Rigid Vang or not

gadangit

gadangit

Member III
Hello-
We've been steadily chipping away at my E39 since we bought it in January and are outfitting the boat for long distance cruising. One of the next items is the vang: rigid or not. Most of the boats I've sailed on only had non-rigid vangs and the ones that had a rigid vang I didn't think too much about it. We have a spare halyard that we are planning to use as a topping lift. I have scoured all the posts about vangs and have yet to find the "gotcha" post that seals the deal on spending the extra money on a rigid vang. Is there a point where the size of the boat/main and length of the boom make it silly to not have a rigid vang?

In full disclosure, I have not yet hoisted the main that came with the boat to see if the leech interferes with the toppinng lift and the boat has no vang now...

Thoughts?

Thanks much!
Chris
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
We went with a rigid vang from Garhauer for better sail control and also to help keep the boom/sailcover off the dodger when stowed. The rigger tried to save a few $100 by undersizing the vang so we still have to use a topping lift (the main halyard) when tidying up for the night :mad: but it does the job while taking down the main and before the weight of the cover is added,

I'd definitely look at the Garhauer offerings and pick one that is not too small.

I would also seriously look into lazyjacks that you stow along the boom and up the mast when not in use. The first few times I lowered the main in chop I thought I was going to die as the boom swung back and forth while I was holding on trying to tie the sail ties. In addition to the lazyjacks we also rig a temporary preventer to hold the boom in place laterally to make the job easier when flaking the main.



-Sven
 
gadangit

gadangit

Member III
Hi Sven-
Thanks for the reply. I've got some lazy jacks temped in while the rigger was up the mast, so I have to complete the installation on the boom pieces. Thanks for the advice on that. What Garhauer rigid vang model did you end up with? I see they have a 1.75" and a 2" version for 28-44' boats...

Chris
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
gadangit said:
I was wondering if your blog entries had pictures of the mast, mast base, deck organizers, working winches, etc. that I could get a look at?
Click to expand...

We didn't lead anything back to the cockpit except for the vang control line. Having everything at the mast and boom does cause some problems as it is too crowded and in a good blow the lines easily get fouled. We avoid the fouling by being aware of the problem.



-Sven
 
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Carefree Sailor

Carefree Sailor

Member II
Consider a Boomkicker

Hi Chris,

Another option to consider is the Boomkicker (http://www.boomkicker.com/). I believe you can find it cheaper at Defender or other marine stores than the price quoted on the Boomkicker site. I have one installed on my E35-3 and am glad to have no topping lift.
 
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B

belafonte

Junior Member
We also have an E39 and just ordered a Garhauer rigid boom vang. I asked about the 2" version and they told me that it was an aluminum version and that the 1.75" would be fine.... I wonder if I should have insisted on a larger boat version. something to think about if you haven't ordered yet.
Leif
 
Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens

Moderator
Moderator
Garhauer

The Garhauer is a better product than the boomkicker and much more flexible and adjustable.

A rigid Vang is great for offshore and inshore work.

Sven, call mark at Garhauer and ask him to upgrade your springs, he will give you harder springs or more of them that should solve that problem for you.

Guy
:)
 
gadangit

gadangit

Member III
seajunkie said:
I'm curious what the Garhaur can do that a Boomkicker with a standard 4:1 vang can't do. I had the Boomkicker in my last boat and I loved it.
Click to expand...

Interesting perspective. The biggest question for me is: What does everyone like about the rigid vang? Does it actually give you more control of sail shape than a standard vang?

In looking through all the posts over the years about this subject, the overriding response has been: "get the rigid vang, it's great." But the engineer in me wants to know why it is great. Well, the person with the checkbook does too, but that is a different discussion...

Chris
 
Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens

Moderator
Moderator
One line control of the shape of the mainsail

Benifits of the Rigid vang.

Lose the topping lift, get rid of the line chafing the aft edge of the sail.

One line control of mainsail shape. Grab it and pull you pull the boom down, release it and the boom goes up. If you play the topping lift and the vang together you can do most of the same things. A rigid vang is much easier than two lines and lets face it, you are more likely to use something that is easier to use. Also one adjustment makes it a lot easier to get correct.

The boom doesn't fall into the cockpit if someone lets loose the non existent topping lift.

Convert the unused topping lift sheave (If you have one, to a second main halyard or halyard messenger line).

As for the difference between the boomkicker and the Garhauer, range of motion, amount of lifting force, life expectancy, and quality of and suitability to purpose of the materials are all greater with the Garhauer. Also the Garhauer mounts taking up less space as the attachment points are shared on both ends with it's built in tackle. With the Garhauer you also get a quality set of ball bearing control blocks that are suitable to adjustment under load and are not tempted to use that old nylon sheave boom vang that you have had since 1970.

Guy
:)
 
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