Adding a boom vang

[Indysailor]

Hi all,
I may add a boom vang to my 23 this year and am wondering how others have set theirs up. I've seen some with the cleat up near the boom and some with it at the base of the mast. And I'm wondering generally how people stow the line, lead it aft, etc.

Pics would be ideal, if anyone has some.

 

[Joe11688]

Hi all,
I may add a boom vang to my 23 this year and am wondering how others have set theirs up. I've seen some with the cleat up near the boom and some with it at the base of the mast. And I'm wondering generally how people stow the line, lead it aft, etc.

Pics would be ideal, if anyone has some.

All you need is the boom vang which is nothing more than a block and tackle consisting of braid line, two fiddle blocks with a cam cleat attached to the pulling block, with a snap shackle at both blocks for the attachment to the boom bale and the bale or utility plate hole at the foot of the mast.

If you don't have an eye strap or bale under your boom, you'll need to mount one about 2/3s of the way from the goose neck, or mount it so that the vang is at a 45 degree when it's set up.

I have a Kenyon hinged tabernacle with a utility plate under it. The plate has tabs with holes in them for mounting sheaves, a vang, or a Cunningham.
I had a tab on the back of my plate in which I used to attach my boom vang to, but it interfered with my mast raising so I cut it off.
I really haven't gotten around to making up something permanent yet, so what I have be doing for the bottom of the mast vang attachment is using a short piece or 1/4" braid and tying it to the rear holes in the outer tabs.

This attachment at the tabernacle really isn't that critical. However, the attachment point on the boom is critical.
As for the line; I just run it over the cabin and into the cockpit near the Starboard side of the cabin bulkhead.

These boom vangs are very pricey but if you have any marine consignment shops in your area you can get them real reasonable and make it up yourself. You may be able to find a block with the cam cleat bolted to it for your pulling block. These cams cleats can be unbolted and flipped over so that you can release the blocks by pulling up on the line, or pulling down on the line. I have my cam cleat set so that the line will release when I pull up on the line.
Some of these vangs are set up with a special attachment consisting of a braid wire cable with a swaged ball at the end. The ball fits into a special plate riveted under the boom which resembles a large key hole. The ball fits into the hole and slides forward into the key slot which locks it in place.
Personally, I don't like this set up. I much prefer the eye strap or bale under the boom. This way, you can use your boom vang for other purposes. I installed an extra long braid line on my vang and I use it to pull my mast up. I don't have any pics of my boom vang attached to my boom. Sorry about that.

 

[ruidh]

I know nothing about boom vangs and don't currently have one. In what kind of conditions do you adjust it? To flatten the sail in high wind and loosen it in low?

 

[Indysailor]

With no practical way to add a traveler, I want to add a boom vang for a little more control over sail shape. Also, I just want to add a more technical doohicky to the boat.

 

[Joe11688]

I know nothing about boom vangs and don't currently have one. In what kind of conditions do you adjust it? To flatten the sail in high wind and loosen it in low?

In so many words, yes. If you're ghosting along in a light breeze you may want to just remove it from the boom altogether to decrease the weight of the boom. I use my vang when she's on a down wind tack in a stiff breeze and I get more speed out her. A lot of times I'd be tacking dead downwind without the vang and as the wind shifted a little you could tell by the boom lifting up occasionally that it was about to go into an accidental Jibe.
A boom vang will keep that boom from jumping up and down. It won't prevent the jibe though, and this is where a boom brake comes in handy, but you still need the boom vang set with it in order for the boom brake to work right.

I'm getting into the habit of setting my boom vang whenever I'm trolling for stripers and Blues under sail. What has happened to me a few times is, I'll get a "fish on" and head her up into the wind and start playing him. Meanwhile the sail is flapping and the boom is jumping up and down fiercely and it's almost impossible to play the fish and keep an eye on where the boom is until you feel it conk you on top of your head. If that isn't bad enough, consider getting hit by a thick stainless steel swivel eye strap under the back end of the boom.
I cut that eye strap off about two years ago with my Dremel tool and added a nylon wire strap in it's place. I use it for my bungee sail tie jock. The eye strap that I cut off was once used for end of the boom sheeting from my backstay. I have a traveler with mid boom sheeting.

A boom vang is a great thing to have especially for downwind tacks. You'll see a big difference in speed downwind when it's set.

