Boom Brake Project

[Allure2sail]

Hello fellow ComPac owners:
I am interested in purchasing a boom brake of some type for this upcoming season. This items below has caught my attention. Anyone out there ever use one of these or have seen it installed. Link to Defender is below.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|319697|311639|199&id=911760
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|319697|311639|199&id=184
I had seen an article that says there are rock climbing equipment that looks very similar to the main body of the Wichard Gybe'Easy product and are used to slow line feed. I think by the time I purchase that climbing component and all  the line I will need it will come close to the Wichard set up. There are other preventers such as the Dutchman Boom Brake (the second Defender item). The Wichard item seems easier to use, especially when most of my sailing is solo. Any input on boom brakes in general would be appreciated !!!
Bruce
S/V Allure
Swansea, MA

[Joseph]

I have been considering one for my SunCat. A boom brake makes particular sense in a cat because of the lack of a foresail (i.e., in a run the foresail luffs ahead of the mainsail gybe-ho. Without a foresail the warnings, if any, tend to be much more subtle...).

Here is the Wincard Gyb'Easy in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUalHbOMuag

However, in several discussion groups it has been argued that a regular figure 8 descender would give the same result as the Gyb'Easy at a fraction of its cost...

J.

[nies]

I have used a figure 8 descender for a couple of years on my CP16 at a very small cost with great results after learning about it on this site, would recommend and if not happy with results your not out very much..................nies

[wes]

I use my Ronstan 4:1 vang as a preventer on my 19 when needed. Because it has snap shackles on both ends, it is super fast to deploy - it only takes a few seconds to unsnap from the bail at the base of the mast and re-snap to a lifeline stanchion base as a preventer. Presto chango. I do it every time I run wing and wing, because otherwise the boom lift is severe, and the 19 is already a slow boat downwind - i need all the sail power i can muster.

On boats this size, I can't see any validity to the objections mentioned above. Sail twist is not an issue on a downwind run, and the mid-boom attachment point has never caused me any concerns.

Wes

[Joseph]

Captain Wes is right:  in smaller boats the boom may be controlled by a long boom-vang rigged as a preventer. However, I was referring in general and from the point of view of a single-handed (and aging...) sailor not keen on stepping on deck to detach the boom-vang from the foot of the mast and/or re-attach it forward to the toe-rail each time the boat changes tacks. Which is why I've been considering a boom-braker.

Here is another boom-braker in action: the Walder Boom Brake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGVgpPuQIuY

J.

[Tim Gardner]

Here's my post from long ago:

Well,

Some time ago we discussed boom preventers.  Most of us sail 16's & 19's with a few 23's thrown in (apologies to the cat boys especially Tom Morgan, whose boat is a beautiful site to see), my comments are for those Sailors.

Well, I bought ($14.00) and tried out a descender like the kind John Turpin writes about here:[ http://www.wwpotterowners.com/JohnTurpin1.html ].  No photos yet, but last Sunday,  the Commodore (she won't let me call her the REAR Admiral, so I busted her a rank) and I sailed our 19/II out into 15Kt winds that put us 180 from the wind.  We sailed wing on wing with the jib poled out to port, and used the JT descender to control the boom to starboard.

The Commodore was so pleased we had neither accidental nor goose neck boom lifting jibes, she poured me a glass of red Merlot Grog!

Great application of tech from another sport to make sailing safer!  Thanks to John!

Read johns article, this thing, the JT Descender, works great.

[nies]

That was the post and descenter I use,.............nies

[Allure2sail]

Great info !!!!
I just watched a video that showed a figure 8 descender with a larger lower opening that had small wings on that end of it. He took the line and feed it through the larger bottom hole and back over the top half of the descender. To increase the amount of   friction he added a second wrape to the lower larger opening. That makes it even more versatile because you can increase the friction thus slowing the boom swing rate even more. Have to figure where to mount the blocks and measure for the line length. Do both ends of the lines have to be lead back to the cockpit and a winch or can one line be fixed at the forward most chain plate and adjust it by having a block on the opposite sides chainplate and run it back to a winch or cam cleat.. I'm curious, do you actually add any more friction by taking up on the line with the cleat or is the friction determine by the number of wraps on the descender? I'm assuming you can adjust it by how tight the wrap is on the descender itself.
Thanks guys
Bruce

[Salty19]

I use the same method as Wes--Snap shackle on lower block of boom vang.  Just unsnap, snap to lifeline base, or lifeline in front of stanchion, push boom out and cam cleat off the line when angle is obtained.  No add'l equip/lines.

