Boom Vang

Moderator: GreenLake

Boom Vang

Postby jcalvinmarks » Fri Jun 12, 2009 5:31 am

I'm having some trouble figuring out the boom vang that came with my DSII. After much experimentation, I finally figured out how the line is supposed to go through the blasted thing ...

Image

... so that's pretty well sorted out. And it was pretty clear pretty quick how it attaches to the boom; it's a simple pendant in a buttonhole sort of arrangement:

Image

But I cannot figure how it connects to the mast.

Image

This is a view of the foot of the mast, looking from the starboard side, so the leading edge is towards the top. I know that the cheek block on the side (and there's another one on the other side) are for halyards, which come back to the aft edge of the cabin to two cleats. But how is the vang supposed to attach to the mast? Do I run another line to that cleat that's pictured bolted into the mast track on the aft edge? Why is there another bullet block on the bottom of the vang? Seems reduntant to attach a pulley system to a fixed object with yet another pulley. Am I missing a piece?

I assume that the small bullet block on the leading edge of the mast (it's flipped over to port in the picture) has something to do with a spinnaker (which is my default assumption when I encounter hardware that I can't figure out what it's for), because it would be at a very strange angle to attach to the vang.
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vang

Postby kokko » Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:44 am

Pass a loop of line through the eystrap at the foot of your mast, and connect it to the loop.
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Postby jdubes » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:06 am

Ok, here's how i did it. In your third picture see that little steel eystrap (based on how the picture is orientated) on the top side of your boom. It has two rivets in it. Well based on how your setup, you run lines into that eystrap around the mast to secure the boom vang setup and make it stationary to mast. Think of it as purely a way to connect a line and a block to the base of the mast.

Here are two pictures of a different setup that accomplish the same thing.

http://daysailer.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=541&sid=c99cd2521710d02127e1b337f70e8bfd

http://daysailer.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=539

Your second picture is correct.

Now that you have a place to connect the vang to the base of the mast. A line connection point, along with a new block. Now with your first piture it gets interesting to talk through. Get a line and connect it to the base of the mast. Run that line up into the block on your first picture. Then run that line down to your new block at the base of the mast (connected to the base of the mast). And then out to a cleat.

http://www.daysailer.org/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=718

Let me know if this helps?

J
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Postby jcalvinmarks » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:32 am

If I understand how you're saying, I'm running line from the eyestrap at the base of the mast up to the block in the vang, down to another block (I can just take that one off the front, since I'm not using a spinnaker), and out to a cleat, yes? But then I have two places to adjust the vang; the vang itself (which is 3:1, if I'm counting correctly, right?), and a 2:1 to connect the vang to the mast. Is that necessary? Do I need all that leverage? Can I simplify this by taking the block off the vang and using the shackle that connects it to just tie a line from the vang to the mast eyestrap?
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vang

Postby kokko » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:37 am

Just pass the loop through the eyestrap, around the mast, through the small white block and back to the eyestrap.
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Postby jdubes » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:55 am

jcalvinmarks wrote:Can I simplify this by taking the block off the vang and using the shackle that connects it to just tie a line from the vang to the mast eyestrap?


Sure that would work, it's really up to you. The main point is to get tension down and towards the base of boom via the boom vang.

Bottom line, unless your an avid racer and really into tuning and tweaking and leveraging high-quality components (race sails) on your boat, your probably not going to notice the difference. It sure looks good and important though. :D
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Postby jdubes » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:58 am

jcalvinmarks wrote:If I understand how you're saying, I'm running line from the eyestrap at the base of the mast up to the block in the vang


Think of the eye strap as a way to center the line around the mast. Use the rigidness of the mast as your backer. The eye strap just keeps the line low and close to the base.
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Postby jcalvinmarks » Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:05 am

Okay, I think I understand. I won't be able to go sailing tomorrow, but I think this afternoon I'm going to fully rig the boat in the driveway and experiment with some of these new concepts and discoveries that have come to light since our maiden voyage.

You guys are great!
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boom vang

Postby Jett » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:25 pm

Kokko's recommendation works very well. I used his loop arrangement on the base of my Javelin's mast, which, BTW, had the same pad eye, and identical boom vang rigging, as shown in the (great!) pictures. It worked very well, with the only concern being not to make too big of a knot when tying the loop (it can foul jib sheets when tacking if a big knot is tied right at the pad eye).
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