Considering boom brake

[robk27]

I've been taking lessons for just over a year and recently bought a Catalina 22 to take my family sailing on a large lake here in the midwest.

I'm dreading and fearing the possible accidental gybe and broach. The last thing I want to do is scare my family out of sailing. I have practiced controlled gybes in class with small centerboard sailboats and a few 25' keel boats by quickly reeling in and then releasing the main sheet. However I did have one instance while learning when the wind completed changed direction with a large gust that caused a gybe and heavy broach where I lost brief control of the boat and gave me and the person I was sailing with a pretty good scare.

I've been reading a lot about various boom brakes, the Gyb Easy and Walder boom brake. Plenty of articles and videos tout how well they work, but I want to understand their pitfalls.

My main concern is if you have one of these devices active, is there potential for the boom to seize if there is too much friction when crossing over center and again to cause the boat to excessively heal and round up uncontrollably?

Mostly I intend to keep the main sheet always readily in hand and uncleated from the traveler while doing a lot of granny rounding through tacks instead of gybing when the family is aboard.

Welcome any thoughts from sailers who've tried or possibly considered any of these devices.

Thanks,

 

[Gunni]

You adjust the friction resistance of the Wichard GybeEasy by adjusting the number of loops you loop in the device. Very simple and transparent. No drama, set and forget.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome toe the forum and congrats on the new to you boat.
Your concern is healthy. Boom breaks are one solution. Another that has served sailors for years is "a Preventor". You rig a line from the cockpit to the bow, thru a block then back to the end of the boom. You rig before you begin your down wind run by tying the line to the boom. Then you pull the line as you release the main sheet. Your boom is then controlled by the adjusting it by pulling the preventor in or the main sheet in - balancing between the two.

 

[IDtrucks]

x2 just get comfy rigging a preventer.

 

[dlochner]

I'll take a contrarian position. You don't need a boom brake or a preventer. Put your money elsewhere.

If I or you were going to sail downwind for long distances in the trade winds to Papeete' or Hawai'i, considering one would be important. For daysailing on the Great Lakes or in large inland lakes, they are overkill. They take time to set up and take down and complicate gybing.

For a new sailor and for experienced sailors, it is much more convenient and fun to just sail the course that doesn't require downwind sailing. If the lake is large enough, set a course to reach out, tack and reach back. Less work for the crew and they will enjoy the sailing more. Over time as your skills grow and your families tolerance of your new passion grows, begin sailing short down wind legs wing and wing in relatively benign conditions, say winds in the 6-8 knot range. As you become comfortable and develop instinctual helming skills, go out in stronger conditions.

The disaster broaches everyone reads about and fears happen in exceptionally strong winds and seas. When they happen in small keel boats on inland lakes they are exciting and catch your attention but are not at all the same as broaching on 20 ft wave in 50 knots in the Southern Ocean.

Take your family out in conditions in which you are comfortable, sail courses that you are comfortable with, and make sure they have fun. There is a balance between being safe and keeping you and your crew safe and alarming them with tales of all that could go wrong.

When my wife and I started dating, I had been sailing for 20 or more years, she for 20 or more days. We set out to cross Lake Ontario one day in 20 knot winds with 4-6 foot seas. The boat could handle it, it was a beam reach, and I was comfortable. About a half hour after we left and were a couple of miles off shore, she asked, "What should I do if you fall overboard?" I gave her some lame answer and 5 or 10 minutes later, I said, "You know, we're going to be doing this for next 7 hours, it probably won't be much fun for you. What do you say we go back to the marina and I take you out to dinner?" It turned out to be a fun weekend hanging out at the yacht club and treating the boat like a camp or a dock condo. Now when we are out in those conditions, she grabs a blanket and takes a nap in the cockpit.

The point is make your family/crew feel comfortable and build your skills.

 

[IDtrucks]

X2. On these small underpowered trailer sailors an accidental jybe in normal conditions isn’t the end of the world. It happens to me all the time. I like balancing wing on wing because, well it looks bad ass. Mountain lake wind shifts often and the booms swings and it’s no big deal. I just make sure when I’m playing wing on wing anyone in the cockpit knows to stay seated so if he boom swings it goes over their head. No biggie.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I'm with dlochner too. Small boat sailing short legs on a lake with no particular place to go you should be able to minimize your risk. Step 1 is to make sure everyone knows to keep their heads down going anywhere downwind. You'll have the flexibility to take safe broad reaches instead of runs. It's not like you're setting up 6 hour runs in rolling seas and 30 kt winds. I've never tried a boom brake but the time it takes to set up a preventer would probably be the most dangerous moments compared to just driving the boat.

