broke boom trying to go under bridge

[garrett]

Should I have disconnected boom before lowering mast with rasing system?. The waves were rocking pretty good and the mast rasing pole bracket that attaches to mast bent. The mast went sideways and then the metal cap that attaches the boom to mast broke. To make things worse I did'nt clear the bridge and had to throw the merc. in reverse while scrapping the bridge.

Does anybody lower the mast in choppy conditions?, I dont think I'll do it again!. Maybe the mast support cables were to loose?. Where can I order the boom/ mast connecting cap. Thanks for your help- Garrett

[tangentair]

Can't help a lot, you didn't give much details about your boat or your location or if you purchased from a dealer etc. But I can offer some sympathy and do so. Choppy conditions are the worst because they are a regular occurance and usually send tools, keys, phones, and often crew into the water. Give us a little more info, I am sure someone has had a similar but maybe not as disasterous of an experience.

[Chinook]

I've lowered our mast several times while underway to gain passage under both fixed and opening bridges (we didn't want to wait for the scheduled openings). In the constricted waters where such bridges are located, we've never encountered water that was too choppy for comfort. As you discovered, you definitely need to disconnect the boom before lowering. The mainsail and boom need to be securely tied down on deck. I install the mast crutch on our 26X and lower the mast down to the crutch, so the mast doesn't get subjected to excessive stresses. You need to coil up the back stay and shrouds so they don't get into trouble. It's a really great feeling to lower the stick and cruise by the tall boats who have to wait up to an hour for a bridge to open.

Regarding that boom cap which failed, I also had one break, during normal operations. Actually, I noticed that it was loose before it completely broke. When I removed it from the boom, I found that 1 of the 2 holes drilled into it had broken inside the boom. The cap is made of some sort of pot metal, and the holes in it had been drilled too close to the edge, thus allowing for failure. The replacement cap I got from BWY has holes drilled a little further from the edge and I've had no further problems.

[garrett]

The boat is a 99x, roller furler, mast rasing kit @ smith mountain lake Va.

[Boblee]

With the m it's not a problem but you need to make sure the boom is lined up squarely with the mast , this could be a problem in windy conditions.
Actually tried leaving the boom attached while trailering this time and it seems to be a great idea but as above you need to keep an eye that you don't twist it and bend the boom or dent the mast.
My suggestion would be to lift the boom and strap to the mast before lowering especially if you have to drop it down to the bracket.

[ALX357]

Sounds like you forgot the mast raising kit's baby stays, which prevent the mast from going sideways. With them on, the mast stays straight to the aft.
The boom can't be left on if the mast is lowered so far that the boom would be smashed into the cabin or slider hatch. If you have a topping lift, raise it as far as it will go, until parallel with the mast, then strap it tight, and lower the mast as far as it can go without smashing the goosneck end of the boom into the decks.

[garrett]

Baby stays were attached. I did not have the boom secured, and I did not have the mast crutch in. However, I might need to tighten the baby stays. When the mast was lowered all the way down thats when a wave jolted it sideways and snapped the boom bracket and bent the mast raising pole bracket.