No Boom Lift on an Islander Bahama 30

[paulc19]

Recently bought a 1982 Islander. Instead of a line from the end of the boom to the mast like most boats in the marina, ours has a short cable that goes from the end of the boom to about 1/2 of the way along the back stay. I have yet to see this configuration on another boat.
It seems to work OK, once the sails are up, we unclip the cable from the end of the boom and re-hook it just before taking the mainsail down. My question is - is this trouble waiting to happen or can I live with this?

[Hud3]

That's not an uncommon arrangement. The topping lift, which you lack, serves the purpose of holding the boom up until you can raise the mainsail, just as the pennant from the backstay does. The advantage of the topping lift is that the boom can rotate while the sail is being raised or lowered without jerking the backstay.

[svHyLyte]

The lack of a topping lift can prove a major problem when one needs to reef. Absent a support for the boom, one cannot release the main halyard without the boom crashing down and flailing around. Do youself a favor and add a topping lift or rigid boom vang that can perform the same function. Garhaurer makes a very good inexpensive solid vang that will work well on your boat.

FWIW

s/v HyLyte

[Bruce.N.Smith]

I was dealing with this issue on my Islander 21, and only found this thread after, thanks for sharing knowledge out loud!