Topping lift

[David11038]

There is an ad for a boom kicker in today's email. Question I have for all of you more experienced than I (as I have yet to sail my 170 and have never sailed a boat with a topping lift) - what are your opinions on topping lifts? What do you like about them? Disadvantages? To those of you who have switched over to a boom kicker (for $100+), what prompted you to do so? I looked through the archives and did not find much on topping lifts specific to 170's.

 

[Lamar Sumerlin]

Boom Kickers

I have a boom kicker on a H216 and I really like the convenience of it when reefing or moving the main sail up or down since it will hold the boom into position. It is especially nice when you are by yourself on the boat. A friend of mine had one on his H170 and talked me into getting one for my boat.

 

[gball]

Topping lifts

David,I like using the topping lift on my 170 because it allows me to roll the sail up onto the boom when the sail's in the lowered position. This way the boom remains elevated while motoring back to the ramp, or motoring home. Simply release the topping lift and tie it down once the main is raised.Also, I use the topping lift as a tie-off when stepping the mast. I step the mast and tie the topping lift line to a bow cleat, using the topping lift as a temporary forestay until I can attach the jib headstay cable.Mike

 

[Alan]

Re: Topping Lifts

Once you put a solid vang on your boat, you'll never go back. A vang makes a topping lift redundant and it means elimanating unnecessary weight aloft. Why have needless weight up there to steal away performance? If only skippers realized that all the stuff they put on their mast costs them in sailing quality. Once the main is down the halyard can be attached to the end of the boom for support to relieve the vang.

 

[gball]

Convenience

Alan,Your point on a slight performance advantage gained by not having excess weight (topping lift, Windex?) aloft is well-made. I doubt that the extra 12 ounces of line makes that big a difference though- the added windage is probably the bigger issue.But for us single-handers, the 'clamp the halyard d-shackle to the stern end of the boom after lowering the main' idea is inconvenient. I haven't found an easy way to single-handedly drive the 170, reach all the way forward to the main's headboard to unclamp the d-shackle and lead it aft, all while keeping the boat from rounding up. A tiller tamer would fix this but the 170 is still such a free spirit, that I'm not sold 100% on the idea that a tamer would keep the boat tracking true while I went forward to get the halyard. This dinghy is so responsive to weight shifts. Granted stopping dead in the water and, traffic permitting, allowing the boat to wander slightly while performing a halyard-to-boom operation would be a solution, when done with awareness of where other nearby craft are. Moreover the topping lift is easily reachable during sail-lowering (whether the topping lift has just been left to hang loose, still cleated at the tail of the boom, or tied-off down the outside of an upper shroud), obviating the need for reaching all the way forward and up to the headboard.Mike G.

 

[ruedi ross]

The real advantage of a rigid vang

or boomkicker is sail trim. It's nice to not have to mess around with the topping lift or have the boom in your lap when you drop the main, but the ability to fine tune the main trim is greatly enhanced with a boomkicker, especially in a boat with no traveller. I ran my rigid vang controls back to the cockpit so I can play with sailtrim without leaving the cockpit. Best addition I did to my boat.

 

[gball]

Rigid vang

Hi guys-- Could Ruedi, or someone who's retro-fitted their 170 to a rigid-vang post pictures of the set-up on this site? Sounds intriguing but it'd be nice to have more specs/ideas. Do you get these things from Layline, APS, West Marine?Thanks,MG

 

[DRHartzell13448]

Go with a Boom-Kicker for the H-170

Hi MikeI don't know of a rigid vang small enough for a h-170, however, the Boom-Kicker is a must have. I would recommend that you change your 4:1 clam cleat vang to a fiddle cam cleat with a 8:1 cascading vang, then add a Boom-Kicker. It will be a great upgrade that won't cost much money.Dennis at Sailing Obsession is carrying Boom-Kickers.http://www.sailing-obsession.com/index.htmlYou will want model K0400. Or, just tell Dennis you have a h-170, and he will know the rest.Dennis was thinking about doing a complete vang and Boom-Kicker system upgrade, but I don't know if he is geared up for that yet.Tell him that Danny sent you.

 

[David11038]

feedback

Great comments! Thanks for the feedback, gives me lots to think about. For those who said the boom kicker improves sail trim compared to a topping lift, could you explain further, what does a topping lift do to degrade trim? I do like the idea of something - topping lift or boom kicker holding up the boom - I am used to sailing JY15's and the boom down in the cockpit when raising or lowering the main. Can't wait to try it out (but with the outside temp now hovering around 20, I guess I'll have to).

 

[Alan]

David

It's not really that the topping lift degrades sail trim(unless you leave it on the end of the boom and tensioned), but that the boom vang allows for sail controls that nothing can replace.For example, when on a run and the sheet is well eased, to project greater surface area to the wind , pull down on the vang and watch your speed increase.