OOOOPs Dave's comment's #1 & 2 are spot on in my experience - I changed my gooseneck to fixed when I replaced the rig. When I adjust the mainsail luff tension a 3:1 rig is used attached to a pennant with a reef or cunningham hook. It is much harder to adjust luff tension with a floating gooseneck as the whole boom needs to move up or down when adjusted - this is restricted by vang and mainshheet tension - the vang is forcing the boom forward into the sail slot and the gooseneck binds -(see early model 17 masts at sail slot and surrounding areas - usually 'chewed up' at sail slot edges) If the gooseneck is fixed, you are able to adjust the luff tension independently of the boom position - boom won't fall on deck when reefing (darn it!!!) and if the cunningham is rigged long enough the hook may serve as the forward reef. Do you really want the boom falling to the deck when reefing in a bit of a hurry - NO. Grab cunni - hook - into reef cringle and boom stays where it belongs and the adjustment is waiting for you. People commonly say - 'It is easier to slide the boom out of the mast to stow for trailering.' - yes it is - easier than removing one clevis pin - I take the secure position of the boom in favor of removing ONE split ring and pin. A downhaul is there to secure the gooseneck - to fix it's upward movement/location. It is an inefficient means of tensioning the mainsail luff. (PS when I was in the 'Sailboat biz' I sold HUNDREDs of Davis sail stops - they will fail at keeping your boom from moving UP/DOWN in the track unless you crank them down with a pliers - they will then corrode and fail when you are reefing in a squall - they also like Davy Jones' Locker. Wanna buy another one?? No.) If you want a floating or sliding gooseneck install a screw at the lower range of travel then use a Cunningham or simple downhaul rig. Last time my sailmaker sent me a new mainsail I had to learn how to rig my "floating tack" MORE confusion (not really) just different. I have actually seen (on a customer's boat at the time) - a sliding gooseneck slide up and OUT of the track with the sail attached when sailing - some kind of CF and planetary alignment I am sure - but it did happen - that was an ugly beast to recover! Remember - Always wear eye protection - your mileage may vary - slow down to enjoy the ride and HAVE FUN! Sorry bout the DUMMY post previously and to include this one in same category. GO M-17t sail #354 'Wabi-Sabi' You KNOW you are PERSONALLY INVITED to the 2014 WICR/Potter Invitational _www.wrinkleboat.webs.com_ (http://www.wrinkleboat.webs.com) In a message dated 12/6/2013 3:30:09 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, GILASAILR@aol.com writes: In a message dated 12/6/2013 3:17:58 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, wdscobie@yahoo.com writes: Chris (and others reading): to get an idea for what the sliding gooseneck fitting looks like follow this link - https://www.dwyermast.com/itemdetails.asp?itemID=30 look at item #8, the slide. (the boom side of the gooseneck is close, though not 100% the same as the boats built by Jerry.) my M15, and my M17 had the sailfeed slot's modified by prior owners just a few inches above the mast. a PITA for loading the sail and boom, in additon makes it impossible to use a bolt rope luff (can't reef) and can be problematic for reefing with slugs. this must have become a popular modification at some point as as i've purchased to M-boats that have the same change. to convert my M17 i can't re-bend where the original slot was located as the alum will break. i plan to cut out the slot location. i like the fixed gooseneck for a couple of reasons - #1 is the boom doesn't slam down onto the cabintop when lowing the sail (to take down or when reefing). i've found that using a sail stop works most of the time .. but seems to come loose and then doesn't stop the boom. #2 using a cunningham to control the main's luff tension is very easy and does not require a huge amount of leverage. to control the luff with a moving gooseneck requires a LOT of effort and, because of line stretch, requires repeated adjustment as the wind increases (that is increasingly dif ficult to do as the wind speed increases). :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com -------------------------------------------- On Fri, 12/6/13, Chris Smith <chris.r.smith@gmail.com> wrote: This is a quite timely conversation for me, as I've recently replaced the mast and boom on my M15. My old mast had the boom fixed, but the new mast has the sailfeed opening very low. I was considering using a floating boom so I don't have to cut another, higher opening for the sail above a fixed boom. David, you mention that you like the fixed boom more. Why is that? Clearly, it's worth it to you to go fixed boom... Daniel, it seems like you like your floating boom. Why? Also, does anyone have a picture of a floating boom gooseneck on their M15? It'd be great to see what one looks like. Thus far I've been envisioning a slug attached to 1/2 of the gooseneck that would ride up and down the sail slot. The stop is something I overlooked! Thanks to all for any pro/con discussion on fixed vs floating boom. I've done some reading on it and it seems to be a matter of preference... Really, I just need to make a decision on whether or not to cut a new hole in the mast to feed the sail. Good stuff! Thanks all! Chris M15 Persephone