Topping Lift?

[Siamese]

Just curious if you use the topping lift on your 309? After four seasons of using the boat, I finally took mine off, and simply rely on the Rodkicker to keep the boom off the deck.

I had left the topping lift on, simply because it came with the boat and I figured, what the hell. Having recently fine-tuned my Rodkicker by relocating its attachment point at the boom, I figured I might as well finish the job and remove the topping lift.

I don't miss it. Glad it's gone. Even if the Rodkicker totally failed for some reason, which is waaaaay unlikely, the aft support for the dodger is still going to stop the boom from lying in the cockpit.

 

[jsalley]

Same here. Didn't use it for 2 seasons and it was in the way, so I now keep it tied off to the shrouds to have as a spare main halyard.

 

[tahomathundr]

The C309 does not have a topping lift as such, the halyard is for a bosuns chair but can be used as a topping lift. That's what my dealer said. We keep our C309 in the water all year so I use mine as a topping lift in the winter to take the pressure off the Rodkicker's gas strut. Mine failed 2 years ago but the boom will not drop into the cockpit, it drops about 8" before the solid part of the Rodkicker stops any more movement. Bob C309 #20
Seattle, WA