Topping lift kit

[Justin_NSA]

I just ordered a new Model 33 kit from Sail Care today. I only needed the 1/2 kit because I have a wire from the mast top to the end of the boom already. The block & tackle system will be so much easier than undoing the snap shackle I use now. No more connecting and disconnecting, no more worrying about dropping the boom, just pull or ease a line. My wife will love it. Hmmmm, maybe I should give it to her for Christmas BTW, SailCare is offering a 15% Fall sail cleaning if you are interested.

 

[walt]

topping lift vs. boom kicker

Im currently looking at two options to keep the boom end up during reefing. My "need" is for a fast trailering setup and also to make single handed reefing of the main easier. The options would seem to be either a topping lift or a boom kicker. Some background on my setup.. I almost always trailer but its only about a mile and I just drop the mast in to the cradle (have to go under some power lines) and about the only thing I disconect is the front stay and where the boom attaches to the mast. I put some load distribution under the mast where it sits on the cradle so that I dont damage the mast. Ive been doing this all summer and with the load distribution and driving under 20 mph, the mast seems happy and my setup time to have the boat completely ready to sail is an honest well under 10 minutes.Option 1 Topping lift - seems like this would work well for sailing and would also allow for single handed main sail reefing. The down side is that Im worried about the back stay and the topping lift lines getting all tangled up when I drop the mast.. ie, maybe I would spend a fair amount of agrivating time unwinding - seperating the two lines everytime I set up. Option 2 - boom kicker. Seems this would allow for single handed main sail reefing and it is also supposed to give better shape of the sail in light winds (but Ill probably have a loose footed sail with adjusting outhaul making this not so important). The down side is that Im concerned that Ill be spending a lot of time setting up the boom kicker every time I drop or raise the mast since I have to disconnect the boom (but leave the main sail still on both the boom and the mast). If I knew the boom kicker was a very fast connect and disconnect, Id probably go that route - but it looks like that may not be the case???

 

[Justin_NSA]

a thought

Don't forget that a boom kicker, if it matters to you, will interfere with the poptop. If I was going that route I think I would spring (excuse the pun) for a rigid boom vang, not a Boomkicker. I'm not sure how a Boomkicker prevents the boom from rising when you are pointed downwind. The rigid vangs can be tightened.

 

[walt]

must have the pop top...

Hmm, interfiering with the pop top does matter. I modified my pop top so that it has two up positions - normal full up and a "half way" which allows the boom vange to be used while sailing. But my current boom vange has a quick disconnnect for when I want to have the hatch up all the way (which is a very nice feature). It once again comes down to how fast and easy is the vange/boom kicker/rigid vange to disconnect and also get out of the way so the pop top can be raised. If not easy to disconnect, it would not work at all for me.

 

[Alex]

Boom Kicker - pop top use

The boom-kicker connection point on the underside of the boom is a slide-out. Connect a spring hook to the back stay, hook to the tail of the boom first. Lift the boom up by 10 inches and the boom kicker will come off.Bungie cord the boom-kicker to the mast and you can open the poptop.Go to the boom-kicker web site and look for the installation instruction you'll see the details.It is a great device.

 

[Justin_NSA]

what's the best answer?

The BoomKicker doesn't replace the boom vang. To be able to pull the boom down when headed down wind you still need the vang. (See pics)The rigid vang does both so you only have to disconnect one piece of hardware when lowering the mast, not two.