dutchman boom brake

[davil]

any experience with it.
Hi
just got a Dutchman boom brake and did not realize how heavy this thing is,having second thoughts about installing it,specifically the weight.
Not sure abiut adding that much to my boom.Cape Dory 30.
any experience with it?
thanks

[Jim Cate]

Compared to the loads generated in action, the weight of the device is inconsequential IMO.

Jim

[davil]

Thanks Jim
Good point

[s/v Moondancer]

I had one on a Corsair 31 and it was invaluable. I could gybe the spinnaker single handed and completely ignore the main which the Dutchman controlled perfectly.

You have to play with the various tensions to get it to make the main totally self-tending.

[RaymondR]

I do the boom taming with a line from about half way down the boom, down and through a shackle at the chain plate then across the deck in front of the mast, through another shackle at the other chain plate and back to the boom again near the middle of the boom. I tighten it up with a spare halyard attached to the middle of the deck crossding part, works about the same as a boom brake, extra weight is the rope and two shackles.

[Snowpetrel]

I've used a small dutchman boom brake on a 26 footer. It worked well, but for that size boat a simple, lightweight and cheap climbing figure 8 has worked for me on boats up to 35 feet.

A boom brake of some sort is a very good bit of kit once you set it up properly.

[barnakiel]

I have used the Wichard device which is very light and does the same job. As others say, proper line tension is the key.


The devices vastly improve gybing in heavy airs. You simply unclip the preventer (if you are offshore) let the boom fly over, then attach the other preventer. Presto. Done. No head scars and no big dramas.


Go for it. You may like it a lot actually.



b.

[gaucho]

I had a dutchman boom brake and had to sell it. It would work theoretically. The problem lies when you have a high cabin top as I do on the Passport 40. The line would always rest on the handrail, which would break the constant tension the line needs on both sides of the boom. And it doesn't really work if you attach it on cabin top attachment points. It needs more angle. So you need to take that into account. Build a simple system with just a simple block to test that from your attachment points to where you will place the boom brake (which should be somewhere close to the middle of the boom, give or take), that your lines will be able to run mostly tensioned.

[gjordan]

Is there a preferred type of line to use with a dutchman? I suspect that newer/slicker lines might not work too well. Any ideas? Grant.

[charliehows]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Compared to the loads generated in action, the weight of the device is inconsequential IMO.

Jim

I made a wichard style brake which, coupled with 6mm dyneema rope, works beauifully. I'd disagree with you about the loading though - thats the clever thing about boom brakes - by constraining the boom throughout the gybe, the loads generated are actually quite minor; the damage is done when the boom is allowed to build speed and power through the full movement.