For those interested in installing a boomkicker - my wife and I just installed model K0312 on our 1st generation 14.2. The boomkicker manufacturer site was http://www.boomkicker.com, but we purchased the same model from layline (http://www.layline.com).
Installation was a breeze, but I wanted to group to know that in order for it to fit properly (to the inside of the boom vang) we had to cut the support rods down 1.5 inches (for a total of 28.5 inches) with a hacksaw. A nice hint is to wrap tape around the rods where you are gong to cut, this will help reduce splintering. The tape goes on before you use the saw. I misread the instructions and thought the tape should be applied afterwards.
I was a little concerned that my trimming would affect its strength, but during dry-rigging the boomkicker had no problem holding our boom and sail.
Now we can't wait to try it out in the water. The sails and boom would always get in our way when we had to paddle back to the dock.
Installation was a breeze, but I wanted to group to know that in order for it to fit properly (to the inside of the boom vang) we had to cut the support rods down 1.5 inches (for a total of 28.5 inches) with a hacksaw. A nice hint is to wrap tape around the rods where you are gong to cut, this will help reduce splintering. The tape goes on before you use the saw. I misread the instructions and thought the tape should be applied afterwards.
I was a little concerned that my trimming would affect its strength, but during dry-rigging the boomkicker had no problem holding our boom and sail.
Now we can't wait to try it out in the water. The sails and boom would always get in our way when we had to paddle back to the dock.