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05 / 01 / 03 I broke the my hollow boom. This small a birdsmouth boom really doesn't have the needed strength. After making it I had learned that a boom on a gaff rig should be fairly heavy anyway. So it wasn't too unfortunate to have to replace it. The timing was actually fairly good for this since I received my new loose footed dacron sails and needed to make some modifications anyway. The new boom is made from a VG doug fir 2 x 5. With a lamination the scrap would be enough for a new bowsprit. It also was hollow and I decided that it would be best to replace it with a solid piece as well.

This picture shows the new jiffy reefing system that I installed. It fit on the existing gooseneck. The port side has a hole it it and the starboard side has a sheave. A line has a stopper knot to hold it in the hole and is reeved through the luff reefing cringle and down through the sheave.
05 / 01 / 03 A similar set of B-blocks have been added for jiffy reefing to the aft end of the boom directly over the cringle. The short piece of sail track is used to allow the foot to be loosened (during light winds) or tightened (for heavier winds). The outhaul is reeved through a sheave that goes through the middle of the boom and to a cleat on the underside.