Making a new boom slider

I decided that my mainsheet could do with a second slider on the boom to keep it out of my way. The existing Kirby Sheeting set up has one already, so here is a quick post about making the new one.

The materials are very cheap. The webbing is from an old cover (always worth cannibalising things before you get rid of them!) and the Acetal sheet plastic for the slider is less than a tenner on eBay for enough to make several sliders.

For the usual Solo booms (mine is a Selden) the track underneath doesn't have much depth to it, so you need a bit of plastic only 2mm thin. The slider I made is 18mm wide and 50mm long (the width is important for fitting in the track of course). I drilled a couple of 4mm holes in it for the 2mm string (3mm string may also work) to hold the loop to the slider.

I cut and shaped the slider using a table-mounted angle grinder in the Solo Scribbles workshop, but a hacksaw and file would also do - the plastic is not hard to cut.

and I ended up with this:

The reason for the "bone" shape is that last time I did this I discovered that anything on the boom side of the slider will prevent it, well, sliding. This is good when you get it to the right place, but not so good when you are trying to slide it. The bone shape lets you to bend the slider by pulling on the loop, allowing it to move along the boom - let go again and it sticks in place.

Don't forget to put some holes in the webbing for the string. I used a metal dobber (I think that is the technical term) heated on the gas cooker.

This goes through the webbing like a hot dobber through anything plasticky and seals the webbing too. Other methods might work.

It is tricky to tie the webbing loop in place tightly, so I turned it inside-out:

I tied some sort of knot and then sealed the ends of the rope with a lighter to make sure it could not come undone and turned it the right way out again:

I will fit it tomorrow - fingers crossed it fits ok ⛵

PS Some time later - feeling relieved...