This post motivated me to make some "upgrades" to the H36 main sail control (or lack thereof) that I have dealt with for some time. First "easy" project was to make an outhaul that actually worked. The stock car that the mainsail clew was attached with is nice, but it doesn't move at all when the sail is under a load, essentially making the outhaul useless. So I removed it and attached the clew to the boom with a simple home-made clew strap. Works well. Ideally I'll need to use a longer line for the outhaul to make it reach the cockpit, but that will entail a boom removal since the outhaul block and tackle are all internal...maybe over the winter.
Next was to install a boom vang. I had a rope-vang that I used to use by simply attaching one end to the boom and the other to the toe rail when down wind, but it was clunky and a bit of a pain, I also didn't like the fact that if I accidentally jibed it would interfere with the life lines. So using a design I found here:
8:1 and 20:1 Cascaded Boom Vang I decided to make my own more "permanent" vang. I installed a "temporary" strap on the boom with a climbing strap from Amazon, used a low cost, low friction climbing ring for that first cascade. Then made up some Amsteel lines, using 1/4" and 3/16" diameters (the larger diameter is used for the first cascade since it will endure a higher load I think). One of them is run through a small low-friction loop (could have used another cheaper ring from Amazon but I had this one on hand). Then I used a small double block with a becket setup for the final run with 3/8" line which goes to the cockpit line clutch (new from Garhauer).
At the base of the mast I installed a rail with holes for mounting blocks, and a 4-screw mounting plate for the two, fixed, Amsteel lines. Hope that makes sense as the picture may be a bit convoluted.
Eventually I'll replace the temp strap on the boom with an internally mounted fastener, but they are overpriced for what they are and the strap seems to work well since it's "captured" by a small cleat mounted to the underside of the boom. Overall it works pretty well, unfortunately I haven't been able to try it out for long legs in a run in high winds, but I was surprised at how well it keeps the boom down...
Am I faster now? Maybe, but it gives me two more things to constantly adjust further driving my wife crazy with my ADD habits!