vang issues...

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS2. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

Moderator: GreenLake

vang issues...

Postby Guest » Mon Jul 12, 1999 12:00 am

We just had a DSII donated to the sailing club here at UVA, and I've taken it out twice now. I've never sailed a DS before, so I don't know how things are supposed to be, but I've already made some improvements on the boat. Now we're trying to figure out what to do w/ the vang.

On our boat, the vang attaches to the mast just above the cabin top. This is not far below the boom, so the result is a very low angle on the vang, which is very ineffective at tightening the leech and bending the lower section of the mast. I want to move the vang down to the mast step on the cabin sole, but the bulkhead is going to interfere when the main is all the way out.

Any suggestions on resolving this?

Thanks,


Mike

Michael Klopf (klopf-at-virginia.edu)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jul 13, 1999 12:00 am

Hi Mike,

Most the guys I race w/ use 6:1 or 8:1 blocks on their boom vang. As you pointed out, the geometry is not ideal, but w/ enough mech advantage the vang will work pretty well. Be sure your anchor points on the boom and mast/cuddy are solid enough. New stainless steel (not aluminum) rivets would be a good idea if your current vang is a 4:1.

If you insist on improving the geometry, you could check to see how high you can raise the boom w/o needing a longer mast. Many DS's have a sliding gooseneck so this is an easy adjustment. If yours is fixed, you'd need to drill some new holes in your mast. This will give you additional headroom in the cabin which may be nice for a sailing school where booms and heads can often meet. Of course, your high wind performance will suffer somewhat from such a change.

Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
DS 11791

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jul 13, 1999 12:00 am

Thanks for the info. We'll have to look into raising the boom. I haven't checked to see if our main is all the way at the top when the wire to rope connection hits the turning block at the base of the mast. Our gooseneck does slide, but w/ the halyard maxed out, it comes all the way down to the stop and that doesn't even pull the luff very tight.


Mike

PS: This is a great forum. We've also had centerboard problems, but there's a wealth of info already posted. Seems to be a common problem.

Michael Klopf (klopf-at-virginia.edu)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jul 13, 1999 12:00 am

Mike,

If you do raise the boom, keep in mind that in order to be class legal for racing, the boom must be no more than 2 feet above the cuddy. I doubt you'd go higher anyway since your mast is probably not tall enough to allow it. In fact, the mast on my boat is so short that it will probably only allow me to raise my boom 18" above the cuddy. A low boom is desirable for racing, but I've often thought it would be nice to be able to raise the boom higher when I have friends out for a leisurely cruise. BTW, my boom is fixed and was set by the factory somewhere around 14"...can't remember exactly.

This reminds me of another point related to this discussion. A good racer in our club told me fixed goosenecks are preferable to sliding goosenecks because the sliding type will slide down some when you tighten the boom vang, thus negating the desired effect--a tighter leech. I don't know how much this movement of the gooseneck could be, but I thought it would probably be fairly negligible if you have a good main halyard and plenty of halyard tension. Maybe some other folks out there have experience or thoughts on this..?

Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
DS 11791 (a Spindrift DS1)

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jul 13, 1999 12:00 am

Mike,

If you do raise the boom, keep in mind that in order to be class legal for racing, the boom must be no more than 2 feet above the cuddy. I doubt you'd go higher anyway since your mast is probably not tall enough to allow it. In fact, the mast on my boat is so short that it will probably only allow me to raise my boom 18" above the cuddy. A low boom is desirable for racing, but I've often thought it would be nice to be able to raise the boom higher when I have friends out for a leisurely cruise. BTW, my boom is fixed and was set by the factory somewhere around 14"...can't remember exactly.

This reminds me of another point related to this discussion. A good racer in our club told me fixed goosenecks are preferable to sliding goosenecks because the sliding type will slide down some when you tighten the boom vang, thus negating the desired effect--a tighter leech. I don't know how much this movement of the gooseneck could be, but I thought it would probably be fairly negligible if you have a good main halyard and plenty of halyard tension. Maybe some other folks out there have experience or thoughts on this..?

Kevin Clark
Dallas, Texas
DS 11791 (a Spindrift DS1)

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Thu Mar 02, 2000 1:00 am

Hi Guys,
I have a boom vang on my boat, but I can't figure out where to connect it. The boom slot is obvious, but I have a step-hinge about two inches above the cuddy and the base of the mast seems improbable. Help?

Jeff (Lakeleach-at-clarityconnect.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Mar 07, 2000 1:00 am

My mast also has the mast hinge just above the cabin but two inches is enough to attach the vang. Mine attaches to something that is riveted to the mast and is right above the hole in the cabin. I think it is called a bale. I haven't seen one exactly like it on the Dwyer homepage but it should be available somewhere.

Mike Hastings (hastingsml-at-aol.com)
Guest
 


Return to Day Sailer II Only

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests