Gooseneck prototype

We've been designing a ball-raced gooseneck for the new Noux boats. Jari sent me some pictures of his progress.


These pieces are mounted around the mast. There are two sizes, for either 12.4 mm or 11 mm Easton masts. The smaller hole is 6 mm in diameter and fits a flanged miniature ball bearing.

This piece goes on the bottom of the gooseneck axis. It has a raised ring towards the bearing, so that it makes contact only with the rotating part of the bearing.

Here's the first assembled prototype, with bearings fitted to the parts shown in the top picture. A 6 mm diameter aluminium rod forms the axis of the gooseneck. The rod is drilled and tapped with M3 threads in both ends. At the top, a Sails ETC flat eyebolt screws into the axis. At the bottom, the part shown above is secured with an M3 screw. We're hoping that the eyebolt at the top will fit the standard Sails ETC mainboom front end fitting.

We've not come to a final decision on a variable-length compression strut or kicking strap yet... The standard Sails ETC fitting works, but it attaches to a hole in the boom, which over time tends to corrode and wear into an oval shape. Bright ideas required 😉

16 thoughts on “Gooseneck prototype”

  1. I like the idea especially as you can run a different offset at the top (or bottom) to intoduce auto variable kicking strap. Question is how are you locking it to the mast. Also if a Grrovy mast is used a tab in the mast hole would serve as a convient locator to get it centre. If you are CNC milling them (looks like) it cane be too difficult to add a "v" projection for location

  2. Hi Colin,

    The rings are a quite tight fit to the mast tube, so it's possible that we will end up just gluing them in position with epoxy.
    Another way would be a set-screw, either 2mm or 3mm in diameter.
    We don't use Groovy masts, so I don't have any special designs for that in mind right now.

    It's possible that we could offer a kit for the gooseneck for sale sometime in the future. But first we need to work out the compression strut design and see that everything is working as it should.

    AW

  4. Hi Jens,

    I got my masts from Steve Landeau in the USA. You can contact him through the IOMICA forum or the USA IOM forum.

    I understand that you have to buy a _lot_ if you want to buy directly from Easton, ca 500 tubes or so.

    Anders

  6. Hi Ralph, the bearing holders, and the bottom end of the fitting are cnc-milled, so could be produced in quantities. But the axle is hand-turned, so we probably won't offer them for sale.

    Let me come back to this when we home some completed fittings and have tried them out in practice.

    Anders

  7. Hello,

    Is there a posebileti to buy a hull of a 2006/2007 Noux IOm?
    I´m 40 years old and i have the parkinson "desise" on the right side, that´s the reason that i´m not can made one by my self.
    Please let me now some thing.

    Greats
    René Meens

  9. Rene: email me and I can send you some pictures of what we have in stock right now.

    Ralph: sure, I've emailed you with the details.

    AW

  11. Hi Anders

    If sets of the CNC Machined Gooseneck parts are foe sale I am interested.

    I have a sourse of 2.5 & 3 mm Bore X 6mm Dia Flanged bearings and you are using the same Sailsect Eyebolts as I had planed to use in some hand crafted mast fittings I am trying to make.

    I have seen some pictures of a Gooseneck set up with a Carbon Fiber body but can not remember were.

    I am currently sailing a my second "Triple Crown" and building the Gaham Bantock design "VEKTOR" .

    I started building IOM just after I retired. Prior to that I had a complete CNC workshop I could use now I am back to hand tools and a Pillar Drill but lots of time.

    Regards

    John Kiff

  12. Hi John,

    Jari did some rough calculations for these parts and the bearing holders would be 3 euros each, or 6euro per rig (two holders for each rig). If you want the bottom fitting too (2nd picture above) that would be another 3 euros.
    We make these in batches, so would prefer orders for 10rigs or more at a time. You need to specify your mast diameter when ordering.

    The gooseneck axle is hand-turned right now so we can't offer it for sale. The compression struts in my pictures are from Sails ETC.

    you would have to fix the bearing holders to the mast yourself. That can be done by drilling a small hole and inserting a piece of solid steel wire.

    Anders

  13. Hi Anders

    Thanks for prices I am trying to get an order together for a batch.

    Regards

    Johjn

  14. Hello Anders. I am an Italian constructor of your fantastic Noux.I need to know if you can sell the three parts in aluminum of “gooseneck”. E' possible to have the part that it goes mounted around the tree with diam.mm.12, 1? If all that is possible, you make to know the price and the payment me? It still compliments for your situated one and your boat! Alberto

  15. Hi Alberto,

    It's possible to make the bearing holders for a 12.1 mm mast. We can make the bearing holders and the lower fitting fairly easily. Cost would be around 3eur per part, maybe a bit less in larger batches.

    We're thinking hard about getting a lathe too which means we could make a lot more nice parts, but that's likely to be at least 6 months in the future.

    Anders

  16. Hi Anders,
    thanks for the fast answer. How we can be organized in order makes me to have n° 6 supports for bearings diam milimeter 12.1 and n°3 piece goes on the bottom of the gooseneck axis?
    Alberto

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