what no clue what the purpose is for the line and pulley system is that attatches under the boom close to the mast have sailed all summer and not touched this thing what is it and what does it do ? oh boat is a 23.5 1993
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Bad co,
The Boom Vang is one of several fine trim lines that controls the shape of the sail. Sail shape is not critical for a beginning sailor, as you have found.
A flat, tight sail can de-power the rig in strong winds. A loose, billowy sail can add power in light winds.
Start reading the "Sail Trim with Don Guillette" forum when you are ready to learn more.
The boom vang can cause problems when raising the main, or trying to raise the boom with the topping lift. One thing you can start doing is to release the boom vang tension when raising the main. Snug it up again when you are set on your first tack.
The Boom Vang is one of several fine trim lines that controls the shape of the sail. Sail shape is not critical for a beginning sailor, as you have found.
A flat, tight sail can de-power the rig in strong winds. A loose, billowy sail can add power in light winds.
Start reading the "Sail Trim with Don Guillette" forum when you are ready to learn more.
The boom vang can cause problems when raising the main, or trying to raise the boom with the topping lift. One thing you can start doing is to release the boom vang tension when raising the main. Snug it up again when you are set on your first tack.
thanks for the input , so loosen it up when raising main "got it" but how does it work? when and under what circumstances do you fiddle with this boom vang? Is its sole purpose to mainly get every last bit of power from the sails? Lastly the the line that comes down and holds the end of the boom by the stern, this line as far as I know gets untied loosely when you are sailing but what is its purpose and is this another "fine tuning" tool that you figure out well after youve learned the basics of sailing ?
I think you are describing the Topping Lift. It runs from the mast crane or top of the mast to the end of the boom. It is meant to hold the boom up when the main is down so that the boom doesn't clutter the cockpit. It isn't a sail control.
The vang is usually employed in off the wind sailing. It holds the boom down when tensioned. When sailing upwind the main sheet tension holds the boom down and the vang is in a sense redundent. When sailing downwind the boom tends to rise up which twists the main sail leech. This allows wind to spill off the sail and depowers it. Tensioning the vang takes that twist out of the main leech making it more powerful. So the power up setting is vang on and the power down setting is vang off. And it more than just a tweak. This is why the J World video for sailing a J24 downwind with a spinnaker, recommends "blowing" the vang as a early step in preventing a wipeout when overpowered. Depending on your rig it can be a significant way to depower off the wind.
There are other uses for a vang but I think I've described the most common.
The vang is usually employed in off the wind sailing. It holds the boom down when tensioned. When sailing upwind the main sheet tension holds the boom down and the vang is in a sense redundent. When sailing downwind the boom tends to rise up which twists the main sail leech. This allows wind to spill off the sail and depowers it. Tensioning the vang takes that twist out of the main leech making it more powerful. So the power up setting is vang on and the power down setting is vang off. And it more than just a tweak. This is why the J World video for sailing a J24 downwind with a spinnaker, recommends "blowing" the vang as a early step in preventing a wipeout when overpowered. Depending on your rig it can be a significant way to depower off the wind.
There are other uses for a vang but I think I've described the most common.
There are three lines that go through the boom, the topping lift as shemandr stated, the out-haul for controlling the tension of the main foot, and the reefing line. All three have clam cleats at the mast end of the boom to hold their setting.
The line for the topping lift should go up and through a block on the end of the topping lift cable attached to the top of the mast. The end of the line is returned to the boom and tied off. Adjust this line to raise and lower the boom. Loosen it when sailing to allow the mail sail to take its full shape. Tighten it to raise the boom out of the way when the sail is lowered. It's main purpose is to keep the boom up when there is no sail to do that job. The boom end would hit the deck without something to retain it.
The reefing line should come out of the boom and go up and through a grommet about three feet up on the roach on the main. It then returns to, and ties off on the end of the boom. It takes the place of the out haul when the main is reefed. You should see a row of smaller grommets along the sail at that height. I had to add the lines to these reef points when I took delivery of my new H260. A PO may have added them for you.
I hope that helps.
The line for the topping lift should go up and through a block on the end of the topping lift cable attached to the top of the mast. The end of the line is returned to the boom and tied off. Adjust this line to raise and lower the boom. Loosen it when sailing to allow the mail sail to take its full shape. Tighten it to raise the boom out of the way when the sail is lowered. It's main purpose is to keep the boom up when there is no sail to do that job. The boom end would hit the deck without something to retain it.
The reefing line should come out of the boom and go up and through a grommet about three feet up on the roach on the main. It then returns to, and ties off on the end of the boom. It takes the place of the out haul when the main is reefed. You should see a row of smaller grommets along the sail at that height. I had to add the lines to these reef points when I took delivery of my new H260. A PO may have added them for you.
I hope that helps.
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