Problem with my BoomKicker
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2005 3:20 pm
I installed a Boom Kicker on my 26 
, early this summer.
I cut the two fibreglas struts as per instructions, which other owners had described on this website.
My problem is...after fairly high wind, 'hard' sailing I returned to the marina and found that on the mast end fitting of the BoomKicker, the stainless steel slug which fits inside the mast mainsail slot had literally popped its way out of the slot! It had forced the slot open to nearly 50% wider than normal and then the fitting just fell out of the mast slot!
It has to be compression from the kicker's rods driving the slug downward. Pulling tension can't exist. There is no way for the BoomKicker to create tension on the mast fitting slug...because the boom end fitting has an open slot...If you pull the mast up far enough, the kicker boom end will fall down and away from the boom.
The BoomKicker mast fitting had been installed about 4 inches above
the mast base. There was about an inch of arch on the fibreglas rods when the boom rested on the kicker.
As far as I can tell...when I sheet the boom hard, with either the mainsheet traveler or the boom vang...the boomkicker drives its mast fitting downward and shoves it out of the slot at the mast base.
I have put thread adhesive on the slug fittings and torqued them so tight
I was worried that I would strip the slug threads...
Has any other owner with a BoomKicker ever had this problem?
If so, how did you remedy it?
I guess I could cut one or two inches off of the fibreglas rods to shorten
the diagonal of the kicker so that the fitting will ride higher on the mast.
This will steepen the angle of the rods to the mast...hopefully with more of the thrust being shoved against the mast rather than down the mast.
Does any one see any problems with this solution?
The only other idea I can come up with..is to drill and tap two small stainless bolts through the slot mast beneath the mast end slug to keep the slug from sliding downward. But I am worried that the slug will simply twist the bolts over and tear them through the mast slot aluminum.
, early this summer.I cut the two fibreglas struts as per instructions, which other owners had described on this website.
My problem is...after fairly high wind, 'hard' sailing I returned to the marina and found that on the mast end fitting of the BoomKicker, the stainless steel slug which fits inside the mast mainsail slot had literally popped its way out of the slot! It had forced the slot open to nearly 50% wider than normal and then the fitting just fell out of the mast slot!
It has to be compression from the kicker's rods driving the slug downward. Pulling tension can't exist. There is no way for the BoomKicker to create tension on the mast fitting slug...because the boom end fitting has an open slot...If you pull the mast up far enough, the kicker boom end will fall down and away from the boom.
The BoomKicker mast fitting had been installed about 4 inches above
the mast base. There was about an inch of arch on the fibreglas rods when the boom rested on the kicker.
As far as I can tell...when I sheet the boom hard, with either the mainsheet traveler or the boom vang...the boomkicker drives its mast fitting downward and shoves it out of the slot at the mast base.
I have put thread adhesive on the slug fittings and torqued them so tight
I was worried that I would strip the slug threads...
Has any other
owner with a BoomKicker ever had this problem?If so, how did you remedy it?
I guess I could cut one or two inches off of the fibreglas rods to shorten
the diagonal of the kicker so that the fitting will ride higher on the mast.
This will steepen the angle of the rods to the mast...hopefully with more of the thrust being shoved against the mast rather than down the mast.
Does any one see any problems with this solution?
The only other idea I can come up with..is to drill and tap two small stainless bolts through the slot mast beneath the mast end slug to keep the slug from sliding downward. But I am worried that the slug will simply twist the bolts over and tear them through the mast slot aluminum.
FWIW