What would you do?

Moderator: GreenLake

What would you do?

Postby Papajoe » Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:36 pm

So the '79 DS2 that I got back in April has the wrong size boom. I assume. Both the mail and jib sails were wrong as well. I made them work for the first season and had some fun learning. Fast forward to today. I ordered a set of new sails. The jib is perfect. The main doesn't fit. so I get out the tape and find out my boom is 8'. So my new sail is 2 feet to long. So my question is this. Would you buy a new or used boom of the proper length? Or have the new sail cut down? If that can be done. Or have a sail made the fit the boom that I have? Now keep in mind that I am just learning to sail. So I don't need a lot of speed or need optimum performance at this point yet.
Papajoe
 
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Re: What would you do?

Postby GreenLake » Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:21 pm

A DS boom should be 10' long (more or less). Discovering yours is 2ft short must have been a bit of unwelcome surprise. Makes you wonder what happened to the original boom?

I would go for replacing the boom. Fairly soon, you won't be a beginner any more, and unless you sail very infrequently, there will come the time that you need (or want) to replace your sails. With the wrong sized boom you are sailing with a permanently "reefed" main and you will need to repeat whatever custom sail solution you are thinking of doing now.

DR Marine sells new booms, but you may be able to pick up a used one.

A smaller mainsail also affects the balance of your sail plan, unless you were to get an undersized jib to go along with it. The mainsail sits behind the "pivot" location of the boat which is defined by where the centerboard sits. So, wind in the main will drive the boat to turn upwind. Conversely, wind in the jib (forward of the CB) will drive the boat down.

An ideal balance for a boat is to have just a bit of "weather helm" that is, fairly balanced but with a slight tendency to round up when you let go of the tiller. The opposite, "lee helm" is generally considered bad. That's what you get when the jib's contribution is the dominant one and drives the bow down. It will make tacking more difficult for example.

So, even if you are a beginner, sailing with an unbalanced rig will do you no favors.

PS: have you checked out the "Basic Concepts and Techniques" thread yet?
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: What would you do?

Postby Papajoe » Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:32 pm

Thank you for your reply. Yes it was a very unwelcomed surprise. I wonder myself what happened to the correct one. This 8' one does not to appear to have been cut down. Unless it was done very well. It really took the wind out of my sails :roll: when I got 2 new sails and was ready to go out the next day and really have fun with the proper sails. I agree the I need to just buy a boom.
Papajoe
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2020 6:27 pm

Re: What would you do?

Postby GreenLake » Wed Oct 28, 2020 9:10 pm

Good luck. Hope it works out and you're on the water soon.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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