[quote=Wolfman]Now, if you were ever thrown 20 ft off your boat after an unexpected jibe caused you to get a boom to the head you wouldn't ask that question. :lol: Seriously got a concussion a few years ago because of that.
Just simplicity and safety more than anything.
Its one less thing to worry about and you won't smash a beginner when you are sailing if they are in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Boomless rigs are mostly on the more recreational cats than the racing ones. The hobie wave and getaway are both boomless. I'm also pretty sure that some of the gcats and darts didn't have booms. The need for the boom is partially removed by the tension an extra triangle of fabric in tha sail that goes to the bottom of the mast provides. This tension pretty much keeps everything from flopping around. That being said depending on how much mainsheet tension you have, some of the leech of the sail will tend twist off.
Having a boom helps you keep the sail shape better and distribute the tension throughout the sail better. Helps you control sail twist and allows better control over mast rotation. This all means you can point a little higher and get a little more efficiency and speed out of the sail. I sail both a boomed boat 5.2 and a non-boomed boat 5.7 and I honestly love not having to worry about the boom and since I dont race I havent really noticed any huge performance differences.[/quote]
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