 

[RichBone]

Check the reasonably priced boom vangs at SailCare- http://www.sailcare.com/rope-vangs.shtml

 

[Indysailor]

Thanks for the responses, all. I'm a real fan of Jerry at Sailcare- he calls you personally when you make an order!

This may be a dumb question, but one thing I'm wondering is whether the vang is best with the cleat up at the boom or down at the mast step. I've seen pics of it both ways- below is one with the cleat near the boom.

The only time I've used one was on a friend's boat, with the cleat down near the mast step. I had continual problems uncleating it, but it may have had more to do with the condition of the cleat and maybe being too low. At any rate, I had difficulty snapping the line down and out of the cleat because there was very little clearance between it and the cabin top.
Seems to me that locating the cleat up at the boom end may be awkward, as the running end of the line will swing with the boom.

 

[ruidh]

In so many words, yes. If you're ghosting along in a light breeze you may want to just remove it from the boom altogether to decrease the weight of the boom. I use my vang when she's on a down wind tack in a stiff breeze and I get more speed out her. A lot of times I'd be tacking dead downwind without the vang and as the wind shifted a little you could tell by the boom lifting up occasionally that it was about to go into an accidental Jibe.

I don't generally sail directly downwind because of accidental gibes. I do quite nicely with my 135 genoa on a broad reach.

A boom vang will keep that boom from jumping up and down. It won't prevent the jibe though, and this is where a boom brake comes in handy, but you still need the boom vang set with it in order for the boom brake to work right.

Baby steps.

I'm getting into the habit of setting my boom vang whenever I'm trolling for stripers and Blues under sail. What has happened to me a few times is, I'll get a "fish on" and head her up into the wind and start playing him. Meanwhile the sail is flapping and the boom is jumping up and down fiercely and it's almost impossible to play the fish and keep an eye on where the boom is until you feel it conk you on top of your head. If that isn't bad enough, consider getting hit by a thick stainless steel swivel eye strap under the back end of the boom.
I cut that eye strap off about two years ago with my Dremel tool and added a nylon wire strap in it's place. I use it for my bungee sail tie jock. The eye strap that I cut off was once used for end of the boom sheeting from my backstay. I have a traveler with mid boom sheeting.

A boom vang is a great thing to have especially for downwind tacks. You'll see a big difference in speed downwind when it's set.

 

[Indysailor]

A very nice explanation of using a vang, here.

http://youtu.be/C31nGzO54O4

 

[Joe11688]

A lot of times when I'm returning from the Bay with a 10 knot wind behind me, I'll sail directly downwind toward areas with less boat traffic and I'll use my autopilot.
If the wind is really strong, I'll take the Mainsail down and use my poled out Gennie. Occasionally when the winds get real strong while I'm trolling a lure downwind, I'll just lower my centerboard down and leave the sails furled and let the wind push my boat at the proper trolling speed. I'll sail her like this under autopilot and once the boat picks up "way on" or momentum, I can steer her to Port or Starboard on a bare pole run. This pic shows her sailing on a run with no sails up.

 

[RichBone]

I like the cleated end aft on the boom. Easy to access.
My boat didn't come with a vang so I installed an organizer plate at the base of the mast and an internally mounted pad eye on the boom.

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

That looks really neat Rich. I had to cut the back tab off my organizer plate. I hated having to do it but it was interfering with letting my mast lay down into my stern pulpit mast crutch. I'll come up with something more permanent to use other than a short braid line tied to the rear holes on the plate's side tabs.

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks for the responses, all. I'm a real fan of Jerry at Sailcare- he calls you personally when you make an order!

This may be a dumb question, but one thing I'm wondering is whether the vang is best with the cleat up at the boom or down at the mast step. I've seen pics of it both ways- below is one with the cleat near the boom.

The only time I've used one was on a friend's boat, with the cleat down near the mast step. I had continual problems uncleating it, but it may have had more to do with the condition of the cleat and maybe being too low. At any rate, I had difficulty snapping the line down and out of the cleat because there was very little clearance between it and the cabin top.
Seems to me that locating the cleat up at the boom end may be awkward, as the running end of the line will swing with the boom.

What you could do is add a short cable, rope, or some kind of an extension at the foot of the mast to raise the sheave block a little higher. Also, you have the option of unbolting the cam cleat and flipping it over to have the line release either by pulling up or down on it.

It really doesn't matter where you connect the pulling block. Some guys like it connected to the bottom of the mast, myself included, and some guys like it connected to the boom. It's just a matter of choice.