Hi,
I bought a new alu simmer boom 8 months ago and it is getting stuck. Started pretty much straight away.
I've always had aluminium booms in the 20 years of sailing and have never experienced this. Have they changed the quality of aluminium? Another thought is that something is different when it comes to drainage - too well sealed so water can't drain? Apart from taking it apart after every sail any suggestions?
Thanks

Mark _australia said..
Is it tubes getting stuck, or the pins on the clips? Old simmer had the brass pins corrode and made it hard to open the clips
I stood it in a bucket of water in the garage for a few hours after every sail so the whole back und up to the clips was submerged. Solved :)

If yours is really problematic it might be worth a good vinegar wash to make sure there is no salt n corrosion, flush well (and thus starting over like new) then experiment with protectives like PTFE dry spray, Inox, my bucket method, whatever...

Thanks, it is the tube getting stuck. I took all apart gave it a good wash and soak and rinsed it with CLR. Going to leave it apart in between sails now. I had a Aeron boom for 10 years and it never got stuck, should have never "up graded"

^^ Agreed, I reckon now its clean try a dry lube spray with PTFE

Mr Milk said..

nat said..

Mark _australia said..
Is it tubes getting stuck, or the pins on the clips? Old simmer had the brass pins corrode and made it hard to open the clips
I stood it in a bucket of water in the garage for a few hours after every sail so the whole back und up to the clips was submerged. Solved :)

If yours is really problematic it might be worth a good vinegar wash to make sure there is no salt n corrosion, flush well (and thus starting over like new) then experiment with protectives like PTFE dry spray, Inox, my bucket method, whatever...

Thanks, it is the tube getting stuck. I took all apart gave it a good wash and soak and rinsed it with CLR. Going to leave it apart in between sails now. I had a Aeron boom for 10 years and it never got stuck, should have never "up graded"

How does an alloy boom last 10 years? 2 years is normal for me.

Live in a wind-deprived fresh water location.

Source - me

I know there's heaps of threads about stuck booms but thought I'd jump on the end of this one.
I bought a second-hand ally boom from a shop and had it shipped to me. They did mention at the last minute that it was stuck but I figured I'd get it loosened.

Well so far I've given it the couple of days soaking in the pool, the vinegar treatment to the point if I ever sail with it I'll be wondering who nearby has some chips and then moved onto WD40 multiple spays.

One side has released but the other side is holding tight. Frustrating as the boom now flexes as I'm trying to release the stuck side.

I've hooked it over the tow bar of my car and belted a 1 foot piece of dowel placed at the end of the boom during multiple sessions. I now have a piece of dowel that is about 10 inches long (and a sore hand ... I miss from time-to-time). It ain't budging.

Where to next?
Do I repeat the previous steps?
Or perhaps tie the end of the boom to a tree and go gently on the accelerator with the boom around the tow bar?

I can't comprehend how it could be THAT jammed up???

Any suggestions appreciated

Perhaps they are bent.

Tried any heat on the alloy tubes?

olskool said..
Tried any heat on the alloy tubes?

Haven't gone down that road Olskool.

I probably should stay away from using an open flame with the amount of WD40 inside the boom

I assume some boiling water on the outside of the boom or do we pour it down into the boom? I'm assuming the idea is to get the outside tubing to expand with minimal expansion of the inner tube.... yes?

Thanks for the tip.

P

Sandman1221 said..

Penski said..

Sandman1221 said..
try standing on a wall, tail end up, and spray joint where tail enters boom with WD40, keep doing that every hour or so since only a little will get in there each time, after a day or two then try pulling apart by standing on tail with foot and pulling upward on boom using a hand on each side. Could just be sand and corrosion.

Thanks Sandman.

I've used the little red tube that comes with the WD40 and am pretty confident that I've got a fair amount in but will persevere. I figure there's no point going back to the pool soaking as it will undo the WD40 work. I may drop some more vinegar down there.

Anyone know what happens when you mix WD40 with White Vinegar??

I am seriously considering finding a knot that I can use on the remaining stuck side at each end and give it a serious pull. That way there will be no play from the freed side.

Will try your method but with the amount of force I've inflicted on the end of the boom with a hammer while the mast end of the boom is hooked to a towbar, I seriously doubt I can exert anywhere near enough force but I'll keep going.

Cheers,
P

Use a boom hitch knot on either side of the joint if you want to pull it apart. WD 40 stands for water dispersant #40 ( i.e., 40th recipe), so should not mix with vinegar. But I would use a corrosion dissolver instead of vinegar. With a hammer, just want to tap on it, nothing hard, and when the solvent gets in it should just tap off..

Thanks for the tip on the knot..... and I've learnt something today too

Much appreciated Sandman.

P

If the WD40 is not working the Aero industry uses a product called Mouse Milk Penetrating Oil 8oz (aeroparts.com.au) . Not cheap but is very efficient on aluminium due to oxidation.

