As my list of thing continues to grow..I was considering adding topping lift to My Tyme...
My first mate continues to be tortured by the boom hanging down into the cockpit area , so as we were sailing past another boat she proceeded to point out that cable thing (Topping Lift)that holds the boom up out of the cockpit, Thats what we need she says every time she sees one
I see quite a few boats that have this installed?? Will this device help or hinder in regards to shaping the sail? My worry is that it would hurt the performance of my main sail?
Your thoughts and experiences would be appriciated!!
I actually have 2 on my boat. The first one is fixed to the the back stay and I use this when I have on the sail cover. The second is a a standard line from the top of the mast. I have not found any problems using this second line and using the main. I mostly sail by myself and it is much easier for me to drop the main and not have the back end of the boom crash to the deck. I use a quick connect fitting on the end so if you are really concerned then you could remove the topping lift after you set the main and attach again when you drop the main.
The only drawback to a topping lift is if your main has a large roach. The battons will catch the lift from time to time when raising or lowering the sail. Our boats typically do not have this problem at all though.
EE's lift runs from the masthead and attaches to the boom end, and has another clip with a loop of line on it a bit forward of the boom end. That gets it in front of the leech and the slack keeps it from limiting the sail shape...
The topping lift is usaually slack while you are sailing, so it may not raise the boom while you are sailing. The topping lift will need to be slack when the wind is up and you want to flatten out the main sail. In very ligth air it can be helpful to tighten up the topping lift to help get some shape into the sails, more so when running.
It is a useful item especially when taking down the main.
