Boom Preventer

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Excerpted from The Handbook of Sailing

When sailing downwind there is always the danger of an accidental jibe. One way to prevent this occurring is to rig a boom preventer which fixes the boom on one side of the boat.

Once you have rigged the line, ease out the mainsheet until the boom is out slightly too far and then pull in the boom preventer until it is just taut and secure it. The mainsheet is then pulled in to fix the boom in position. To jibe deliberately you must of course remove the boom preventer first and then fix it in position on the new side after the jibe. Another practice is to shackle the boom vang to a pad-eye abaft the shroud or to a toe rail or stanchion ring.

For more hints and tips on sailing techniques for both the beginner and experienced sailor, purchase Bob Bond’s The Handbook of Sailing from Practical Sailor.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.