Boom Gallows- Hudson 50

[Oceandeep]

I'm thinking about building a Boom Gallows for my Hudson 50. I'd like to go with a classic design- brass castings, teak gallows, leather saddle trim. etc.
Does anyone have experience fabricating something similar? Are there any used gallows out there that I could modify?

[gjordan]

Boom Gallows are a great addition to a cruising boat. I think West Marine sells the bronze fittings (very pricy) and the uprights can be fabricated to fit. The teak will last a long time. I used leather for chafe protection on my first gallows, but on my next 2, I grooved the top and boom cutouts for 3/4 inch nylon rope, that I layed in very carefully and opened up a little and put bronze ring nails through the bottom strand to hold it in place. I tapered the ends and whipped them so that there was nothing sticking up to snag the boom or any rope. I put 4 or 5 coats of varnish in the groove before I put the rope in. They worked very well. Do a search on CF, and google boom gallows. You will see a lot of poorly done ones, and a few good ones. My 2 cents worth. _____Grant.

[Oceandeep]

Thanks Grant. I appreciate your input. That's an interesting idea about using rope to line the saddle on the boom. I did a quick check on Google last night to see if there are any used brass castings available for the end pieces on the boom an I found on set in Boston on Craigslist. I've also been looking at the new hardware available from Port Townsend Foundry . Hopefully I'll be able to get the pieces I need for my project. One other question for you.... did you use a solid piece of lumber for the boom? Teak is very pricey and you need a big piece to account for the curve of the boom. I've been thinking about laminating some smaller lumber together to achieve a curve i.e. 1x2 strips 8 feet long but I don't know how well the glue or epoxy would hold up to weather over the long haul. Any thoughts? - Dale

PS - Here's an example of the brass castings I'm searching for

[gjordan]

Yes, those are the beautiful (and pricy) fittings that can make for a nice boom gallows. You can save money by having some straps welded to the upright SS pipes ,so that you can attach the wood with a smooth transition from metal to wood, ie nothing to snag a line. I was talking to a wood worker/sailor last night, who told me his latest quote for teak was $72 a board foot. I actually used mahogany for my last gallows, because of the cost of teak. It held up well and looked fine. I know that teak is somewhat flexible ,just from looking at teak decks, but I dont know enough to say if laminating it up is a good idea. My first 2 boats were aft cockpit boats, and I made the gallows over the companion way and used them as the primary structure for my dodgers. My last boat was a center cockpit cutter, so the gallows was attached to the aft cabin. I hope this helps. _____Grant.

[Greggegner]

Try this place... http://www.porttownsendfoundry.com/boom.htm

[gjordan]

Oceandeep, in looking at the Port Townsen site , it appears that all of the gallows are mounted to the deck with a large stanchion base. I did that with my first gallows (small boat,small SS upright) and it always had a little wobble to it. On my next 2 boats, I had flat plate welded to the bottom/side of the uprights with 6 countersunk holes and bolted the uprights to the cabin sides with a backing plate on the inside. Much more solid that way. Since the bottom of the upright was about 6 inches above deck level, it eliminated one more toe breaker on deck. Just a few more thoughts to maybe help you plan. _____Grant.

[gjordan]

I just re-read your earlier post, and I may not have explained the rope in the groove clearly. It went all of the way from side to side in the groove, not just in the saddle. You need something to protect the top of the gallows from being damaged by the boom. My first one, I used leather in the saddle, and SS toe rail protectors in between. All that did was bugger up the spot on the bottom of the boom where it hit. In my foggy memory the rope size may have been larger than 3/4. Dropping the boom into the gallows sure made reefing easier for me. ______Grant.

[Cheechako]

I Used the grey leather like sailmakers use (real sailmakers that is!) in the saddles. I used bronze nails to attach it. It looked excellent and worked well. I had three saddles one on center and one each side. But having something all across is a good idea. Later boats I just used a wire topping lift without gallows.

[gjordan]

I usually agree with cheechaco, but on this I must have a difference of opinion(isnt CF all opinions?). As weather increases, and you reduce sail until you are down to a storm trysail, you will have the boom connected by just the main sheet and the topping lift. As the motion gets worse, you tighten up the main sheet to keep the boom from swinging from side to side. Typically the topping lift is not as strong as the main halyard, so when you tighten the main sheet, you are putting large strain on a less than strong wire. If you are at the helm and the topping lift fails, you have a good chance of your head looking like a watermelon that has been dropped on a sidewalk. I happen to think of a gallows as a good safety feature, and also makes tying in reef points much safer. In harbor, being able to put the boom into a nice secure notch away from the side you board on is a comfortable addition. Just my opinion. _____Grant.