Tiger Too Preventer

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Toby Ritter of Mamaroneck, NY, has a nice preventer rig aboard his Sparkman & Stephens center-cockpit 48-footer, Tiger Too. He sent us the following description:

Our preventer runs from the aft end of the boom, where it terminates in a Wichard Quick-Release shackle, forward along the underside of the boom through small guide blocks to the mast, then down to the deck, through a turning block to a deck organizer, and back to the cockpit through an Antal rope clutch.

Before going to sea, we rig flat nylon webbing from the bow cleats on port and starboard, outside of everything, aft to about the boarding gates amidships. The webbing straps terminate in sewn eyes (6000 lb. test) which are secured to the rail with light line.

To rig the preventer we release the preventer line from the clutch, take the shackle forward from the end of the boom, clip it to the loop on the webbing, and release the webbing. We can then trim the preventer from the cockpit without ever having to go forward on deck.

In a jibe, as the main is centered, the preventer is released from the webbing on the leeward side, walked around the aft end of the cockpit, and attached to the webbing on the windward side. The boat is jibed, the main eased, and the preventer tensioned on the other side from the cockpit. It works like a charm.

Also With This Article
Click here to view a drawing of Ritter’s preventer rig.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.