Garhauer rigid vang

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Its time to replace the lines in my Garhauer rigid boom vang. Silly me, I thought Garhauer would have an owner’s manual AND be able to tell me fairly closely what length lines to buy. Or at least one or the other. Boy was I ever wrong. They don’t have an owner’s manual and the guy on the phone told me one 30’ line and one 40’ line. He did tell me to get 5/16” line. When I questioned the 30’ line his reply was 20’ might be enough and I could always cut it. He’s right but dang. 10’ of waste seems excessive. The best I can tell I have a RV16-1 since my boat is 26’ long. Does anyone have any real life experience with how much line to buy?
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
@Kermit , I just checked the Garhauer site and mine doesn't look anything at all like the ones they have listed. Is yours the same version as listed? I recall mine is a 16, but there's no cam. The line runs back to a clutch. It'll be a week or so, but I'll measure it if y'all want. :)
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
It’d be great if you guys could do that for me. Thanks, eh!
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Could you just take the lines out and measure them?
Yep. But... things like that scare me. I’m not spatially-inclined like that so the thought of trying to thread them back seems daunting. I’m planning to pull the new lines through like you do a halyard. But maybe I could learn a new trick. Thanks for an idea that should have been obvious to me. Seriously.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,324
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Take photos before you pull the line. You do have a camera, don't you? ;)

Another option is to fully extend the vang, measure the line from block to block and multiply by the number of trips the line makes between the blocks and then add some for a fudge factor. Spending an extra $10 to not be short is good insurance.

I'd lend you my line stretcher, but its broken.
 
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Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Take photos before you pull the line. You do have a camera, don't you? ;)

Another option is to fully extend the vang, measure the line from block to block and multiply by the number of trips the line makes between the blocks and then add some for a fudge factor. Spending an extra $10 to not be short is good insurance.

I'd lend you my line stretcher, but its broken.
Thanks!
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,324
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Sure, and the spring assembly could be found down the street when you got out of the hospital. You need to contain that thing.
I have a Hall Quick Vang, there is a retaining pin that prevents the vang from blowing apart when the line is loose or removed. I assumed that the Garhauer vangs have a similar arrangement.

Also, Garhauer is having a sale on Rigid Vangs 10% off until today. The easy way to replace the lines is just buy a new vang. :biggrin:
 
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Likes: Kermit
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
One would assume, but I looked at mine and saw nothing that would indicate there to be a pin of any kind. Maybe the flange on the end of the tube might do that, but I'm not really game to experiment. :)
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
When I first got my boat the boom would hit the dodger if not held by the topping lift so I removed it and took in to Garhauer. Before I even handed it to him he said "That's one Gerry Douglas designed, we only made them for a couple years, looks like you are missing a spring." He removed screw holding the collar and banged it on a table to get the springs to drop out, there were 2, he said there's supposed to be 3. He added one gratis and reassembled.
They are not the large modern facility you'd imagine, rather they started in a couple units of an older small industrial park and expanded until they occupied they whole thing.
 
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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Yeah and irrespective of the shop size, they make great gear at a very reasonable price!
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
If you don’t have a topping life, take your halyard to the boom end, loosen the vang control line, and lift the boom until the vang is unloaded. Take a picture of the line routing. Pull the line off and measure the line. Add or subtract footage per your experience with the prior line length.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,857
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Yep. But... things like that scare me. I’m not spatially-inclined like that so the thought of trying to thread them back seems daunting. I’m planning to pull the new lines through like you do a halyard. But maybe I could learn a new trick. Thanks for an idea that should have been obvious to me. Seriously.
Spatially-inclined? Is that like hand-eye coordination?
 
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Oct 1, 2007
1,857
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
If you don’t have a topping life, take your halyard to the boom end, loosen the vang control line, and lift the boom until the vang is unloaded. Take a picture of the line routing. Pull the line off and measure the line. Add or subtract footage per your experience with the prior line length.
This is a great thread. "Topping life"? The "t" isn't even next to the "e". :)
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
I did my lines so the bottom block would rotate 90 degrees which I found in a riggers guide. I also added an extra block for more power taming that vang. With the extra line I made a monkeys fist knot that looks very nautical at the end of the line. Sailing from Maine to the Bahamas every year lets me evaluate how stuff works and this vang works great.