Name that part

[csoule13]

Greetings again everyone! Had a friend who used to teach racing come out on the water and give our boat a once over. Before heading out, he grabbed a wire cable that ran from the top of the mast to the back end of the boom, and said "So, where do you clip this off once the mainsail is up?" Being ignorant, I fessed up that we'd never really noticed it.

After a brief lesson on how this would impact the ability to shape the sail, and keep the boom from lying in the cockpit, off we went for a great sail.

The question remains, what the hell is this, and how is it handled while under sail? It attaches to a cable that runs through the boom, but damned if I can find where it pops out. My best guess is it is similar to a topping lift, but I'm just not sure.

Boat is an '83 30+.

Thx!

 

[Loren Beach]

misc top. lift comments: about 2 cents worth

Your boat has a large main sail and you certainly want to shape that main for best efficiency. So, that boom lift is very useful. Keeps the boom off your head when lowering the sail or reefing, too!

Topping lift lines/wire schemes can vary. Some are dead headed at the top of the mast and adjusted at the attachment point on the end of the boom. Or, that line can run forward inside or outside of the boom to make adjustment easier when sailing.

Or.... that line can dead ended at the rear of the boom and go to a sheave on the masthead and thence down to a cleat at the mast base.

Or... eliminate that darned line entirely. Since the 90's, prices have been dropping on "rod vangs", which both hold the boom (in vang mode) down, and hold it up and eliminate that #$(*%!! topping lift line that keeps snagging the batten pockets. When we bought our used Olson in '94 and discovered how much we liked the rod vang, I wished that I had fit one on our prior boat that we sailed for ten years.

Anyhow, you have a way cool vessel with top rated sailing manners.

Cheers,
Loren

 

[Eric B]

Topping/Boom Lift

Greetings again everyone! Had a friend who used to teach racing come out on the water and give our boat a once over. Before heading out, he grabbed a wire cable that ran from the top of the mast to the back end of the boom, and said "So, where do you clip this off once the mainsail is up?" Being ignorant, I fessed up that we'd never really noticed it.

After a brief lesson on how this would impact the ability to shape the sail, and keep the boom from lying in the cockpit, off we went for a great sail.

The question remains, what the hell is this, and how is it handled while under sail? It attaches to a cable that runs through the boom, but damned if I can find where it pops out. My best guess is it is similar to a topping lift, but I'm just not sure.

Boat is an '83 30+.

Thx!

Aloha,

Yes, the topping lift, or boom lift. On my E32-3, the wire goes down through the end of the boom and exits on the port side of the boom, a couple of feet before the mast. It exits as a rope line, not a wire cable, and it is secured to a small horn cleat.
Once the main has been raised and its' halyard secured, the topping lift can then be simply loosened to give enough play for the main to fly freely, or detached from the end of the boom (given that it is attached at that point with some kind of shackle), and attached to the base where the mast and deck meet. I have seen highly experienced cruisers and racers using both techniques.
My own personal opinion, fwiw, is that I prefer to attach the lift to the base, as opposed to leaving it loose on the boom, and flapping in the wind. At the same time, it seems like a good safety measure to keep it attached to the boom, for just in case. That is, of course, just in case I forget to reattach it to the boom before lowering the main! Geeeeezzz, luckily I have NEVER had a thing like THAT happen to ME! LOL!


Eric
1988 E 32-III
#747 Liliana

 

[Christian Williams]

Maybe I read that wrong, but...

Please, never take off the topping lift. If the halyard is released, the boom will fall heavily into the cockpit with a high potential for very serious injury. Also, it is not possible to reef a sail without a topping lift or solid vang, and reefing is an essential option at all times.

The TL must also be kept adjustable, as its length varies with vang tension. A one-length TL would leave the boom uncomfortably low when the sail is lowered, and would flog whenever the yacht was sailing close-hauled.

 

[Rick R.]

We went with a Garhauer rigid vang last year and I still haven't removed the topping lift. :0

 

[csoule13]

So if I have this right, the connecting wire that runs into the boom likely terminates near a cleat where it pops out. Once the main is up, that line should have some slack added so that the mainsheet can do its job properly.

This should be fun, since all of the lines on the boom have that same weathered, grey look. But the "Let's pull this and see what happens" is a fun game!

 

[Rick R.]

So if I have this right, the connecting wire that runs into the boom likely terminates near a cleat where it pops out. Once the main is up, that line should have some slack added so that the mainsheet can do its job properly.

This should be fun, since all of the lines on the boom have that same weathered, grey look. But the "Let's pull this and see what happens" is a fun game!

Yes. If your boom is like the one our 32-200 the two lines are the topping lift (exits the port side of the boom by the cleat). The other line is the outhaul which allows you to adjust the foot of the sail.

Have fun experimenting.

 

[csoule13]

Yes. If your boom is like the one our 32-200 the two lines are the topping lift (exits the port side of the boom by the cleat). The other line is the outhaul which allows you to adjust the foot of the sail.

Have fun experimenting.

Winner winner chicken dinner. Pro-tip, don't stand under the boom and tell the owner of the boat "Ok, just release the line by the cleat and let's see what that does?"

 

[Rick R.]

Winner winner chicken dinner. Pro-tip, don't stand under the boom and tell the owner of the boat "Ok, just release the line by the cleat and let's see what that does?"

Ha ha ha! Don't do that.

 

[Rocinante33]

My boomkicker, which I installed many years ago allowed me to remove the topping lift and, no the boom won't fall on anyone's head.

The old topping lift was a cable which attached with a pin at the masthead. The bottom end had a small line, a simple block set up and a crummy little cleat at the bottom attached to the aft end of the boom. There was no line through the mast to adjust the topping lift and it had to be adjusted from the outer end of the boom. It couldn't be adjusted when sailing downwind as the boom was swung out where the end couldn't be reached. It was a lousy system and I was glad to trash it. Later, when I replaced my mains'l, I had the luxury of having the sailmaker add some roach which wouldn't have worked with the topping lift.

I like the boomkicker but the Garhauer ridged vang is nice and I would probably go for that if doing it today.