Even a controlled jibe remains a delicate and dangerous maneuver. The WALDER ® boombrake prevents injury and equipment damage. Being the skipper means having responsibility for the safety of all those on board – installing a WALDER ® boombrake makes sense as part of responsible skippering. The WALDER ® boombrake brings sailing safety, comfort, and peace of mind..

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A2 : Is the WALDER ® boombrake easy to install ?

Installing the WALDER ® boombrake is a snap – each device comes with full instructions on how to install and use your WALDER ® boombrake to best advantage.


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A3 : What is the difference between the WALDER ® boombrake and a preventer ?

A4 : How do I maintain my WALDER ® boombrake ?

Your WALDER ® boombrake 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 ® boombrake drum.


Retourner aux questions.

A5 : I’m mostly a coastal sailor – is the WALDER ® boombrake useful
for me ?

The WALDER ® boombrake 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.


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A6 : My boat is berthed abroad – can I have a WALDER ® boombrake shipped to my boat ?

We ship the WALDER ® boombrake 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.


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B1 : Do I ease off the WALDER ® boombrake line for a controlled jibe ?

Not at all. Line tension provides frictional braking force on your WALDER ® boombrake 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.


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B2 : Can I also fix in place and block completely the movement of my boom with the WALDER ® boombrake ?

Absolutely. In addition to safe and smooth jibing, the WALDER ® boombrake allows you to stabilize your boom at whatever position you choose. Thus, the WALDER ® boombrake assists when you furl or reef the mainsail or simply cinch down the boom in port or at anchorage.


Retourner aux questions.

B3 : My sailboat is rigged with a rigid boomvang. Must I remove it to use a WALDER ® boombrake ?

Not at all. Installing a WALDER ® boombrake on your sailboat is completely compatible with an already-rigged rigid boomvang. Your rigid boomvang need not be dismantled – simply rig your WALDER ® boombrake aft of the vang.


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B4 : What kind of line should I use with my WALDER ® boombrake ?

We recommend using a halyard-like flexible, prestretched line. Do not use a line whose diameter is too large for the drum grooves of your particular WALDER ® boombrake model.


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B5 : How do I adjust my WALDER ® boombrake ?

Adjusting your WALDER ® boombrake is easily accomplished with the boombrake line that you have fed back to the cockpit of your boat. The tension on your WALDER ® boombrake 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.


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B6 : Can I keep my WALDER ® boombrake in place under
all wind directions ?

Yes – a WALDER ® boombrake properly deployed under your boom follows along with its movements under all wind directions.


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B7 : My mainsail is full-batten – which WALDER ® boombrake
model suit best ?

The better choice of WALDER ® boombrake for a full-batten mainsail is the stainless steel double-guide model.


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B8 : My WALDER ® boombrake 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 ® boombrake is proving too powerful :
Your line could be too large a diameter for the size of the drum grooves of your particular WALDER ® boombrake – 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.


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