DaySailer.org Forum

can you use your mainsail halyard to hold up the boom ?

Yes, have done that a number of times on my Spindrift Day Sailer I. But that only really works after the main is down and you want to keep the boom off the boat while it's at rest. Otherwise, dropping the main will, of course, drop the boom onto the deck or whatever, unless you catch and hold it up. That's why I rigged a simple topping lift from the top of the mast with a light line that runs to the end of the boom (it simply clips on with a shackle), so that when the main is dropped the boom stays off the rear deck on my boat (lots of scrubbing to get the black marks off before I rigged the lift. I can either leave the lift attached while sailing, or secure it to a cleat on the base of the mast.

Hope that's useful!

If you just want to up the boom at the dock, when you expect to spend some time unrigging and fiddling with springlines, then it's works fine to hold up the boom with the halyard. But if you want to rig a boom tent, it really helps to have the halyard to hold up the tack and the topping lift to hold up the clew.

For reefing under way, the topping lift is really important. The racers remove it or tie it down, as they usually don't reef the main in mid-race. For cruising, especially on a day with gusty winds, I keep in rigged at the point where it will support the boom when the halyard is slacked for reefing, but flop clear of the leech with a full main.