I would like to ask what brand or type of boom vang went with the Hunter 25, 1982. If anyone could check theirs and let me know or tell me how to figure out what would work with my boat I would be very grateful !! Thanks for your time.
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Vangs were not standard?
Our '77 h27 had no provision for a vang until we bought on speced by a local rigger in 2002! West Marine's catalog has a good section on vang design and selection. There are a number of excellent options for your boat. Be sure to consider a solid vang, which would allow you to eliminate the topping lift, David Lady Lillie
Our '77 h27 had no provision for a vang until we bought on speced by a local rigger in 2002! West Marine's catalog has a good section on vang design and selection. There are a number of excellent options for your boat. Be sure to consider a solid vang, which would allow you to eliminate the topping lift, David Lady Lillie
What I use
Matt, I purchased a standard 4:1 boom vang from West Marine. It does a good job. I added a bail to the boom (approx 2/3 of the way out the boom ... if you need exact measurements, I can get them for you) and a bail to the bolt which joins the mast to the cathedral mount. This type of vang (as opposed to a solid vang) makes a great preventor for wing-n-wing sailing.
Matt, I purchased a standard 4:1 boom vang from West Marine. It does a good job. I added a bail to the boom (approx 2/3 of the way out the boom ... if you need exact measurements, I can get them for you) and a bail to the bolt which joins the mast to the cathedral mount. This type of vang (as opposed to a solid vang) makes a great preventor for wing-n-wing sailing.
Vang 101
You don't have to pay for a pre-made vang-- there is no more magic to it than the sum of its parts. ANY 3:1- or 4:1-purchase tackle will work for a vang. It should ALWAYS be rigged to the base of the mast and on the centreline to facilitate tacking without having to adjust it. Anything putting a moment on the boom other than that is considered a preventer that has to be removed or slackened before tacking (it's VERY dangerous to forget a preventer! That's how booms break). Rigging this tackle at something approaching a 45-degree angle is most effective. This is why a vang is almost redundant with mid-boom sheeting. The vang is supposed to suck down the middle section of the boom-- if the sheetline is already doing that, you don't need the vang. What you'd need instead is some way to pull down on the END of the boom. That's where the sheetline is supposed to be. I would recommend Schaefer 505-series fiddle blocks, the bottom one with a cam and becket and both with swivel snap shackles. If you want to sub out another brand look for something about 1500 lbs breaking strength (for 3/8" to 7/16" line, for ease of handling). A decent extra-low-stretch line like Sampson XLS (cheaper than NE Ropes!) is fine. I would NOT consider eliminating the topping lift as it serves plenty of other purposes which a rigid vang will not work for. But that's another subject.... JC 2
You don't have to pay for a pre-made vang-- there is no more magic to it than the sum of its parts. ANY 3:1- or 4:1-purchase tackle will work for a vang. It should ALWAYS be rigged to the base of the mast and on the centreline to facilitate tacking without having to adjust it. Anything putting a moment on the boom other than that is considered a preventer that has to be removed or slackened before tacking (it's VERY dangerous to forget a preventer! That's how booms break). Rigging this tackle at something approaching a 45-degree angle is most effective. This is why a vang is almost redundant with mid-boom sheeting. The vang is supposed to suck down the middle section of the boom-- if the sheetline is already doing that, you don't need the vang. What you'd need instead is some way to pull down on the END of the boom. That's where the sheetline is supposed to be. I would recommend Schaefer 505-series fiddle blocks, the bottom one with a cam and becket and both with swivel snap shackles. If you want to sub out another brand look for something about 1500 lbs breaking strength (for 3/8" to 7/16" line, for ease of handling). A decent extra-low-stretch line like Sampson XLS (cheaper than NE Ropes!) is fine. I would NOT consider eliminating the topping lift as it serves plenty of other purposes which a rigid vang will not work for. But that's another subject.... JC 2
vang101 continued [fixed vang]
If JC2 would be so kind as to continue the discussion.... I just bought a 1980 H27 which has a fixed vang. The old topping lift is still on the boat, but not attached to the boom. I've kept in on the boat, but can't figure out what it might be good for (per your suggestion on your earlier post). So what good is a topping lift if you have a fixed vang? best regards, Tom Milke
If JC2 would be so kind as to continue the discussion.... I just bought a 1980 H27 which has a fixed vang. The old topping lift is still on the boat, but not attached to the boom. I've kept in on the boat, but can't figure out what it might be good for (per your suggestion on your earlier post). So what good is a topping lift if you have a fixed vang? best regards, Tom Milke
Vang 101... pt 3
... as re Tom's question, about what good a topping lift is if you have a fixed vang... I wish I knew! The fixed boom-propping vang renders everything else-- including the ability to adjust things-- redundant. Sometimes there are very good reasons to hike up on the topping lift and let the leech of the main billow out, like to depower the boat in a quarter-run/reach. A fixed vang won't let you do that as easily-- might even make you forget you're able to. Maybe I'm just too anal to be a 'set-it-and-forget-it' kind of sailor-- in spite of well-meaning people telling me to simplify my life. (I never was like that with the band's PA system either!) This very weekend I am installing a new masthead rig from Rig-Rite that includes double halyards for main and jib. I am even keeping the old beat-up line as my 'spares' (too cheap to buy BOTH halyards at once!) --which really means the secondary (old) main halyard becomes the topping lift. If it's one thing I CAN'T stand it's an non-adjustable topping lift, that skinny fraying wire and shackle swinging wildly at head-clobbering height in the kind of weather that will cause it to part. JC 2
... as re Tom's question, about what good a topping lift is if you have a fixed vang... I wish I knew! The fixed boom-propping vang renders everything else-- including the ability to adjust things-- redundant. Sometimes there are very good reasons to hike up on the topping lift and let the leech of the main billow out, like to depower the boat in a quarter-run/reach. A fixed vang won't let you do that as easily-- might even make you forget you're able to. Maybe I'm just too anal to be a 'set-it-and-forget-it' kind of sailor-- in spite of well-meaning people telling me to simplify my life. (I never was like that with the band's PA system either!) This very weekend I am installing a new masthead rig from Rig-Rite that includes double halyards for main and jib. I am even keeping the old beat-up line as my 'spares' (too cheap to buy BOTH halyards at once!) --which really means the secondary (old) main halyard becomes the topping lift. If it's one thing I CAN'T stand it's an non-adjustable topping lift, that skinny fraying wire and shackle swinging wildly at head-clobbering height in the kind of weather that will cause it to part. JC 2
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