broken boom...is it fixable?

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Sectorsteve said..

Im currently away in Europe and a mate of mine went to use my 22footer only to find the boom had snapped innthe middle.
Is it somehow possible to repair this or will i need a whole new boom?

Depends.

I presume it snapped where the rivets attach the block hangars. Either a sleeve inside or outside and alloy welding will do the job. If you do this yourself it would be OK but professionally probably expensive. Alternative is to wait for a section to come up on eBay or buy a scrap mast from a scrap merchant and cut it down. Depending on what 22 footer this is there are other alternatives. Might consider a box section in ply and laminate with carbon fibre and epoxy. Or plastic drain pipe and laminate a carbon fibre wrap over that.

thanks for that info. do you think id get away with a an alluminium sleeve rivetted on boom?

If you are going to sleeve the boom, you can find a section similar diameter and cut it down the length to allow it to fit inside the existing.

Also put a cut approx 45 deg on each end with the point of the cut placed on the top side of the boom. This helps transition the strength and avoids an abrupt end of the sleeve where the boom may break again. Engineers call this a stress concentration point.

Slide into the boom, use a timber drift if needed to tap it in.

Add some silicone or similar if you like to bond both together, this is a oneway process - that sleeve isn't coming out now.

Secure with Alloy rivets on the side of the boom not the top or bottom. Holes don't like tension or compression. Ask any laser sailer who has had their mast top section break on the collar.

Alternative is to find a whole new section and re fit. This may end up being easier and a better result all round. If my boom breaks I will be taking it as a opportunity to simiplify things. Loose footed main etc.