This Forum is supported by C&C 27 owners like you whose membership in the C&C 27 Association makes possible this Forum and the accompanying site. Thank you, members, for your continuing commitment.
You are not logged in.
Hi - I got my C&C27 last June and I am in love. Hull 276 from 1973. She is in wonderful condition.
I am relatively new to sailing and definitely new to boat owning. I am completely confused by my outhaul... can't figure out how it works, how to release it, tighten it, anything.
I have a furling boom that is an old hand crank variety that rolls the main. It is in the shape of a squished oval.
There is a wire/small cable lead at the back of the boom and a small line about 1/3 of the way in from the mast on the bottom of the boom that ties off at a cleat. I am assuming this is my outhaul line. <img src="emoticons/icon_question.gif"> I can release the tension on the line but cannot pull tension on the lead wire. Is it just tangled in there maybe?
I'm not even sure how to look up information about it online... i was hoping to see some pictures of inside and out and maybe find a good reference site.
Any advice? Thanks!!!! Shel
Last edited by (2010-04-26 09:32:22)
Offline
What you have inside the boom is probably the first of the systems shown on this page - http://www.harken.com/rigtips/outhaul.php . If it doesn't move, it's probably because the sheave(s) inside are corroded and seized or the wire from block A to B in the illustration, being old, has worked its way into some sort of corkscrew tangle.
My boom is different, so I can't give you specific advice, but the simplest way to deal with a problem like this is to take the boom apart and see what's going on in there. This may require removing some screws and pulling the end fittings off. The screws are likely corroded too; if so you should take the boom home and dose them daily with penetrating oil until they come free (a heat gun often helps, too). Pull it all apart, replace the bits that need attention, clean and lubricate sheaves (or replace them) and put it back together. Alternatively, you could upgrade to a more powerful system as shown in Black Arts (http://www.cc27association.com/fixes/outhaul/outhaul.html - an oval boom is described here, and the pictures of the square boom should give you a sense of what's going on inside the boom).
The other option is to take the boom to a sailmaker or rigging shop and ask them to do (approximately) the above for you. Stay away from chain stores; they'll just try to sell you a GPS and some tableware to mask the fact that they don't have a clue what a boom is for.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Offline
Thanks David! I'll beware the GPS hawkers. <img src="emoticons/icon_smile.gif">
Offline
Wind Horse has the same kind of boom and two things to keep in mind. First is that the orginal outhaul would have to work in a way that did not interfere with the reefing system. On my boat that means that the outhaul is not very complex and contained almost entirely on the outer end of the boom where you can't get at it most of the time. There is no wire anywhere that I recall.
The next thing is that owners down through the years may have modified your boom. 27 sailors are an industrious lot. Besides David's example there is a good write-up in black arts on outhauls.
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
Offline
With great help and support from Ken Pole, I have implemented the internal outhaul this winter and have been very happy with it until this weekend when the Harken 106 block broke. See pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mrallanwong/CygnusBoom#
I plan to switch to a Harken 302 which was also recommended in the Harken rigging tips.
http://www.harken.com/rigtips/outhaul.php
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Offline
Allan,
Did the clew slide pull out of the boom before the block broke? It looks like there was an upward as well as horizontal pull. My slide has pulled out several times, so I have a very heavy velcro strop that winds around the boom to prevent a recurrence. A ski strap strikes me as ingenious, but a bit light. Also I noted that the sheave on the block looks a bit chewed up by the wire. Eventually wire will eat its way through a plastic sheave. Spectra (with or without a cover) might be a better choice for the final lead to the sail.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Offline
Yes, the groove where the clew slide keeps getting popped out.
The ski strap was from Mountain Equipment Co-op has kept the clew slot from coming out for several years, but I thought (wrongly) that the internal outhaul would pull "down" so I would not need the strap. Obviously I was wrong.
I guess I will put the strap back on. The strap does look quite strong. But then I have been wrong before.
The Harken 106 and 302 are supposed to be for wire. I had noticed the sheave on the block being chewed up. I will try the new Harken 302 with the same wire and follow up with the forum.
I was very happy with the internal outhaul .. for six weeks !
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Offline
Does anyone else have the problem of the clew slug popping out of the boom slot?
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Allan
Cygnus
C&C 27 Hull 518
Offline