If anyone has a 356 maybe you can help me here. My boat has a rigid vang. It is a telescoping design. There is no spring or pressurized cylinder or piston within it. It simply is free slide as the boom rises. It is of course anchored with a flange bracket and 2 Allen fasteners to the underside of the boom and pinned at the opposite end at the mast step. And of course there is a block and rope arrangement to release it to permit the boom to lift. I purchased my boat used. Apparently someone has moved the Vang attachment points at the underside of the boom. I see 2 threaded holes in the underside of the boom to accept the Vang flange attachment. However there are witness marks in several other places where someone has moved the attachment points and simply tightened the allens against the boom to hold the Vang in a lower position. So I found that if I move the flange back to the threaded holes -thus raising the boom...then when the main is fully up I have a 1-2 inch fold along the foot where the sail bolt rope slides into the boom. So here is my question; does any 356 sailor have information on how to determine the correct fixed position of the Vang’s attachment to the boom. My apology for such a wordy message here, but thanks for any help. Jim on SamiDog in Mackinaw City, MI
Hunter 356 Vang questionsto slide.
- Thread starter Jimongee
- Start date
No it has the traditional mainsail plan. And I should have stated the Vang in question is a Selden rod kicker. Since I typed my previous message I went on deck and disassembled the rodkicker to be sure there was not an internal spring or failed gas shock. Nada to both. It is simply 2 empty rectangular tubes that freely telescope.
I think you can buy a gas tube for that. It's a bit pricey. It sounds a bit like a PO moved the attachment point on the boom back and forth. Maybe looking for an optimal position. There is some room for variety here. Since the three or four part tackle controls the boom height off the wind, the gas tube would be to hold the boom up without a topping lift. In that case, the correct vang tension is a matter of sail trim (The way it should be). Light tension for light air, medium for medium air, light for breezy conditions. There's more to it but for the B&R rig you can stick to basics.