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| Home >> Technical >> Lost outhaul inside boom - Doh! |
I put a new outhaul line in today and here's a picture of my method. I tied a length of fishing line to a drill bit (more than double the boom length), leaned the boom vertically against the house, and raised and dropped the drill bit till it eventually fell through the right hole. Took a minute or two.
The other end of the fishing line was tied to the outhaul with some tape making a nice taper, then I just pulled it through.
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The other end of the fishing line was tied to the outhaul with some tape making a nice taper, then I just pulled it through.
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03/09/2021 20:10:00
Klaus Harris
Posts: 7
Send the outhaul down the boom using running water from a hose (most clubs have one for boat and boot washing. Clew end fitting needs to be removed first and boom on its side to get the line past the vang fittings. Rinses out harmful grit, too.
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23/06/2018 15:45:00
Posts: 0
I meant to update all on what I did.
I resolved by buying an electricians fish tape as suggested, from Amazon - here :- Fish Tape . I had to unwind the curled end with pliers as it was too big to go thru the holes in the boom at the gooseneck end.
I unscrewd the clew end of the boom and thread the outhaul correctly over the end.
Then pushed the fish tape thru the boom from the other end and taped it to the outhaul, and then pulled all the way back thru.
Done in just a few seconds.
The fish tape reel and a screwdriver now live in my spares kit bag ;-)
Sorted!
Thanks to all for various suggestions :-)
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24/04/2018 21:39:00
Chris Hughes
Posts: 16
Same experience here, just before racing. But to my relief I managed to fix it quickly. As suggested in another reply unscrew the cap on the end of the boom. Turn and tilt the boom so a line can slide past the knots of the mainsheet blocks. I used the black halyard line first, which was easier to slide past the obstacles. Then I used that to pull the outhaul line through.
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08/04/2018 18:47:00
Maarten
Posts: 3
I have lost one sort of line or the other inside the boom, or mast on every boat I have owned . Years ago I bought an electrician fish tape to keep in the sailing kit. I just checked on amazon, a 50’ long tape can be had for 12 USD. Its useful around the house too.
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08/04/2018 13:53:00
neilray
Posts: 19
If you watch Marc Jacobi’s video from the 2016 Aero Clinic at Newport you will see me struggling in the background to reefed my outhaul. What I learned is that this can be easily resolved with a Phillips head screwdriver and removing the two screws that attach the end plate on the boom. Feed the line from the gooseneck, run it through the end plate, tie a knot, then reattach the end plate. Five minute task, easy, but best to not do it twice! 😉
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08/04/2018 01:13:00
Aerostar1610
Posts: 6
Hi, we've all lost the outhaul at some stage or other, I'm sure.
1) to get past "the rope ties inside for the mainsheet blocks", try:
a) pull all kinks out of the line, as much as possible;
b) turn the boom so that the blocks are on the top;
c) angle the boom down towards vertical, with lots of jiggling, slowly does it, you don't want the line bunching up
2) Once you get the line to the other end, use a thin piece of wire (doesn't need to be as heavy as a bicycle spoke), to hook the line out the other end (wire is a handy thing to carry in your kit - ditto a heavy nail and some whipping twine / messenger line - I've been known to use a heavy sewing needle for a messenger also).
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ron
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08/04/2018 00:47:00
RonF 'Delphine'
Posts: 28
I'm sure many have done this - I certainly have.
I dropped the line down from the back to the gooseneck end through the (vertical) boom then hooked it through the hole with a bent bicycle spoke! I was lucky - it worked first time!
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07/04/2018 23:36:00
Posts: 0
Completely and utterlerly my fault and I am going to flagelate myself with birch twigs for the rest of the day. Feel such an idiot.
Rigging up this afternoon for a quick sail - put the clew on and then the outhaul and thought "there is a lot of slack here" . Well of course there was a lot of slack ... I hadnt tied a knot in the other end and the tail-end disappeared inside the boom at the gooseneck end.. I tried all sorts - pushing the rope back in and wiggling the boom vertical to drop it down -no joy. Pulled it all the way out and fed it back down from the gooseneck end - no joy. The crux of the problem is that the rope ties inside for the mainsheet blocks get in the way. So its another visit to the boat another time with a long heavy nail and a messenger line to try and get it all re-thread. Wasted day. Bloody cross with myself. Anyone else done this and got any better suggestions (apart from "tie a knot in the end" .... )
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07/04/2018 18:41:00
Chris Hughes
Posts: 16
