The new Zoom boom from Dutchmar (ex-Dutchman) is a highly innovative cross between a cantilevered jib boom (like those found on model sailboats), the unusual Ljungstrom rig (with twin mainsails that furl around a single freestanding mast) and a Hoyt jib boom. The result is a headsail system that promises the ultimate in sailhandling convenience for cruising sailors on boats up to 40ft in length. By carrying a roller-furling headstay forward of a boat’s stem fitting, the Zoom enlarges a rig’s foretriangle and allows you to carry a 110 percent self-tacking, self-vanging headsail. The larger sail is also more efficient on the wind and has a more efficient shape when reaching, as the boom carries the jib’s clew out to leeward and the curvature in the leech can be precisely controlled via the sheets and outhaul. Best of all, when sailing off the wind, the twin headsails can be splayed out to either side of the headstay and set very much like a poled-out symmetrical spinnaker. Both headsails are furled around the headstay’s furling rod when the boat is idle. Offshore sailors can also fit a second headstay to fly a hank-on storm jib in strong conditions.
From $1,940 (plus $120 per foot of J dimension). Dutchmar, dutchmar.com
