EasyKick. I have a boom kicker and it works well. ‘Alarmed by his experience, he took my advice. Depending on the specification of the line, an existing topping lift may serve as a spare halyard. Windage of spar is reduced by half by using a single (one side only) spar. Mine does not look or FEEL too good. Installing a Boomkicker is quick and easy (actually takes less time than watching this video). Hinge the mast down, remove the two bolts that serve as hinge pins, and mast and booms just lift free from the mast stub. Tightening the kicker will close the leech decreasing twist. Mine has both a topping lift and a rigid vang, the topping lift was there first. How do I select the size of the cleat? Applying Tef-Gel to Boomkicker Fitting . I am revisiting and possibly replacing my topping lift and I have never used the boom kicker but have had it on the wish list for years. To pull it down you clip another line into it, feed it through a block at the toe rail and winch it down. The for-ward end has a spliced eye and a “guardrail” type lashing. I sail with a soft vang, and have never had a hard one. This is very handy for a few reasons. Re: Boom vang VS rod kicker getting rid of topping lift The simplest solution is to just put a halyard shackle on the bottom of the topping lift and remove it once the main is up. This provides several beneficial effects for the sailor. The choice between a rigid and a flexible vang depends on the size of the vessel and the risks associated with the boom dropping if the topping lift is accidentally slacked. Your sail is down, the mail halyard is at the mast and you are motoring and run aground. The vang allows vertical adjustment of the boom, and is an extremely important tool to shape the main for speed. I have the following questions:\u000B\u000B1. Attatch it to the back stay or other aft position. Boom Vangs are mounted between the Mast and the Boom and are used to keep the Boom from rising (without using the main sheet), and, in the case of Hard Vangs, to support the Boom (without using a topping lift). No topping lift is required when using the boomkicker. Dog 666 Dog 666 Super Anarchist; Members; 666 38,571 posts #3; Posted April 11, 2015. Welcome to Boomkicker, the simple affordable solution to a mechanical or rigid boom vang and eliminating the topping lift A kicker is the highest card that is unrelated to the type of poker hand one has. The boom vang, kicking strap or kicker is an intricate set of pulleys (and, on yachts, a hydraulic ram) running diagonally between the boom and the lower portion of the mast. In light air, a boomkicker provides better sail shape by lifting the boom and opening the leech. The vang is merely a strong line attached to the front and aft of the boom. The following is a sceniaro where a strong topping lift might be a good idea. £ 323.00 inc VAT. Contrary to belief, rod kickers do not exert more force downwards. This line would run from near the free end of the boom(s) forward to the top of the mast. I notice its sometimes a bit droopy by the time I get back to the cockpit and sheet in so perhaps a rod kicker would help. Do I really need one? 12. When not in use, the lashing is tensioned to take up the slack. It allows adjustment of the boom from a line in the cockpit without standing on the cockpit seats. When the boat is running away from the wind the sheet will be fully eased and so the kicker becomes the primary means of controlling sail twist. EasyKick BoomTopping Lift/Kicker. Weight aloft also is reduced. Here are Quantum's David Flynn's insights for Mark A. and everyone else who's wondered about how to properly use the boom vang. I’ve barely ever used my boom vang. Boom Kicker And Solid Vang Performance Boost Either a solid vang or the Boom Kicker can be installed in such a fashion that they will lift the boom and permit the main to spill air which will allow you to keep the main raised longer before a reef is necessary. Tie the strop to the end fitting. I like the vang, so now while sailing I remove the topping lift from the boom and just use it at the dock reduce strain on the vang. If I follow you correctly, you seem to recommend using the next smallest boom kicker and using the main halyard as the topping lift (while flacking for instance),.... but do you recommend then not having a topping lift? By controlling leech tension, the boom vang is one of the three methods of controlling sail twist. For example, if someone else had KKJ65, that person would have a pair of kings with jack kicker . my topping lift was fixed, it is a steel cable from mast top down. Radially staggered leaves give an 8 part purchase ratio whilst preventing twists and rope friction. $5 and the problem is solved . Eliminating the hang-ups, adjustments and chafe of a topping lift. I think the kicker has an advantage of pushing the boom up without the need for a topping lift under sail to open up the leach in light air. Upwind, the mainsheet pulls down as soon as the boom is my halyards, main sheet and now the topping lift all can be reached from the wheel. It takes over the job of pulling down on the boom once the mainsheet is eased. Here a topping lift makes most sense, or you can use the factory pig tail if you still have one. I am familiar with a boom crotch, usually a wooden stand on larger boats that supports the boom when the sails are furled but am not sure that's what you mean. 35 - 45 feet . If you order a new Back Stay from Catalina Direct it will have a pig tail on it unless you specifically request to delete it. If the boom is sheeted in, the rods will bend and produce a force upwards. Option ... A rodkicker