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Building a Wooden Boom Onboard: Our Gaff Rig Conversion Begins! — Sailing Yabá 296

21 December 2025 · 40 min · 90K views

Crew loads wooden boom planks onto dinghy beside Yabá

What this video covers

Ben and MP are converting their boat, Yabá, to a gaff rig, a project requiring the fabrication of a new boom and two gaffs.0:46 The process begins with sourcing ash and cedrinho planks, which are transported to the boat by dinghy.0:43 To construct the gaffs, the crew laminates three planks together using epoxy resin and a layer of fiberglass for structural reinforcement, utilizing numerous clamps to ensure a tight bond.6:02 After the initial lamination, the composite block is split lengthwise using a circular saw and finished with a hand saw to create two separate gaff spars.31:18 The crew also upgrades their ground tackle, replacing a 50kg Bruce anchor with a 65kg Delta.0:54 Additionally, they remove the existing furler and measure the forestay and turnbuckle lengths to design new hanks for the upcoming sail plan.17:22 Work on shaping and varnishing the spars is deferred due to inclement weather and upcoming travel.37:30

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