The Marinervideo
Preventers | What You Need to Know
4 February 2025 · 56 min · 33K views
What this video covers
Wraps of Dyneema around the boom end — not a mid-boom pad eye — is the attachment method Chris advocates for preventers on cruising and racing boats.21:43 The discussion is anchored by a physical exhibit: a destroyed tack fitting from Challenger, a Whitbread 60, which failed during Antigua Race Week around 2016 when a jib car downhaul with roughly 20,000-lb breaking strain peeled the G10 backing plate and Kevlar deck laminate without the line itself parting.4:20 Chris uses that failure to make a central point: any fitting will eventually fail under sufficient load, so preventer geometry — specifically running the line as far forward and outboard as possible to achieve the widest angle — matters more than raw hardware strength.4:30 He draws a direct analogy to spinnaker pole after-guys and tall-ship braces: tight rigging angles multiply loads catastrophically.13:43 On stretch, he calculates that a 60-ft preventer line at 5% elongation produces roughly 3 ft of give, which becomes dangerous if the boat is knocked down and the line must be eased under load — a process he describes as explosive if uncontrolled.16:01 For solo sailors, he recommends leading the mainsheet through a companionway cam cleat with only two or three turns on the winch so a sleeping crew member can dump tension instantly.19:15 Preventers that do not run to the bow are ineffective regardless of attachment strength.23:53
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