The Long Tail of a Vang

[paul323]

Hi Folks,

I have recently taken ownership of a Pearson 323 - great boat - and am working through some oddities. One area I wanted sage advice on is the length of spare line required on a vang.

I have a traditional block-and-tackle vang connected to a D-ring on the boom (actually the boom has two apparent securing points, one midway, the other between the gooseneck and the midway point. I use the one closer to the gooseneck, about 1/3rd out).

When the Vang is set up, there is a big coil of unused line on the deck - I estimate over 100'. Even if I moved the vang to the mid-boom position, there is still a huge amount of line loose (well, coiled). I hate cutting line, but it seems to me a spare 5' or so is all I need...apologies if this a a naive idea!...and I don't want to suspend the big coil from the boom because you know how line likes to get loose...

So...cut? Keep the long tail?

[BarryL]

Hello,

Wow, that's a lot of extra line! Do you need new sheets or anything?

Are the lines on the boat led aft? Perhaps the van is supposed to be led aft as well. That may account for another 10, maybe 20' of line, but you still have way too much.

I would cut the extra off and stow it with the rest of the spare line you have.

Barry

[sailortjk1]

It's always nice to have some spare line on board, cut it off so you can actauly make use of it somewhere. As it is now, its not providing any service to you.

[jbondy]

FWIW When we got our 323, there was a block and tackle rig that was used for two purposes. One was as a vang, the other as a preventer. In this second use, the upper end of the vang would be attached close to the end of the boom (maybe for you it was the mid-point attachment) and the lower end was either run forward (to the anchor cleat?) or to a stanchion base. At least, that's how the PO described it. With a purchase of 4:1, you use a lot of line when you use it as a preventer, especially when run forward. Maybe your tackle was used similarly?

What is odd in our rig is that it attached to the boom via a pair of pieces of sheet metal bent to conform to the shape of the boom with the top edges bent to go into the boom track.

We since went with a Garhauer rigid vang and only rarely use this preventer rig.

[sailingdog]

I'd point out that the old owner may have used the extra long line as part of a way of stepping the mast on that boat using an A-frame or gin pole or as a preventer as jbondy points out. Those are about the only reasons I can see having a block and tackle setup with that much length aboard a boat that size.

[SVCarolena]

Maybe for MOB retrieval? (Assuming the rig could be removed from the mast and relocated at the end of the boom?) Seems like stepping a mast on a 32 ft. keel stepped boat would be a little difficult, no matter how much line (unless it was hanging from a crane or bridge).

[svHyLyte]

Don't cut the line. Call the former owner to confirm but I am willing to bet that that vang was used as a preventer to leeward when the yacht was run off. It is an old but reliable methodology. The after fitting was used, generally connected to the toe-rail or a pad-eye on deck, because the boom fitting closer to the mast would have allowed too much moment to develop in the boom in case it was dipped or if the wind got behind the sail when sailing by the lee, which can break the boom. The vang line is led to a turning block aft and then to a lazy winch.

When going up-wind, just make a "rope chain" to use up the excess line (make a round turn in the line, pass a loop through, pull tight, pass a second loop through the first, pull tight etc. etc. etc. Works every time.


FWIW...