When the sails begin to slat in light air plus swell, we suffer from one of the blocks of the Outhaul which reside within the boom, slamming against the boom with a resultant rifle shot crack! It's quite disconcerting and certainly deprives one of sleep!

When I removed the outhaul a week or two ago (first time I'd removed it) I found that the construction was a 6:1 block and tackle affair, and that the distance between the two block was long - as I've tried to show in the attached photo. The line is then brought back to a clutch in the cockpit where a winch is available.

I am considering changing the arrangement in two possible ways and would welcome advise along the lines of; "No don't do it! or go with number 1 - or some better approach I've not thought of!"

Option 1 would be to arrange it so that the two blocks are much closer together - that will move the aft block closer to the mast, and therefore when the sail slats, the momentum in the aft block will be significantly reduced - hopefully reducing the noise.

Option 2 would be to eliminate the block and tackle entirely and use the winch whenever I need to adjust the outhaul. (I rarely have to use the winch to make an adjustment.)

Bill Balme

Hi Bill,
Another thought:
Alchemy has a similar design, but we always have the boom “triangulated” which prevents the boom from jumping around (the sails still can slat annoyingly in the conditions you described). This is done with a b&t arrangement to the side deck which, with the mainsheet, effectively stabilizes the boom. I consider the boom as the most dangerous gear on the boat and immobilizing it is a safety issue. Even close hauled with the boom strapped down tight, without triangulation, the boom can jump around a surprising amount and strike a head that might happen to be close. I suspect this arrangement contributes to our not being bothered by gear movement inside the boom.
My best, Dick