I was asked a question about my boom gallows that I could not answer, and the more I thought about it and looked at other boats and the old W32 builders manuals that are on the internet, the more curious I got. The thing is, the frame that holds my boom gallows is deliberately canted aft. I mean, the welded on brackets that hold the teak gallows are placed in such a way that the wooden part is angled aft by 15-20 degrees. I have never seen any other boat with such a gallows, and the plans I have seen seem to call for a completely vertical gallows. As my boat is a factory boat, I assume this was done by Westsail when they built her (April, '76.) Bud, do you have any idea why this was done? Aside from the obvious adverse mechanical disadvantage, it also causes the stern navigation light (mounted to the aft surface) to be pointed down from the horizontal.

Frank, you could place an angled shim under your Nav light at the gallows or just reposition it to the aft end of the stern pulpit (=where I have mine).

I have no Idea why your boom gallows is slanted aft.  I was not working at Westsail in 1976, so it was not my fault.  Possibly the frame was made incorrectly, and they just went ahead and installed anyway to use it up.

That has me puzzled also.  Unless the just got bent aft by the boom hitting the wood.