i have noticed that the open 60s in the Vendee seemingly have no kicker as their boom is so low. is this right, and if so, do they have a neat trick for getting around this?
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kickerless open 60s
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William_H
Well-known member
By Kicker I presume you8 mean boom vang designed to pull the boom downward usually a jack or tackle between the base of the mast amd a point a similar distance along the boom from the gooseneck. Obviously if you don't have much room between the cabin top and the boom you can't get much power. If you move the point out along the boom you end up just pressing the boom into the mast more than pulling the boom down while an equilateral triangle will not give much power due to leverage to the end of the boom where the power downward is required. Some boats have a vang attached to a traveller car on a semicircular track about 20% boom length from the mast but this enormous pull on the track usually hydraulic in a big boat is hard to manage.
The alternative is to have a full width traveller on the mainsheet which can be around 50% boom length here the power down has only to be twice the pressure down required at the clew while if it is full width it is usefull for much of the traverse of the boom from fore and aft to right out. A boom preventer can be rigged for more pull down from the gunwhale when running boom out.
On my little 21 fter I don't have a vang because the boom is quite low to the cabin but the almost full width traveller does the job quite well except on a run with boom right out in which case I just put up with some boom rise and chafe on the spreaders. So while I know nothing of open 60s I am guessing these are some of the problems and the solutions.. regards will ( dam got to go sailing Wednesday night again on Friday night and again on Sunday all for some miserable trophy)
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The alternative is to have a full width traveller on the mainsheet which can be around 50% boom length here the power down has only to be twice the pressure down required at the clew while if it is full width it is usefull for much of the traverse of the boom from fore and aft to right out. A boom preventer can be rigged for more pull down from the gunwhale when running boom out.
On my little 21 fter I don't have a vang because the boom is quite low to the cabin but the almost full width traveller does the job quite well except on a run with boom right out in which case I just put up with some boom rise and chafe on the spreaders. So while I know nothing of open 60s I am guessing these are some of the problems and the solutions.. regards will ( dam got to go sailing Wednesday night again on Friday night and again on Sunday all for some miserable trophy)
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Keen_Ed
Active member
1) Open 60s frequently sail with a lot of twist especially when off the wind - it makes life much easier for the autopilot. Power from the main is then not "all or nothing" as the pilot steers, especially as the boat accelerates on a surf.
2) They do use a vang/preventer system, taken from the boom to the toerail. There was a discussion of this on TheDailySail, when Pindar changed to a normal boom and kicking strap.
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2) They do use a vang/preventer system, taken from the boom to the toerail. There was a discussion of this on TheDailySail, when Pindar changed to a normal boom and kicking strap.
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snowleopard
Active member
have a look at pictures of Ocean Planet. he has a pair of struts from the mast which push the boom downwards. (the mast is unstayed & rotating)
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