Recommendations for Boom Brake and placement on 2008 Hunter 45 CC

[jim01749]

Hi,

Was hoping someone can offer some advice or thoughts on what is a good boom break for 45 CC and how you installed it?

The center cockpit configuration seems to limit somewhat placement options?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jssailem]

Hi Jim
What are you thoughts about a Boom Break?
Is it that you are planning to cruise in the trades and feel the risk of gybing is a concern?
Do you plan to race and the gybe's you have experienced are scary?

 

[jim01749]

Hi John,

Thanks for the quick response! My wife and I are new to sailing and want to minimize risk in all areas.

We won't be racing and not overly worried about gybing but for a few hundred dollars to reduce the risk of a catastrophic gybe seems like money well spent.
I have seen quite a few boats with them now that I am looking into one for myself.

The CC makes it tougher it seems to find a good attachment points...

Hope that helps....

 

[jssailem]

Understandable.
Perhaps understanding the risk and the action of the break would help perspective.
The problem is an uncontrolled gybe. This happens when you are sailing on a deep angle to the wind and a gust comes up a few compass points beyond 180º.

Prevention - Do not sail beyond 170º. If the wind is always on the windward side you avoid the issue. This is a conscious piloting decision. It requires a person at the helm and attention to the wind.

Racing you take the boat to the edge and beyond.

Another situation is when you're sailing downwind 170º in a heavy sea. The motion of the boat on a wave can cause the boat to pitch. This causes the boom to swing and it moves enough for the wind to get behind the sail and the cascade effect causes a sudden gybe/broach. Sometimes this occurs and the boom swings across and back again.

I deal with this by setting a Preventer. The Preventer stops all action. A line pulls the boom forward (in my case towards the bow. It is controlled by a line that runs to the cockpit. I tension the line and the boom is pulled out to the lee side of the boat. I then tension the mainsheet and the boom is pulled back towards the center of the boat. You adjust the two lines till you get the boom in your chosen place. Should you gybe, the boom stays put and the sail backwinds. When you turn the boat back to course the sail resets to the established set.

 

[jim01749]

WOW, thanks for taking the time to detail that out.

Agree on all that. Maybe this is one of those situations where you have a camp for the preventer option and another one for the boom brake solution....

Was hoping to get some feedback from someone who has a similar boat to see which brake they went with and how it was rigged up.

Thanks!
Jim

 

[jssailem]

As far as breaks, Wichard makes one. These require additional lines around the boom and to the deck. An added complexity.

Safety boom brake | Wichard Marine

All our references in Safety boom brake at Wichard Marine ! Quality products ensuring safety and performance for more than 100 years.

marine.wichard.com

The DutchBoomBrake is more complex...

but uses the same basic principle, to tie the boom to one side or the other, with a line that uses friction should the boom suddenly swing.

Both require an extra step by crew to release the boom break should the boat want to tack/gybe.

When I intentionally gybe, I prevent the wild boom swing by pulling in the boom to the center of the boat then adjusting the helm to cause the gybe.