How to make a gooseneck for Solid Yachts

Making the gooseneck.

Materials; 1.5mm brass wire or plain steel large paper clip for originality.

These are the tools you will need;

Flat pliers, round nosed pliers and sturdy wire cutters.

A gooseneck is a joint between the mast and boom, on the larger yachts it is two screw eyes interlinked, on the smaller solid yachts it is a connector made from two pieces of wire with the extended wire through the boom serving as a fixing for the main sail.

Firstly, if using the original spars, make sure that the old gooseneck wires have been completely removed from both parts. If the spars are new, drill 1.5mm holes to accommodate the linkages.

Masts and booms vary slightly in diameter depending on the size of the model, use the following procedure as a guide and adjust lengths to your needs.

Procedure.

1) For the mast piece.

Take a short piece of the wire and using the round pliers form an eyelet on one end.

Insert the wire through the mast from the rear, allow about 10mm to poke through and trim with wire cutters.

Position the eyelet at the horizontal and with the round pliers bend the front wire upwards and back on itself to dig into the mast wood.

The eyelet end will later have to be opened slightly to join up to the boom linkage.

2) For the boom piece.

Take a short piece of the wire and using the flat pliers bend a 90 degree angle allowing 20mm of wire.

Insert the wire through the boom from underneath.

Grip the piece of wire under the boom and bring it forward and trim allowing an overhang of about 12mm past the front end of the boom.

Using the round pliers bend the wire upwards and back into the centre of the boom end, it sometimes helps to pierce a depression in the boom end to capture the wire if using newly made spars.

Slightly open the mast linkage rear eyelet and hook through the front of the boom linkage, then close up the eyelet.

The upright piece of the linkage can now be bend at 90 degrees to port to allow for gripping the main sail and trim any excess length off.