Re: P-15 Boom Vang

hlg@pacbell.net
Thu, 2 Sep 1999 23:37:33 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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I also have a low budget vang on my gunter rig, with hardware probably
similar to Dave's. Instead of a ring in the mast end, I have an eyesplice
(I used three-strand line). I bring the eyesplice end around the base of
the mast and push the whole vang assembly through the eye. Existing halyard
and lazy jack fairleads keep the loop from riding up the mast. On the boom
I have an eyestrap that receives a snaphook on the vang.

A powerful vang is not needed. I find it helpful for adjusting sail shape
on all points of sail., but it doesn't require frequent adjustment.

On my lateen rig, I use the Sunfish "vang" - a line that pulls downward on
the gooseneck. It becomes important in strong winds to keep the sail from
billowing excessively.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
gunter or lateen rig
Mountain View, CA

>Since a couple people have asked, here's the "recipe" for my el-cheapo build
>it yourself boom vang.
>
>Shopping list:
>
>15 ft of 1/4" Dacron line
>qty. 1 Harken 244 Fiddle block w/ integral v-cleat West Marine 289975 $17.18
>qty. 1 Harken 235 Single block w/ becket and shackle West M. 253351 $9.39
>
>The above is all you need to make the vang. Attaching it to the mast and boom
>can be done in a number of ways, most of them simpler than what I did. Since
>not a whole lot of force can be put on the slender boom of the P-15, an
>eyestrap on the bottom of the boom and some kind of bale at the bottom of the
>mast, each attached with pop-rivets is likely to be cheap and adequate. Thats
>the way the blocks for the mainsheet are held on and it appears to work fine.
>
>But, since I am a little twisted in the head and didn't want to install
>something where the fasteners are loaded in tension I did something that is
>simple when you look at it, but a little difficult to explain:
>On both the mast and the boom end I threaded a short piece of 3/16" line
>through a stainless steel ring (West Marine 111609 $4.49) and tied the ends
>of the line together so I have a loop of line with a ring on it. Wrapping the
>loop around the spar, pass the ring through the loop -as it is pulled tight
>it grips the spar. To locate the loop on the spar I mounted a little plastic
>fairlead (West Marine 111064 $2.59/pair) on the top (!) of the boom and on
>the forward side of the mast. This way, the stresses caused by the vang are
>distributed over the contact area of the loop of line and the screws (that
>hold the fairleads on) have very little force on them, and all of it in
>shear. I'm not recommending that anyone copy my example, but that's how I did
>it.
>
>The rings are nice for rigging. I used to remove the vang completely and
>therefore had a fast-pin on the boom end and one of those cheap brass snap
>shackles on the mast end. In my quest for ever-shorter rigging time I now
>leave it attached to the boom all the time and store the boom in the cabin.
>
>If anyone wants more details, email me and I'll do my best to explain it
>better.
>
>
>Dave Kautz
>P-15 #1632 Tilly Lucy
>Palo Alto, CA
>