"Leoma" Spars

[JD-MDR]

My booms are always full of water. Is this normal?. I wonder if I should drill a drain ..I've attached a photo of the reaching strut that I broke the first time I tried to use it. Are these good? I can see myself going overboard while struggling to pull and extend it. My previous boat had a telescoping whisker pole with a line built in for extracting and retracting. Forespar has a shop not far from me but I have to drive about 1-1/2 hr thru city traffic. I probably will take it down there for repair. I'm wondering if I should get the other kind with the telescoping line in it. I can't get the photo. You can use your imagination. The end that snaps on the mast broke.. The picture is in the buy/sell catagory "Leoma" Spars

[Jim Walsh]

A small drain hole sounds like a good idea. I would avoid drilling into the castings. My staysail club doesn’t hold a noticeable amount of water, for that reason I’ve not bothered to ascertain how it is draining. My main boom has drainage slots cast into the clew casting. If the main is set in a downpour a steady stream runs out through the slots.
The line-drive whisker pole is a great piece of gear but pricey. I have one and love it.
The use of a reaching strut is normally not seen on cruisers. It is used when close reaching with a spinnaker to control the after guy, to keep it from chafing on the shrouds, in conjunction with a spinnaker pole.

[JD-MDR]

Thanks for the info.

[John Stone]

JD
I don’t have a modern telescopic pole. Nice but ‘spensive. Instead I bought a new car for my 40 year old whisker pole just before I headed off-shore. So far it has worked well...an improvement over the old jaw and ring that had worn themselves out.

I called and discussed it with the Forespar tech rep and and he helped me fit the right parts to my old style pole.

[JD-MDR]

Hi John, I sure am jealous of you. Every thing you touch turns to gold. Looks so nice. Is that the type that stows vertically on the mast. I'm probably gonna look for another line driven. I noticed the buyer of my old boat took his off. Maybe he doesn't want it. I had that boat all fixed up and he let it go to waste. He's too scared to even go out of the slip. I think I'll maybe take my main boom off and have the goose neck rebuilt etc. I don't like all that water.

[John Stone]

JD, Nothing is ever as good or bad as we think. My systems are working well and I am happy with them, but few things are perfect. I fall squarely into the view espoused by Sheryl Crow, “It’s not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” You are doing some great stuff. I admire your attitude, determination, and focus.

I don’t stow the whisker pole on the forward face of the mast (which is a good location). I stow vertically but have the outboard jaw snapped into a large eyebolt/clevis pin that’s part of the turnbuckle. Works good for me. Can secure it to either side of the boat. Pictures attached.