I had a
Corsair F31 with a Dutchman and I was able to ignore the boom when gybibing the
spinnaker. I once did
Miami to Islamorada over 70 miles gybing the
spinnaker, multiple times, down the
ICW for an entire day and never once touched the main sheet.
In most conditions it works with the 700 sq ft main on the present
boat and I gybe with impunity in winds up to 15 knots. It can act as a preventer and I only add a preventer in winds over 25-30 knots. However, it is designed to act as a
clutch and when properly adjusted the boom comes over in a controlled way.
The only time it failed was when the shackle holding it to the boom broke open. I have since added a swivel so that the
boom brake can twist as it works.