The nice thing about the descender as John Turpin shows is you don't need to reach far or fiddle with much to control the boom, so single handed would be a lot easier to gybe. To gybe with a vang brake you have to unsnap and resnap on the other side.
But the descender is more boom and deck clutter. Bimini clearance and deck access could be more difficult. Depends on where it's located and line routing specific to your boat. 

[Allure2sail]

Hi all:
I am going to order a descender with the "small wings" on the larger lower loop and 50 feet of 3/8' line. What type of line is yet to be determined. I'm leaning towards something with very little stretch. Any suggestions? I'm going to swap booms from the parts boat because it already has a bail setup on it. I do suspect that boat had Vang on it (I actually found one in the galley when I purchased the boat). My intent is to anchor the line on the starboard chainplate and run the line back on the port side with a block on the port chainplate. I don't know if I'll just put a cam cleat on the conning or actually put a smaller winch there for tension adjustment of the line. Sounds like it will work ?
To be continued.....
Bruce
S/V Allure
Swansea, MA

[Allure2sail]

This is the descender that I decided to order ($18 with shipping). Finally got the actual picture on photobucket to appear so here it is. I choose this one because the wings above the large lower opening stop the loop from slinging down and binding up the descender and also the shape of the sides of the large opening lends it self to adding another wrap of the line if you need more friction to slow the boom down even more. Kind of like the Wichard deal where you add another loop (pass through) if you need more friction. I'm figuring about 50 feet of 3/8" diameter low stretch line.
http://s1231.beta.photobucket.com/user/Allure2sail/media/descender.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[Allure2sail]

Boom brake project not working out that well.
Brought the pieces to the boat to measure the line length that I would need. Looks like that I should have purchased a larger descender. When I loop the line around the lower opening a second time for more friction it wants to bind up. The lines are so close to each other in that size opening that they crowd each other and tend to not want to slide around the diameter. I tried it with !/2" line. Before I purchase a larger descender I am going to try it with 3/8" line, perhaps that will stop the two loops from rubbing together. With a single wrap it works fine, but I want the option of increasing the friction with a second loop. To be continued....
Bruce
S/V Allure

[Salty19]

I'm thinking 5/16" double braid line with a poly cover would be ideal for this. This is a light load and the lighter thinner line will not bind up as easily.  You have a 27, correct?

[Tim Gardner]

Al,  The second loop is within the large eye, not around the waist of the Fig 8.  One would go in the large eye go around the arc one complete time then around the neck back into the large eye around the arc completely then exit.  All the friction is on the two arcs of the large eye of the descender not around the neck of the eight.  I use 5/16" line & one loop on my 19.





Capiche?

TG

[Allure2sail]

Continuation....
I'm going to try some 3/8" line and see if is any better. I do have a ComPac 27 it is a 1987. The line on the descender was as pictured in Tim Gardner's sketch (reworded the previous post, wording was misleading). I think the lower larger opening on the descender i purchased is a bit on the small side. I'm going to check the strength of a 3/8" line compared to a 5/16" line. In all honesty I doubt if the loads come anywhere close to the lines rating. It is a friction device to slow it down, if anything the mainsheet line and traveler takes the load when the boom get to the end of its swing across. It has dawned on me the actual working differences between a boom brake and a preventer, and I have taken the preventer reference out of my earlier posts. I think for my kind of sailing (solo) a brake is what would benefit me the most.  If I'm in the way of the boom it would give me more time to react. I did get hit last season when someone at the wheel that wasn't experienced enough gybed, lucky for me all I saw were stars and not a trip over the side. It happend so fast I didn't have that extra second or two to duck. Needless to say that's why I started this "project". Project is a work in progress....in the long run I think it will work fine and the boat will be safer for everyone on it.
Thanks everyone
Bruce
S/V Allure
Swansea, MA