Goose neck rebuild: Changing new stock into old parts
When taking the mast down for the season I removed the gooseneck slide from the mast. In doing so I split the solder job someone had done on it previously at the thumbscrew. Given the condition of the part, I figured it was time to just replace it. After looking around a few local places I ended up calling Rig-Rite. They shipped me one but it turned out to be the wrong size. I ended up shipping it back to them after talking with New Holland Marine Products in Canada. They told me they had the correct part. So I was relieved. Rig Rite had quoted me $300 for a custom-built replacement. Turns out New Holland didn't have the correct part either but it was a lot less expensive than the one Rig Rite sent me so I decided to modify the part myself. The first step was to gather the tools and parts I need; saws, marker, bronze bushings etc. Then I transferred my measurements to the new part. I started sawing with my hack saw simply to get...