E25 Boom Maintenance

Over the last couple of seasons we noticed that putting the mainsail reefs in had become more difficult because of increasing resistance in the reefing lines, and jammed sheaves at the outboard end.

So we planned some boom maintenance before this season:

  • Replace the worn sheaves, ensure they run smoothly
  • Clean out the inside of the boom
  • Wash the lines
  • Replace the gooseneck nylon washers

The first step is to remove the lines from inside the boom, and replace them with mousing line so they can be rethreaded later. Leaves and other debris came out of the boom at this stage!

The next step is to remove the boom ends by drilling out the three 1/4 inch pot rivets at each end (6.5mm drill bit). Using a cordless drill on low speed and cutting oil, these came out easily.

At the gooseneck end, the sheaves are on hollow axles, secured in place with 3/16 inch (4.8mm drill bit) pot rivets.

At the outboard end, the sheaves are normally removable without having to take the end off. They are on a solid axle which is located in the slot you can see in the picture at the top of this article.

With the sheaves and axles out, we ordered replacement sheaves and pot rivets, and cleaned the parts in the workshop. Many thanks to Will at Eurospars in Plymouth for his help and advice, and for supplying the parts we needed.

Back at the boat, the boom is now open for a good wash out!

Even after a thorough wash, the first reefing line was still rough and frayed in places. So we decided to replace it (10mm Marlow Doublebraid – with a red fleck).

The last step is to rethread the lines and rivet the boom ends back in place, and then remount the boom with replacement nylon washers in the gooseneck.

Its all ready for the mainsail and its cover now.

V56 Molia Back in the Water 2025

Picking up Molia – I am touching up the antifoul.

You can see the mast on its trestles on the right.

Stepping the mast.

Back on our mooring.

Many thanks to the Portishead Boatfolk crew and rigger Andy Freemantle from Boatfolk Penarth.

E23 Replacement Anchor Lamp

We have had problems getting the anchor lamp to work for a couple of seasons. So with the mast down we were able to inspect the fitting in detail.

It turned out that the plastic base was cracked (probably letting moisture in) and the plastic clips that secure the bulb holder were broken (almost certainly preventing any reliable connection to the bulb.

A lucky find on eBay – the exact part: a HELLA all-round white 10W (old stock) masthead light. Condition as new, and supplied complete with a LED bulb.

Many thanks to Marine Miscellany for the supply.

Fitting completed. We tested the new lamp with the mast down using a small 12V battery applied at the mast foot end of the anchor lamp cable.

E24 Reconfigure the Backstay Tensioner

This was a suggestion from Boatfolk Penarth rigger Andy Freemantle. During the mast re-step he added a temporary rope strop under the backstay tensioner and shortened the third cascade (with a knot). He also suggested using a thinner line in the tensioner.

This has three benefits: it lifts the lower tensioner block off the gelcoat, separates the tensioner lines slightly, and alters all the line angles. This makes the tensioner run more freely.

The old configuration – showing the lower tensioner block rubbing the gelcoat, and the tail of the third cascade running close to the tensioner lines.

We needed to replace the Dyneema for the third cascade, and create a new Dyneema strop for below the tensioner.

So I had to learn how to make locking eye splices in the new 8mm Marlow D12 Dyneema. This turned out to be quite straight forward – thanks to the Marlow video.

The new tensioner line is 8mm (replaces 10mm). The strop has to be doubled – it runs from the deck U-bolt (and shackle) to the lower tensioner block and back again. This is because the strop length (45cm) is only a little greater than the minimum splice length (40cm) – so there is no way to fit two eye splices in a single line strop.

E22 New Toppling Lift

Molia’s mast always had the top sheave and lower opening for a topping lift, but one was not threaded. Also, with the spinnaker control lines led aft, there is no jamming cleat for one (starboard side).

With the mast down, we have taken the opportunity to thread a new 8mm rope to make a topping lift. Its the gold fleck pictured here.

For now we will run the topping lift aft in place of the spinnaker halyard. In the future we will expand the deck organiser on the starboard side to 4 sheaves, and add an extra cleat.

The current spinnaker halyard jamming cleat is labelled SPIN.

We will leave the POLE UP line in place as we sometimes use the spinnaker pole as a whisker pole.

E21 Replace Ventilator Cowls

Our ventilator cowls are dull, scratched and dirty. After several tries at cleaning them, with various products, I decided to replace them. It seems not that much more expensive than buying an array of cleaning products! Anyway the starboard-side ventilator drips when it rains really hard, so I think the sealant may need attention.

Removed the old cowl to reveal a lot of green!

Removed the ventilator cover. Everything in here is a bit mouldy!

Giving it all a good clean with boat cleaner and water.

Removing the old sealant with our trusty can of Multisolve.

Refitted the ventilator mechanism with a good layer of new sealant. You can just see it around the edges.

Sealant applied to the cowl’s screw holes as well.

New cowls fitted. Looking good!

New covers for the ventilators on our boat are the ‘Plastimo Streamline Dorade Cover Only for P51637 P51654 51654’ supplied by Chas Newens Marine.