Gordon wrote:
Anyone care to comment on a jib boom such a Hoyt? Anyone using one?
Gordon

Such as...?

My homebrew rig uses the spinnaker pole, some chain, and a sail cut
down to fit between the lower fwd shrouds.

It is no problem to drop the jib boom onto the deck and continue
sailing using the usual sheet setup while underway.

A single line (we call it the elevator sheet), in addition to regular
sheets, from cockpit to forepeak and then out to the aft end of the
boom and to the jib clew pulls the boom up to the clew and regulates
jib fatness. The boom travels on a bridle athwartships, which can be
adjusted from the cockpit to set sheeting angle for close hauling,
reaching, even running. The forepeak gooseneck is a short chain jib
pennant and a shackle. These simple adjustments are adequate. The pole
can be unsnapped and used normally in only a second. It is usually left
connected and lazy on deck. If not for the lazy third jib sheet, one
would not know it was there, ready, aye ready.

It makes beating against the tide in a narrow river a joy and grants
full sailing agility. As far as breaking bones is concerned, the
foredeck is no place for kids playing jungle gym, but I have stepped
through the gap foreward between boom and loose footed sail while the
mate steered through a tack. No problem either for crew asleep on the
foredeck, unless you lower the boom onto them. The aft end of the pole
does pass close by the mast at about nose height, and barely clears the
lower shrouds foreward. It works well and there is no clutter
associated with it.

If there is a problem with it, it would be in manoevering down wind, as
the jib cannot be easily dumped by simply releasing the sheet. You
would need to lower the boom on centerline before approaching a mooring
downwind.

Terry K