I was looking at a 1/2 tonner today and was told there rules state no topping light
If a Skipper added a boom kicker would it be still legal as a race boat to me if I ever bought one that would be the first item Id buy for it
What a load of crap. If you want a mainsail topping lift or a boom kicker then add one.
Half Tonners haven't raced as a class since the early 80s in Australia. There is however a very strong fleet in Europe of old boats that have been rebuilt.
My half tonner has a topping lift and it always has had. It doubles as a spare mainsail halyard.
Yep, it's complete rubbish. Halves were originally conceived as small offshore racers in the 1960s. They were supposed to be able to do Hobart and Fastnet, and many did. Topping lifts were standard.
Some of the very late half tonners may have been built without a topper, to reduce weight. Some big IOR boats did so and they just threw the spinnaker pole topping lift aft to act as a boom topping lift when reefing. It's something I do on my boat as well.
