I once watched a Broker demonstrating the operation of a mast boom assembly ona used Manatee. The rig was rated at 600 lbs. but the riveted hinge fitting where the boom meets the mast is notoriously weak after decades of wear. It gave way with about 175 lbs. of dinghy and motor in mid travel to the boat deck. The boom found its way through the aft eisenglass window of the pilothouse and made the Broker look kinda dumb trying to get control as the dinghy plunged motor first off the starboard amidships, somehow still managing to land upright. They later simply welded the hinge fitting back on and was good as new. It's beyond me why such a torque laden fitting would be trusted to tiny rivets. There are simply too many mishaps of unexpected leverage with those designs to trust such vulnerable fasteners. The boom operator is typically standing right by where the boomwould separate and launch into whatever was convenient. Once they are welded, no issues.
__________________
Larry
"When life gets hard, eat marshmallows”.
|