Sandman1221 said..

Penski said..

Sandman1221 said..

Penski said..

Sandman1221 said..
try standing on a wall, tail end up, and spray joint where tail enters boom with WD40, keep doing that every hour or so since only a little will get in there each time, after a day or two then try pulling apart by standing on tail with foot and pulling upward on boom using a hand on each side. Could just be sand and corrosion.

Thanks Sandman.

I've used the little red tube that comes with the WD40 and am pretty confident that I've got a fair amount in but will persevere. I figure there's no point going back to the pool soaking as it will undo the WD40 work. I may drop some more vinegar down there.

Anyone know what happens when you mix WD40 with White Vinegar??

I am seriously considering finding a knot that I can use on the remaining stuck side at each end and give it a serious pull. That way there will be no play from the freed side.

Will try your method but with the amount of force I've inflicted on the end of the boom with a hammer while the mast end of the boom is hooked to a towbar, I seriously doubt I can exert anywhere near enough force but I'll keep going.

Cheers,
P

Use a boom hitch knot on either side of the joint if you want to pull it apart. WD 40 stands for water dispersant #40 ( i.e., 40th recipe), so should not mix with vinegar. But I would use a corrosion dissolver instead of vinegar. With a hammer, just want to tap on it, nothing hard, and when the solvent gets in it should just tap off..

Thanks for the tip on the knot..... and I've learnt something today too

Much appreciated Sandman.

P

you are welcome, and just thought of this, wrap some Gorilla tape, or good duck tape, around the plastic end on the boom at the joint so when you spray WD40 on the joint it collects at the joint and stays there until it drains inside. So use the tape to make a temporary funnel, guessing right now most of the WD40 is not going inside the joint.

Ah yeh, I get it. Helpful!!
I'm using the thin red applicator tube that you push into the nozzle so it delivers it pretty well but still leaks a bit with the pressure. This will direct it better for sure.

Cheers,
P

My experience with a carbon mast that was stuck together, was that the water and sand was the glue that stuck it together, once the WD40 displaced the water the mast came apart easily with twisting, but that is not something you can do (twist boom tail). So that may or may not apply to your issue with the aluminum boom.

I know you have tried to use a hammer to knock the tail out, but have you tried to tap the tail piece in first, and then out? Doing that back and forth with WD40 in the joint may help unstick it. It is not the force of the hammer, but the shock waves, that will unstick it

Sandman1221 said..
My experience with a carbon mast that was stuck together, was that the water and sand was the glue that stuck it together, once the WD40 displaced the water the mast came apart easily with twisting, but that is not something you can do (twist boom tail). So that may or may not apply to your issue with the aluminum boom.

I know you have tried to use a hammer to knock the tail out, but have you tried to tap the tail piece in first, and then out? Doing that back and forth with WD40 in the joint may help unstick it. It is not the force of the hammer, but the shock waves, that will unstick it

The only issue is that to hit the end of the boom, I'm actually hitting the plastic piece rather than the aluminium so it's a bit problematic. I've give the whole piece a good tap up and down, inside and out with a rubber mallet hoping to loosen it up but still no luck.

I will give it a good twist like you and PhilUK suggested though..... thanks!

And I'll also put the kettle on and see what happens when some heat is applied

Jacko51 said..

Penski said..

Jacko51 said..
If the WD40 is not working the Aero industry uses a product called Mouse Milk Penetrating Oil 8oz (aeroparts.com.au) . Not cheap but is very efficient on aluminium due to oxidation.

How do they source this "Mouse Milk"??????

Can only find one supplier in Victoria (aeroparts.com.au). Click on their "contact us" tab for their details.

Thanks Jacko ... it will be my last option if everything else fails

Sandman1221 said..
Have you tried pushing, or tapping with a mallet, the tail piece "into" the boom? Maybe try pushing/tapping in and out, back and forth, watching carefully for any movement.

You can also hold boom upright in your hands and tap the end of the tail straight down on something like packed grass/earth or sand, with your foot pressing on the inside of the end of the tail, and then can also push down and pull up to wiggle it loose. I had an old aluminum boom I had to do that to sometimes to loosen it so I could adjust it longer.

I've tapped it with a mallet up and down the side of it, push and pulled it, flexed it in and out in all directions and poured all sorts of mixtures on it. There is movement between the two tubes but only sideways so it is clearly stuck further down ... but it's REALLY stuck.
I'm not giving up though.
My older ally boom gets stuck from time to time but nothing like this. If I didn't know any better I'd say it's been soldered together (but only on the one side).
I'll put some more WD40 in it tonight and give it another wrestle.
The neighbours are starting to wonder what I'm doing with this thing

For stopping corrosion, spray corroded area with Boeshield T-9, it prevents corrosion AND leaves a hard wax film to prevent contact with water. I used it on my corroding Streamlined mast extensions and the corrosion stopped, and I am always in salt water.