sail.
The boom end of the line feeds back to the cockpit port side.

The line that Charleston used for this block is very stiff and makes it
difficult to move this  single line block.

One of our to-do's on #851 is to replace this line with something more
flexible.

Caution.  The fixed block at the mast end of the boom is only accessible by
removing the mast end of the boom.

The line that goes straight thru the boom is used for our reefing.

We have put blocks on the on the main reefing cringles and have single line
reefing using that line goes straight thru the boom. That is a subject for
another discussion.

Irv Grunes
2001 #851 Isle of Wight

On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 10:35 AM, Dennis Harris <dharris02 at embarqmail.com>wrote:

> On #694, I have two lines in the boom.  There is one single line reefing
> line (continuous line...not connected to an internal pulley car) and the out
> haul line. There is something that hangs up inside, as the reefing line
> encounters some resistence in the boom, and the outhaul is somehow jammed
> (boom stopper in released position)...I can tighten a little, but I cannot
> pull the clew end of the outhaul out.
>
> The manual for the mast that was posted some time in the past shows an
> internal two sheave car for the reefing line (also shown in C320 owners
> manual), but the mast/boom manual from Charleston Spar also indicates that
> this was deleted at some point for traditional full batten configurations.
> For the  reefing line car, the C320 owner's manual indicates that there
> would be a tie point for the after part of the reefing line inside the boom
> at the clew end of the boom....I see nothing external there.  The boom
> manual also shows a 3 to 1 pulley system for the outhaul, and the amount of
> outhaul line cleated off at the mast suggests that there is sufficient line
> for such a 3 to 1 system.  With a 3 to 1 system, one block would have to be
> fixed at the tack end of the boom, but I see nothing external to suggest
> such a fixture point.
>
> For those of you owning boats of similar age, exactly what is inside the
> boom and how does it attach to boom?  Should I have both the reefing line
> car and a 3 to 1 outhaul block sysem? I am thinking that if the reefing car
> is in the boom, it may be jammed against the outhaul 3 to 1 blocks, or that
> there is some other pertrusion (bolts, rivets, other) that the reefing line
> is rubbing against and that is jamming the outhaul system.  Also, any
> thoughts to how to unjam this gear without having to remove the boom end cap
> assembly?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dennis Harris C320 #694
>