We recently purchased a WS32 and are having some problems while reefing. The boat we have was a kit boat, but I'm pretty sure that the rig is the same as was found on factory boats. The boom is able to swivel around its long axis where it is attached to the gooseneck fitting. It is set up for jiffy reefing, with tack hooks at the gooseneck fitting and cheek blocks to lead the reefing lines on the leach to a winch on the boom. The cheek blocks and winch are on the port side of the boom and that face of the boom tends to curl up toward the reefing lines when they are tight, so that the boom winch is facing almost skyward and the bottom of the boom facing out over the port side. The ability of the boom to swivel makes it harder to use the boom winch as some of the force applied to the winch handle is lost swiveling the boom around. More troubling, the way the side of the boom rotates up to meet the reefing lines gives them a bad lead to the cheek blocks. One of the blocks blew out the first time we reefed the sail. It may have just been an old block on and old boat, but we wonder if the poor lead isn't putting undue stress on the sideplate of the block rather than on the wheel.
Do all Westsails have this swiveling boom? What is the purpose? Has it caused anyone else problems with the lead of their reefing lines? Any advice on possible fixes?
The gooseneck fitting on our boat looks identical to the one posted by Bud Taplin in this thread:
http://westsail.info/index.php?action=posts&thread_id=2371
