Boom Preventer?

[Joe Myerson]

Has anybody rigged a boom preventer for long downwind legs?

I have rarely had a flying gybe (jibe?) in my 25D, but I'm wondering if such a rig would help me sail wing-on-wing.

--Joe

[Paul D.]

On Femme I have rigged a preventer using 5/16 line. I find it helps a lot especially in larger waves or rolls conditions. Our booms can be quite dangerous silently and quickly if not rigged with a preventer.

I usually tie a bowline and run it from the furthest aft bail on the boom to the forward cleat and cleat it off, but I have rigged a snatch block at the cleat and run the line back to the cockpit too.

For a multiday passage with expected downwind runs I would use the method of tying a shorter line to the aft bail on the boom and cleating it off forward on the boom. This way you could access it on any tack or point of sail, tie your longer preventer line to it and cleat off forward or run it through a block as you see fit.

[Keith]

I use the boom vang attached to an eye pad that is midship.

[Frenchy]

I have a Dutchman boom brake on Grace which works great. If the main is backwinded with a preventer rigged, it can
be difficult to slowly release the preventer- as you can imagine. The boom brake allows the main to gybe slowly
and safely. The braking friction can be adjusted from the cockpit. - Jean

[John Stone]

Has anybody rigged a boom preventer for long downwind legs?

I have rarely had a flying gybe (jibe?) in my 25D, but I'm wondering if such a rig would help me sail wing-on-wing.

--Joe

Joe
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is a preventer gives you a lot more wiggle room sailing downwind with respect to avoiding an unwanted gybe. I never sail down wind without a preventer. And in super light air when the boom is not near as dangerous I still rig it ‘cause it keeps the boom out for better sailing performance. The trick is to have a set up that makes it easy to rig and use so you will actually employ it.

There are number of ways to do it, though some work better than others. Here is how we rigged it up on the Far Reach.

https://farreachvoyages.net/2017/10/14/ ... entervang/

[Tom Keevil]

We use one all the time when running. Even when conditions are mild, it is easy to do, and makes the sail more relaxing. We have a short line permanently attached to the aft boom bail, that is tied off on the boom when not in use. This makes it possible to attach the preventer line without having to haul in the boom, or to lean precariously overboard.

[Cathy Monaghan]

We use one nearly every time we run downwind.