line stoppers on gooseneck end of boom

[sculpin]

Hi! I've got my boom apart for some R&O and am pondering removing the line stoppers at the gooseneck end of the boom - they don't seem to be useful the way I use the boat, and are annoying - will stop the line when I'm trying to ease the outhaul from the cockpit.

Anyone want to tell me I'm doing it all wrong and should keep 'em? I'm open to opinions - there has to be a good reason they put them there in the first place...

 

[ryley]

They put them there because they save line having to go to the cockpit. I think the IC37 has a jammer in the boom for the reefing line. It probably helps to reduce the loads on the gooseneck, but I don't use them, I think you could probably get away without them depending on what lines you had running in them in the first place.

 

[tane]

bungeecord around boom & levers will keep them in the open position

 

[jdazey]

If your lines go to the cockpit, you don't need clutches on the boom. My first reef clew has a clutch on the boom as my first reef is done at the mast. 2nd and 3rd from the pit.

 

[longy]

Boom mounted clutches do a lot of good things:
confine static tension to boom
shorten loaded length of line so less stretch & much less chafe as a result
release tension on all deck hardware routing line to cockpit
tension does not change as boom moves