The boom kicker stays in place all the time the boat is rigged. It springloads the boom to keep it up when you drop the main (no need for a topping lift). You can still vang in the boom like normal because the rods spring down. One extra benifit I found was that you can let the vang out in light wind and the boom will rise and bag the sail which seems to give just a little more speed. I think its great. I have been sailing on a large lake most of the time and when I go into a dock, I can lower tha main and tie it around the boom and the cockpit is uncluttered and no extra lines to deal with. Check out http://www.boomkicker.com/Bk_index.htm
The boom kicker stays in place all the time the boat is rigged. It springloads the boom to keep it up when you drop the main (no need for a topping lift). You can still vang in the boom like normal because the rods spring down. One extra benifit I found was that you can let the vang out in light wind and the boom will rise and bag the sail which seems to give just a little more speed. I think its great. I have been sailing on a large lake most of the time and when I go into a dock, I can lower tha main and tie it around the boom and the cockpit is uncluttered and no extra lines to deal with. Check out http://www.boomkicker.com/Bk_index.htm