I checked the owners manual on my recently purchased Oday 22 & it appears the "boom vang" is missing from the rigging provided by the previous owner. The bracket on the boom is missing. Just 3 small screw holes in a triangle. Is the boom vang necessary & if yes, where can I get one.
Chris
You can sail without a boom vang but I think that if you had one, you would use it. Check out some of the Youtubes on boom vangs to get an idea of how and when to set them up and the advantages they can provide when the boat is sailing on certain angles to the wind.
Some boom vangs are set up with a wire and swaged ball type connection that fits into a key hole type device attached to the under side of the boom about 1/3 away from the mast and goose neck fitting. The bottom sheave block has the usual cam cleat snubbing device along with a quick release shackle that is attached to an eye strap or bale at the bottom of the mast.
I don't favor this type of vang. I think it's better to have a boom vang with a quick release shackle at both ends, an eye strap attached to the bottom of the mast and another strap or bail on the under side of the boom. This way, you could use your boom vang for anything that you want to pull on. I use my boom vang to raise and lower my mast. I have an extra long braid line on the vang that allows enough reach with the blocks to do this.
I have three eye straps under my boom and they are riveted in a track. One of them is near the goose neck and I use it to connect my sail tie bungees. Then I have one that is for the boom vang which is set up about 1/3 of the way out away from the goose neck fitting to provide a 45 degree angle for the boom vang. The next one set up for my main sheet which is coming off a traveler in front of the companionway hatch. and the next one after that is set up for my Jiffy reefing.
My mast tabernacle has a utility plate under it with holes for sheave connections or anything you want to attach to it. The plate had a tab in the back which I used to connect the bottom of my boom vang, but it interfered with the mast raising/lowering so I was forced to cut it off. I've been tying a rope to the rear outer holes in this plate and using it for my boom vang connect. I've been wanting to put something permanent in it's place but I haven't got around to it as of yet. Maybe I will get to it within the next couple of weeks.
I do a lot of trolling for Striped Bass and Blue Fish under Mainsail alone and many times I've had a fish on and tried to play him while trying to avoid getting hit on the top of the head by the boom while it's jumping up and down which happens when the boat is headed up into the wind and the sail is luffing like mad.
It's one thing to get hit on the side of the head by the side of the boom as it swings from side to side which can smart a little, and quite another thing to have the boom jumping up and down violently and come down on top of my head. Then to top it off, imagine having a bail or eye strap at the bottom end of the boom and getting hit on top of the head with that.
A boom vang will hold the boom down and prevent this. I cut that end eye strap off my boom a couple of years ago and installed a Nylon wire clip for my sail tie jock. The end eye strap was originally used for my Mainsheet connection coming off a triangular plate on my backstay, so I really didn't need it after I mounted my traveler.
Here's some pics of my boom vang. I'll post some pics of the vang connected to my mast and boom tomorrow so you can get an idea of the placement.
Joe
