Gybe 'preventer' system for sailing downwind

Рет қаралды 3,510

Күн бұрын

An overview of the preventer system I use when sailing downwind to prevent an accidental gybe if I lose concentration at the helm, the autopilot goes for a wander or a swelly wave knocks us into gybe territory.
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Пікірлер: 16

@BrownianMotionPicture 3 ай бұрын

cheers for this me ol mucker

@deerfootnz 3 ай бұрын

I have an almost identical system. I have snap shackles on the end of the preventer lines to reduce time in a vulnerable position. I had two autopilot failures last year which resulted in unplanned gybes in heavy downwind conditions, one at 16.5 knots boat speed. Zero damage...so it all worked well

@coopskipper 3 ай бұрын

Ah yes, the autopilot gybe! Of my two separate preventer lines, one has a snap shackle and the other is a plain line so I need to tie a bowline. Ideally, when I can afford it, I want to buy two new lines as preventers and splice a loop in the end. Then I can use dyneema soft shackles to join them to the 'core' preventer attached to the boom. These are less likely to pop open than a snap shackle and can be done/undone easily by cold fingers

@peternelson9259 3 ай бұрын

You make it look easy!

@coopskipper 3 ай бұрын

Having a thought through permanent set up makes it easier as you can refine it from experience, rather than lashing any old line to the end of the boom in following seas trying to remember how you did it last time :)

@scottireland5414 3 ай бұрын

On my Bristol 29.9 I rigged a continuous single line preventer that goes through blocks on cars locked on the forward ends of the outboard genoa tracks. The line runs from about mid boom on the starboard side through the block then aft through line guides to two blocks mounted on the lower stern rail stanchions taking it around the stern to run forward again through a matching setup on the port side up to clip onto the boom. There is enough slack to cleat off at the stern when set. The rig functions as a kind of combination boom vang, preventer, and boom brake. Still a work in progress, but seems to work ok so far. I don’t have to leave the cockpit to set.

@coopskipper 3 ай бұрын

Not having to leave the cockpit unnecessarily is always good. My separate preventer lines come back to stanchions at the cockpit so I can attach to/detach from the 'core' preventer from the cockpit. Also a work.in progress. Does your preventer attach mid boom did you say? If so, this can potentially make a problem putting stress on the middle of the boom - preventers starting from the aft end of the boom avoid putting stress in the middle and snapping the boom there, if that makes sense.

@scottireland5414 3 ай бұрын

@@coopskipper I agree attaching to the mid boom is a risk to the boom. I am investigating moving the preventer further aft to the mainsheet attachment.

@johndavie3924 14 күн бұрын

I’m new to this, but what’s the advantage of a block rather than just tying-off on the cleat?

@scottireland5414 12 күн бұрын

@@johndavie3924 I run the boom preventer line through the somewhat forward blocks and run the line aft to the cockpit so I don't have to go on deck forward to the cleat to set or unset the preventer. I suppose you could run the line through a spinnaker ring on a car, or through a hole in a cleat to get back aft. The block reduces friction on the line. I now have all lines going aft to the cockpit, except the mainsail reefing line. I am still thinking on that.

@bertcatsburg649 3 ай бұрын

In Dutch: Een "Bulletalie". 🙂

@bengt2852 3 ай бұрын

Smart! What boat are you sailing?

@coopskipper 3 ай бұрын

The boat's a Standfast 40, Franz Mass design

@jceasar5685 3 ай бұрын

Nice boat. The correct spelling is Frans Maas btw

@simeonbressieux7332 3 ай бұрын

Just a word of caution: with a preventer leading far forward like that, in case of an accidental gibe it will indeed prevent the boom from crashing to the other side but the effect will be that the boom will jackknife UP due to the forces on the sail. That will put all of the force of the gibe on the attach point of the vang. If you are lucky, the vang will break. If you are not lucky, the boom will break. Since I broke my boom this way, I find it better to lead the preventer further aft, somewhere just behind the shrouds, so that in case of a gibe the preventer holds the boom down as well as from moving across.

@coopskipper 3 ай бұрын

Fair point, thanks. I've been playing with various different routing options and I liked being able to make use of the existing captive fairleads. I have a spare pair of blocks and regular holes along the toerail so I can have a look at rigging something more like you suggest. That could also be more permanent, for when the fairleads have to be cleared for mooring lines.