The Walder® boom brake is a safety element, and if its installation is simple, a good implementation is essential to achieve its full effectiveness.
1. WHY SHOULD I INSTALL A WALDER® BOOM BRAKE ON MY SAILBOAT?
Even a controlled jibe remains a delicate and dangerous maneuver. The Walder® boom brake prevents injury and equipment damage. Being the skipper means having responsibility for the safety of all those on board – installing a Walder® boom brake makes sense as part of responsible skippering.
The Walder® boom brake brings sailing safety, comfort, and peace of mind…
2. IS THE WALDER® BOOM BRAKE EASY TO INSTALL?
Installing the Walder® boom brake is a snap – each device comes with full instructions on how to install and use your Walder® boom brake to best advantage.
3. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WALDER® BOOM BRAKE AND A PREVENTER?
As indicated by its name, a preventer locks and holds the boom in an unchanging fixed position – and in some cases, as a result, possibly causing damage to your boom, mast, or sail with a forceful and unexpected wind or wave change. In contrast, if your sail starts to luff, the Walder® boom brake allows your boom to travel in an easy and controlled manner. What ever your tack, with the Walder® boom brake rigged on your boom there is no longer need to venture out on a pitching deck to deploy, adjust, or remove boom control equipment. During either a controlled or an accidental jibe the Walder® boom brake completely controls the boom sweep across your deck.
4. HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY WALDER® BOOM BRAKE?
Your Walder® boom brake needs no particular maintenance – just rinse it off occasionally with freshwater as you do with your sailboat. Be sure to ease off the line and rinse thoroughly in the grooves of the Walder® boom brake drum.
5. I’M MOSTLY A COASTAL SAILOR – IS THE WALDER® BOOM BRAKE USEFUL FOR ME?
The Walder® boom brake is useful (and potentially life saving) not only in open ocean passages. It is just as needed when sailing in coastal and protected-waters. Consistency in your immediate wind or wave direction is rarely certain; land bluffs near coastlines can create shifting or gusty winds; sometimes there is even sea swell in reduced winds – all conditions in which accidental jibes happen.
6. MY BOAT IS BERTHED ABROAD – CAN I HAVE A WALDER® BOOM BRAKE SHIPPED TO MY BOAT?
We ship the Walder® boom brake world-wide. We can send it to your home address, to a friend’s address abroad, directly to the marina where your boat is located, or any address you designate that receives shipped packages.
7. DO I EASE OFF THE WALDER® LINE BOOM BRAKE FOR A CONTROLLED JIBE?
Not at all. Line tension provides frictional braking force on your Walder® boom brake and, thus, controls the velocity with which the boom sweeps from one side of your boat to the other. More line tension = a slower, controlled swing; less tension = a quicker swing.
8. CAN I ALSO FIX IN PLACE AND BLOCK COMPLETELY THE MOVEMENT OF MY BOOM WITH THE WALDER®?
Absolutely. In addition to safe and smooth jibing, the Walder® boom brake allows you to stabilize your boom at whatever position you choose. Thus, the Walder® boom brake assists when you furl or reef the mainsail or simply cinch down the boom in port or at anchorage.
9. MY SAILBOAT IS RIGGED WITH A RIGID BOOMVANG. MUST I REMOVE IT TO USE A WALDER® BOOM BRAKE?
Not at all. Installing a Walder® boom brake on your sailboat is completely compatible with an already-rigged rigid boomvang. Your rigid boomvang need not be dismantled – simply rig your Walder® boom brake aft of the vang.
10. WHAT KIND OF LINE SHOULD I USE WITH MY WALDER® BOOM BRAKE?
We recommend using a halyard-line flexible, prestretched line. Do not use a line whose diameter is too large for the drum grooves of your particular Walder® boom brake model.
11. HOW DO I ADJUST MY WALDER® BOOM BRAKE?
Adjusting your Walder® boom brake is easily accomplished with the boom brake line that you have fed back to the cockpit of your boat. The tension on your Walder® boom brake line is adjustable without having to climb up on deck – under all weather and wave conditions you remain safely in your cockpit. Remember : more line tension = more Walder® braking force on the boom’s rate of swing; less tension = less braking force.
12. CAN I KEEP MY WALDER® BOOM BRAKE IN PLACE UNDER ALL WIND DIRECTIONS?
Yes – a Walder® boom brake properly deployed under your boom follows along with its movements under all wind directions.
13. MY MAINSAIL IS FULL-BATTEN – WHICH WALDER® BOOM BRAKE MODEL SUIT BEST?
The better choice of Walder® boom brake for a full-batten mainsail is the stainless steel double-guide model.
14. MY WALDER® BOOM BRAKE IS PRODUCING TOO HARD A BRAKING FORCE – WHAT SHOULD I DO?
There could be several reasons if you find the braking force of your Walder® boom brake is proving too powerful :
Your line could be too large a diameter for the size of the drum grooves of your particular Walder® boom brake – use a smaller diameter line.
It could be that your line is too old, creating additional frictional braking force – change the line.
The line could be stiffened with accumulated salt – soak it overnight in fresh water.
Finally, you can eliminate one turn of your line around the grooved drum, keeping only two turns – a third turn is not always necessary.
