Boom Up or Down?
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Repair & maintenance
Forum Discription: Questions & tips on the subject
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4962
Printed Date: 14 May 25 at 4:17pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Boom Up or Down?
Posted By: Noah
Subject: Boom Up or Down?
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 11:37am
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OK, looking for a consensus here. I need a new cover for my composite Fireball. It'll deffo be breathable, but boom up (more breathing, cover doesn't touch deck) or boom down (easier for travelling). We'll probably go to 6 or 8 away events each year, so its not like we're on the road every weekend. Views? ------------- Nick D-Zero 316 |
Replies:
Posted By: Villan
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 12:34pm
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Boom up and trail with the cover off. My old wooden fireball has a boom up cover, and its just a pain to tow that with the cover on as it fills with air. Also, being boom up, it ends up looking like hovercraft when the msat is down, as all the excess cover just hangs down. What do you ahve currently? ------------- Vareo - 149 "Secrets" http://www.TandyUKServers.co.uk" rel="nofollow - TandyUK Servers |
Posted By: Noah
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 12:49pm
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Villan, There's absolutely NO WAY I'll trail without the cover on. That way lies madness. Right now I have a tired old heavyweight PVC boom up cover, which trails OK-ish, but it does tend to flap about in a 60mph breeze! I've found the best way is to make sure the under-boat straps are REALLY tight. ------------- Nick D-Zero 316 |
Posted By: Jamesd
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 1:03pm
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Totally agree. i did once see an over boom cover with a a few bits of webbing on the inside, then it was tied to the toe straps to take the slack out of towin. looks really neat and it didnt flap about. this was for an ent though. only downside is you have a gurt well to fill up if it rains lol. id just go for a normal cover with loops to tie a halyard too to and haul it up. if ur worried about water on the decks put some fabsil on the cover where it touches the gunwhales, that works well as the cover never soaks water up |
Posted By: Merlinboy
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 1:31pm
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Boom up breathable cover. I wouldnt buy anything else, boom down and frost and water will attack your varnish. Fabsil would stop the water thats already on the deck! and the cover should be fairly waterproof anyway. Unfortunately you may have to buy a trailing cover as well. These are usually very cheap, and having a pvc trailing cover wouldnt be a problem as they are uusually only on for a short period of time. You shouldnt tow with a boom up cover anyway! It will kill your fuel economy with all the air it catchs, it will shorten the life of the cover and you will never be able to really tie it down neatly and properly. Its only £83 for a trailing cover from sail register worth every penny! ------------- |
Posted By: radixon
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 1:45pm
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Sorry but why would you not tow a boat with a cover on? I can't see a problem with that, after all it saves the cover been knackered. I would though trail with my Laser cover on cos the spars are kept on the decl for trailing. ------------- |
Posted By: vscott
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 2:40pm
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I know someone who puts an enormous plastic sheet between the boat and the undercover - to make sure diesel fumes don't go through the cover onto the surface, then no cover on top, just lots of undercover lacing keeping the excess plastic sheet from flying around - and it works! ------------- Mk IV Osprey 1314 Think Again 
Kielder Water Sailing Club |
Posted By: Jamesd
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 4:52pm
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bit ott aint it lol. i take a bucket and sponge for that lol. do the sheets and ropes slap about when trailing topless? is there much windage back there when towing? i guess if you had a forward qand aft hatch it would be a great way of drying your boat, even better on a roof rack. I dont really know why i wouldnt tow topless apart from the fact id be scared of everything falling out. i gues i wouldnt want a pidgeon taking a dump on it either |
Posted By: ratface
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 5:28pm
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towing without a top cover is fine and i do it most of the time now, just as long as you tie the ropes into the boat and tie the sails in aswell(or put in car along with the foils) and i would believe there is less windage without a cover, as with a cover the air gets funnelled from front to back! and without a cover i have accidently left a trapeze harness sitting on the back of my boat not tied down and after a 30min drive and at motorway speeds it was still there... and it depending on the boat it may or may not collect water if it was raining and even then it wouldnt be much? and seeing as you dont plan on towing the boat that much a extra 5-10mins sorting the boat out at the other end wont do you any harm! ------------- http://www.blym.org.uk/ - BLYM http://www.blym.org.uk/hydrs/index.htm - Hertfordshire Sailing team Uk-Cherub 2644 Laser 4000 -4089 |
Posted By: Villan
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 5:45pm
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Yup, Its fine towing without the cover as long as everything is secure. Foils in the car (Wouldn't EVER leave them in the boat anyway), boom tied down, sails tied down. Its a lovely deep cockpit on the Fireball, so the sails will fit in nicely under the thwart / fordeck. Kite in the car of course. I currently tow the Vareo with the cover on, but thats still got a decent boom down top cover. When we took the boats up to the Tiger last year, the Fireball had no covers on at all! (But then it was shielded from the road by 5 ft and a Laser 5000! ) I might dig that photo out later ... That was a very silly weekend! I'm glad we had a Disco towing that beast! [edit] Here it is .. all the sails were in the 5k, tied in, all the Fireball had was boom tied to mast gate and thwart, and padded at the transom end. Cover was on as this was taken the day we loaded up, and it was forcast to rain. (Didn't want the boat filling up over the course of the week)  ------------- Vareo - 149 "Secrets" http://www.TandyUKServers.co.uk" rel="nofollow - TandyUK Servers |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 6:24pm
| Boom up if the boat spends the winter at the sailing club, boom down if it lives in the garage overwinter and gets towed to lots of events. |
Posted By: laser4000
Date Posted: 10 Dec 08 at 6:56pm
Good job you loaded them that way round - would have been a mare to go round the bends with the 5 tonner on the top!! |
Posted By: bert
Date Posted: 11 Dec 08 at 12:40am
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Always tow with an undercover if possible because this stops the mud & general road cud getting on your hull,If you have a open transom then provided that you tie in your sails & boom & tie off the ropes there is NO good reason to have a cover , If on the other hand you have a full tramsom then for fuel costs alone then it is worth having a towing cover. For my 300 cocoon cover & laser undercover only ------------- Phantom 1181 AC-227 IC 304 blaze / halo 586 |
Posted By: Neal_g
Date Posted: 11 Dec 08 at 2:26pm
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bubble wrap on the decks helps with breathability on flat covers, My wooden fireball 13661, had a flat cover never had any problems with that. leave the bailers open and more air circulates ------------- (Redoubt Sc) Miracle 4040 GP14 13407 Crewsaver phase 2 range now available to buy online on at http://www.gibsonsails.com |