without gas spring prevents the boom from dropping dangerously in the event of a topping lift failure, during mainsail reefing or dropping. Standard vang spring will not support their weight. The fiberglass rods are fraying and if you rub against it you will know it for a few days! but my main is pretty stretched out so i modded the topping lift to be adjustable, it has a cam cleat on the end of the boom. With the new vang in place I then arranged a sail to suit and I asked him some weeks later how he found the new arrangement. A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK ... e.g. Model Purchase Ratio Boat Size ; Easykick 1 : 8:1 Easykick 2 : 8:1 Easykick 3 : 20:1. the way the sail was cut makes the boom lift when the sail is raised. Easing the kicker allows the boom to rise, opening the leech and increasing twist. Tension the vang to tighten the leech, flatten the sail and bend the mast. Reefing is safer and easier with better boom control. A rigid vang, a.k.a. On some sailing boats, such as the 49er, rather than a set of lines pulling the boom downwards, a rigid member is used to push the boom down. How about the idea of just using a … The halyard may also rise up through the mast to reduce windage aloft, as in the boat shown in this photo, and exit at a point near the deck. My kicker came without a gas cylinder and I have not felt the need to instal one, preferring to keep a topping-lift in place as an extra line to the masthead. lifts the boom when vang is released dispenses with the topping lift Select No Gas, Normal Gas or Hard Gas. ‘I think you should consider an adjustable vang with a gas strut to hold the boom up without a topping lift.’ I proceeded to enumerate the advantages of this change. Barton Boomstruts support the weight of the main boom rendering the topping lift redundant. The mainsail is raised up the mast by the main halyard, a rope or wireline that rises from deck level to the masthead, through a block, and down to a shackle that connects to the top corner of the mainsail, the head. My topping lift is cleated off at the mast and length adjusted so it does not flap around too much with the sail up and will hold the boom where I want it when the sail is down. The kicker pulls the boom downwards. hard vang, or boom kicker, gets its name because it not only is able to haul the boom down but also pushes it up. I usually just lift the boom up with the reefing line using copious amounts of adrenaline and don't touch the topping lift at all. The EasyKick is a boom topping lift and kicker in one. Share this post. On some boats, the topping lift is fixed, having been set to hold the boom up when the sail is lowered but not so tight that it pulls the boom up when the sail is raised. the boom and the kicker slider. A 1,000 pounds maybe. Vangs are normally mounted as close to the deck as possible (on the Mast), and from 30 to 40% of the Boom length aft (on the Boom). My vang does this a bit, but the kicker looks a little better for that. When the main goes down the boom is held (dangerously low) by the lazy jacks until you clip the main halyard to its end and use that as a topping lift. Link to post Share on other sites. Transferticker Faceboo . For example there is neither a topping lift nor a kicker. - Mark A. A topping lift has only two slight advantages over a boomkicker (or rigid vang): 1: lower cost 2: will hold more weight if someone falls on it In all other regards a booomkicker is better. I know this is a simple job, but I've never done it before, so I want to be sure I do it right.\u000B\u000BI need to install a cleat for my topping lift on the mast. Mine is probably12 years old and the previous owner was not into covering the boat all summer! For sailing, the boom should drop low enough to pull the sail tight. The ‘main’ reason (pun intended) is it allows the user a quick way to de-power the booms sail if needed and also helps to support the boom much like a boom topping lift. N.B. - For a boom kicker or a rigid vang you'll still need something to hold up the boom when you release everything from the mast to put up the pop top. Boom Kicker... flexible fibreglass rods which provide the force to support the boom. In light air, lifting the boom opens the leech for a faster sail shape and more speed. Often the kicker needs adjusting to stop the top of the sail twisting too much when sailing off the wind and on a run. In rough weather and sea conditions it is prudent to set a topping lift in case of a gooseneck failure or other boom equipment failure. The kicker needs to be securely located on the boom to prevent possible damage. I have never seen or used a topping line so I have nothing to compare the BK to. The boom vang can be a misunderstood sail control. At the mast end, the Boomkicker® K0750 attachment is a stainless plate with the ends bent out to hold a vertical pin and an aluminum rod with two threaded holes. On the largest boats, a hydraulic piston model is a good option when the vang is too difficult to handle manually. You let three or four of your heaviest crew hang on the boom as you swing it outboard as you try to heel the boat enough for the keel to clear the mud to get free. Boat performance is improved with less weight and windage aloft. With the sails rolled on the boom, the Boomkicker is fine alone. What's left is clew height, which is necessarily by way of topping lifts at boom-end, and a vanging type control below the sail's foot from the same point to mast below tack. Cruisers use the vang to keep the boom from rising when sailing downwind and abraiding the main. 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