Second Shakedown Cruise - Some Questions

[Perithead]

My girlfriend and I took my Montgomery 17 out for the second time since I have owned her yesterday. We had a great sail for about 4 hours with winds up to 15 knots gusting a little more, the lake was very flat which was great for her first sail onboard my Montgomery.

I tried some things for the first time on her like reefing and heaving to.

1. Heaving-to went over very well and the boat stayed hove to with the full just and full main up. It was my first time ever heaving to really, I did it probably 3 times to take breaks and have a snack and also to practice reefing.

2. Reefing went pretty good overall but there are a few things missing from my system. First off, there is no topping lift the boom went to the deck when I first rediced sail while hove to. Fortunaly, the boat came with a new boom kicker when I bought it that hadn't been installed yet. Isn't the boom kicker suposed to eliminate my boom dropping to deck?

I just noticed while looking on the boom kicker site a small aluminum bracket under the boom that it goes into. I saw this same bracket on the boom of my 17 and now I know what it is for, maybe it is ready to go? Does it require any special drilling or bracket on the mast?

Also, there wasn't really any place that I could find where the boom attaches to the mast. To hold the tack of the sail down I just took a short line and tide it under the boom. I don't thing this is the correct way to do this though. There are some fairlead V-cleats at the base of the mast that I do not know thier purpose, could this be it?

[smallboatlover]

I thought a boom kicker was to prevent it from axedently jibeing. you usally use the toping lift to keep the boom from hitting the deck

[MobiusALilBitTwisted]

Teh Boom Kicker replaces the Topping lift, it is not a boom brake or preventer

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by Perithead

Also, there wasn't really any place that I could find where the boom attaches to the mast.

So... the boom wasn't attached to the mast and you were still able to go sailing.

To hold the tack of the sail down I just took a short line and tide it under the boom.

That can work temporarily and I have done it before. However the tension on the tack needs to be not only down (to balance the halyard) but also forward (to balance the outhaul). On my boat there's a pin that goes through holes in the end-boom fitting. When it broke I tied the tack with rope and then replaced it with a bolt later.

Some close-up photos would help.

There are some fairlead V-cleats at the base of the mast that I do not know thier purpose, could this be it?

Not sure what those are for. Pictures?