 

[robk27]

Thank you for some real perspective. Our first sail as a family will be this Saturday with light winds predicted. If I can get some nice long close hauled sailing with a few tacks and then a motor back to the mooring, I'll consider that a success. My nine year old son especially has taken an interest.

 

[dlochner]

Thank you for some real perspective. Our first sail as a family will be this Saturday with light winds predicted. If I can get some nice long close hauled sailing with a few tacks and then a motor back to the mooring, I'll consider that a success. My nine year old son especially has taken an interest.

Pirates and 9 year olds get along real well. Spin some inland lake pirate stories and spy the other pirate ships on the water.

If you reach out, not close hauled, you'll be able to reach back and avoid the motoring. Unless of course the wind dies or shifts. But that's sailing.

 

[Scotty C-M]

Have a great time. I'm a big fan of boom brakes for larger boats, but on a boat your size, it may not be the best choice. I agree with others; you avoid sailing dead down wind, and you avoid the problem. In light airs, if you do have a jibe you can learn to control it. That being said, remember that the boom is no joke if it comes over. Keep everyone's head down! (An old joke is to tell your crew that it's called a boom because if it hits anyone's head it will go "Boom").

Start out sailing in calm winds and have lots of fun. Kids love being the Look-Outs. I give my grandkids instructions to look out for specific birds, or other boats (who can find a blue boat?) and other stuff. I give them jobs to do on the boat. They love to steer! Good luck and have fun!

 

[Joe]

When gybing.... you control both headsail and mainsail all the way across. Unlike tacking, where you completely release jib sheet and don't touch the main, with a gybe you must control the jib so it doesn't fly out and wrap around the forestay, and the mainsheet so the boom doesn't slam across when the wind changes sides.

So... don't throw off the jib sheet like you would on a tack... instead, release and ease it out so the sail can clear the mast... set the new sheet accordingly... don't pull it in tight... let the sail float across the foredeck. On the mainsail, center the traveler, then grab the mainsheet below the boom and pull the whole kit across by hand... then reset the traveler.
You'd be surprised how easy it is...

 

[sesmith]

For a boat your size, a climbing figure 8 works fine for a boom brake. I have one set up on our boat. It won't necessarily stop an accidental gybe but it slows it down considerably if it happens. Here's an article that details how it's rigged:

https://www.sail-world.com/USA/Permanently-installed-preventer-Another-view/-73088?source=sail-world

There's also no shame sailing downwind on headsail only, if the wind pipes up enough that you're concerned.

 

[MitchM]

i agree with sesmith. i carry a climbing 8 as a boom brake and attach it end of boom with lines led back to 2 snatch blocks. the 8 is also handy for work on the mast, as a safety when you're rappelling, and much more. mine is 30 years old and i think it set me back $30. check it out on the climbing web sites...

 

[ToddS]

I second the idea of no equipment necessary for short family sails in tame weather. Sure it's a scary prospect to think of uncontrolled gybes... but:
a) Only play around with learning downwind mainsail use when you are in lighter wind (under 10kts or so)
b) Tell everyone to stay seated when you do (and watch your own head as well) go downwind.
c) If the wind is even remotely strong, you can sail safely under Genoa or Jib alone... in fact, the mainsail blocks the Jib going down wind in many cases (not wing and wing), and you don't lose as much as you'd think taking down the main.
d) Or just stay 20 degrees off the wind (or however much makes you feel safe) never truly running dead downwind, and just come upwind and tack and never gybe for a while until you get more comfortable with your boat... you won't win races that way, but it'll work just fine for a family sail around the lake/bay/harbor.
I've got a 20 year head-start, and I still get nervous sailing wing-and-wing in anything other than light wind. It's awesome fun, but does demand a little extra attention to the main/boom.

As for broaching... that's not likely to happen in light wind... reef early and reef often... If you're even thinking about reefing, the answer is probably that you should already be reefed. You're much, much less likely to lose control with reefed sail(s). I'll admit it is occasionally fun to push a boat hard, with lots of sail up, but I tend to do it more upwind than down, and once you're near hull speed, you're not really adding speed, just heeling more, and reducing control (and comfort, and safety) for no real benefit... ESPECIALLY on a family day sail.

 

[jssailem]

Wile exploring the Consignment shop in Poulsbo WA, I found these to boom brakes for sale.

 

[Gunni]

I found these to boom brakes for sale.

The Dutchman Boom Brake. A more complicated brake that does the same thing as the one-piece friction device.