Boom outhaul replacement

prh77 · May 20, 2009, 11:53:16 AM

My out haul is jammed. I see in the manual there is a pulley inside the boom. I assume the end caps have to come off. I took the 4 screws off the aft cap and it won't move. Does the bolt in the middle of the cap have to come off also? Mine is so tight I thought I would shear it off.

Craig Illman · May 20, 2009, 12:21:55 PM

Peyton -

No, you don't need to touch the bolt. It's a very snug fit and years of dis-similar metal corrosion is probably keeping things even tighter. Hammer, punch, and maybe a big screwdriver and keep tapping it evenly on the top & bottom. I think I remember it's tapered, so once you get it out about a half inch, it will pop free.

When you re-assemble, coat the cap with Lanacote or a similar product. Then, the next time, it will be much easier to remove. You might want to take your boom home and do both ends. Check/replace the bolt at the gooseneck. Mine broke last spring. Since I'd had things dis-assembled previously to replace the outhaul, I had it apart and back together in less than an hour, including the trip to WM.

Craig

ed webb · May 20, 2009, 12:39:23 PM

mine is jambed too. I'm going to try and take it apart where it is and use the spare halyard to hold it in place.

Ron Hill · May 20, 2009, 06:44:19 PM

Peyton : Try some "blaster" or "liquid wrench" and see if it won't loosen up the corrosion on the goose neck end. As Craig said the bolt in the center is there so the boom itself can rotate.
I believe that your problem is that the block inside the boom for the outhaul is that it's "swiveled" and should be "stationary" like the blocks on the boom's sheet lines. A thought

Ken Juul · May 21, 2009, 05:02:55 AM

Take a look in the wiki, couple articles about upgrading the outhaul.

Jeff Kaplan · May 21, 2009, 06:16:22 AM

payton, i rebuilt my outhaul 2 seasons ago. i also had a very hard time removing the end and the gooseneck end, but i kept soaking each end with penetrating oil and i found it easier to use a 3" scraper and kept hitting it with a rubber mallet on each side till i got the ends to move. by using a wider surface, you will do less damage to the fittings and boom than using a screwdriver and you will be applying much more force. they will come out. as mentioned, when reinstalling, coat the ends with neverseeze or similar procuct. also make sure you get 1/4" line and it is long enough. the first time i got 20' and that was too short so i had to do it over the next season. as many have stated before, measure twice, cut once. good luck...jeff

Ron Volk · May 21, 2009, 09:54:52 AM

Payton, I had the same problem when I bought my boat last year. I removed both end fittings so I could get a better view through the boom. If the outhaul line is too slack, over time with all the boom movement and boat bouncing around the pulley with the swivel on it turns on itself & binds the line. I also had to drop the forward internal pulley to be able to pull out the blocks & line to straighten everything out and I now keep a slight tension on the outhaul to help alleviate this problem. I also have an internal reef line and having both ends off I could see that the reef line had been run through the outhaul lines so I reran that also. Fortunately I had added a fixed vang so the it supported the boom while it was detached from the mast. I also used a large screwdriver and a hammer and slowly separated the fittings from the boom.

Ron

ed webb · May 26, 2009, 07:14:21 AM

My wife and I took ours apart this past weekend (5/24/09). I used the halyard to help suport the boom. I used a screwdriver and a hammer to pop out the end attached to the mast as it sounded like that was where it might be bound up. I tapped on either side to help keep it from binding .The line was completly twisted. we pulled the line out and threaded it back in. It works just fine now. I would suggest attaching a leader to it so that you don't have to try to squeeze your hand into the boom. My wife has smaller hands than mine, but she still had some trouble.

Albreen · October 19, 2011, 04:24:10 PM

I realize this is an older topic but it has recommendations for the problem I'm facing with getting the end caps off the boom to upgrade the outhaul. Mine is very frozen - the SS screws couldn't be backed out after using penetrating oil for a few hours - the heads broke off - I tried a back out bit but no luck - then drilled out the remaining SS screw in the hole using a drill press, oil and slow rotations. But, the end cap still won't budge. I'll let it continue to soak until tomorrow night and then try using a 3" scraper per Jeff's post. Any other recommendations? Will heat from a torch help?

Ron Hill · October 19, 2011, 06:05:01 PM

Paul : I'd be careful about using a torch. Not too sure how it effect the anodized end cap, but it would surly bugger up the paint if you have painted spares.
Maybe try a heat gun - gingerly.

Mike and Joanne Stimmler · October 19, 2011, 07:13:56 PM

Paul.... use a heat gun or even a hairdrier but remember that heat causes expansion so you want to apply it to the boom, not the end caps. Also be patient, it may take a few days of applying heat along with PB blaster and letting the blaster soak in. Also if there's any corrosion at the joint or around the screws you're trying to take out, you might try a dremmel tool with a small wire brush to clean around them to make it easier for the blaster to penetrate. I wouldn't waste my time with anything other than PB Blaster, it's the best.

Mike

Stu Jackson · October 19, 2011, 07:40:55 PM

An impact screwdriver is good to help getting the screws out.

Albreen · October 20, 2011, 05:20:32 AM

Glad to hear PB blaster is the choice - that would have been my next question. I'll try the hairdryer approach first and then follow with heatgun as needed with more PB Blaster tonight before tapping away as everyone has suggested. It's soaking in PB Blaster now and based on feedback I think I'll have to be more patient to let this all work over a few days. The boom is in the garage at home. Winter is soon upon us here in Vermont. Thank goodness skiing is close ahead to chase the haulout blues - it's almost as nice as sailing.

Stephen Butler · October 20, 2011, 08:11:54 AM

We are in the process of repainting our mast and boom and thus stripping both of all hardware. Just took the boom end caps off yesterday. Liquid wrench, a screw driver, a hammer, and patience and both came off after 20 years. The self tapping screws broke off when we applied an electric impact tool to them, so they had to be drilled out. No problems. Soak the joints for a few days, drill the screws out, and then use the screw driver and hammer. Good luck.

Albreen · October 24, 2011, 11:44:44 AM

Success.......a little more patience and lots of PB Blaster and both the end caps came free. It took a harder hit using the 3" scraper to get them started but they finally came out intact and I'm in the process of upgrading the sheaves to the Harken 311, the other hardware, new 1/4" line and replacing the 1/8" cable - thanks to the well described information on the forum.