Hello all,
I'm a lurker on this list as I don't own a Vega. It's on my shortlist of
boats though - and the amount of Vega information freely available on the
Net had a lot to do with that.
As an 'outsider' I have to agree with Chuck that the business of the
Association can not properly be decided on the list.
As to the manual -
If this is the original manual, then it's freely available on the website.
It should continue to be so. As I said above, the availability of the manual
was a factor that attracted me to the Vega. (To be pedantic, the factor was
the content of the manual rather than its availability per se

)
I think that the website should contain free detailed information in order
to attract interest. That would include the original manual, more
photographs and information on the well-known fixable snags such as
mast-step compression and the possible forestay-fitting problem. That sort
of information gave me the confidence to put the Vega on my list.
As it happened, after I found the Vega on the Web, the March 2000 issue of
Sailing Today (a UK mgazine) carried a 6-page review of the Vega, which gave
even more detailed information and compared it very favourably with six
equivalent boats. There's no good reason to hide such information within an
association.
!! The important point to bear in mind is that up to the time that someone
decides - based on available information - that the design and
characteristics of a given boat make it a candidate, the existence of an
association is not really relevant.
The attractions of Association membership would be the ongoing exchanges
with other members and the possibility of bulk buying of gear / kits / plans
specific to the Vega. I know that the UK association has a special deal for
members on replacement engines.
There could be scope for cost savings by organising production runs of items
that would be difficult or expensive to get on a one-off basis. For example,
the issue of fitting self-draining gas lockers comes to mind.
The public site should give an indication of the 'standard' modifications
that have been done, but not necessarily give detailed drawings.As for the possibility of my buying a Vega:
I live on the shores of Cork Harbour in Ireland. There's been a Vega for
sale in a boatyard across the harbour since last year. I wondered if the
price might get keener as the season came to a close.
My usual seat at the dining table in the conservatory has a good view of the
water. Last week, a familiar shape hove into view. Well shiver me timbers!
It had to be THAT Vega. Some swine has grabbed it.

Never mind, there's more about.Brian Walsh
Notes on and links to web resources of interest to people training for the RYA Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper programs, Weather Links, Tides, Cork Harbour, Ireland
www.alia.ie