SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Is a Vang Really Useful on a mid to Large Boat?

10K views 63 replies 22 participants last post by  WoobaGooba 
#1 ·
I have a vang that I hate and consider virtually worthless. I'm considering removing it and am looking for opinions. I get that on a smaller boat, the vang is very useful to shape the main as the wind increases. But on the configuration shown below with the mid-boom sheeting, I wonder if it is of any use. Upwind, no matter how much tension I put on it (as shown: 4:1, now rigged as 8:1), there is no change. I can get some purchase, but it's minimal - maybe an inch or 2 on an 8:1 rig. The angles are horrendous and I see no realistic way to improve them. So why bother at all? Off the wind, I use a preventer attached to an eye on the outboard genoa track which is very effective at bringing the boom down.

Should I ditch the vang and stay with the preventer? This discussion is not about rigid vangs, it's about whether any vang can effectively shape a mid-size main with mid-boom sheeting.

 
See less See more
1
#43 ·
G9- Unless you have in-mast roller furling, how do you raise a mainsail without at least releasing a vang?
If you do have in-mast roller furling did you ever realize how much strain (accumulated deformation) your putting into that leech every time you 'un-roll' if you dont release that vang?
If you have in-mast roller furling there is a 99% chance that your mainsail is woven dacron which stretches (luff and leech) in direct proportion to wind loading ... youre saying that you dont bother to adjust that elongation caused by wind pressure?
 
#47 ·
topping lift?

you adjust the topping lift on most cruisers to keep weight off the main halyard, when raising...then simply release after raising sail...

topping lifts arent just for keeping the boom up at harbor...they are also a nice safety feature.
 
#52 ·
Yeah, no I don't have mast roller furling, and yeah, that's what I'm saying.

I take it back. There may have been one time. I had a racer on board one time, and he pretty much spent the entire week he was on board with me, continuously pulling and adjusting ever single line on the boat, and then saying something like, "See, that increased our speed by a tenth of a knot."

I threw him overboard and haven't seen him since. :D
 
#62 ·
I take it back. There may have been one time. I had a racer on board one time, and he pretty much spent the entire week he was on board with me, continuously pulling and adjusting ever single line on the boat, and then saying something like, "See, that increased our speed by a tenth of a knot."
I fiddle with the sails. It isn't unusual for me to squeeze half a knot more out of the boat when I come on watch.

Crossing the Atlantic, if I can fill a watch bill with people like me we'll save 4 days on the crossing. Even if you are correct about increasing speed by a tenth of a knot you'll still save a day. It adds up. Sail fast.
 
#63 ·
I fiddle with the sails. It isn't unusual for me to squeeze half a knot more out of the boat when I come on watch.

Crossing the Atlantic, if I can fill a watch bill with people like me we'll save 4 days on the crossing. Even if you are correct about increasing speed by a tenth of a knot you'll still save a day. It adds up. Sail fast.
Agreed. I call it sailing efficiently.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Faster
#49 ·
How do you 'raise' / tension a topping lift without changing the tension or releasing the vang?
How do you put in a reef without releasing a vang? .... as mainsails are not 'cut' with their tack angles at 90° but usually somewhere between 87° - 85°, or less especially if the mast is well raked by 'design'.
 
#51 ·
I dont know...maybe Im not understanding but I can raise a sail or not with or without a vang...

again not all boats have vangs

my h28 didnt...my islander 34 did(basically a 2.1 pulley) that was useless...

you trick either line by fixing it in position first...

for example you set topping lift at said hieght...you can push boom up...then haul down on vang effectively bending boom into position

that way you have a bent boom with pocket...

now you adjust outhaul to create more pocket...then you adjust main halyard tension to creat the perfect wrinkle or not

then you are free to play with downhaul adjustments too

the sky is the limit

on big boats especially cruisers Ill say it again

THEY WANT NONE OF IT!
 
#50 ·
your effectively bending the boom like that...this creates a pocket IF and only IF you have correct outhaul tension or in your case reef points.

on old sails its recomended to not adjust SO much cause you are strecthing and tightening up old fabric and a sail that would otherwise last many years simply cruising in a fixed position will quickly die like this

on new sails its great to slowly adjust and start tweaking your best sail shapes as the new fabric will strecth and conform to your sailing desires

anywhoo

very good point!
 
#55 ·
yup...but a cat 22 isnt the most common cruiser is it? or medium size boat

I agree with you man honestly

I can have it both ways too

relaxed getting into port whenever, sail shapes fixed at a nice midway setting or

tweaking and have fun like I used to in my racing days(btw I like to cruise more than race)

so what Im saying in the end I guess is there is no fixed way of doing things on all boats...

if you have a vang and its installed correctly(a lot arent) then used it and learn how to

if you dont like it sell it

if you have a boat with no vang and a light finicky boom and small ratio main then why not rig one up, tune it and have fun...be safe...

vangs are great when used well

not so and quite dangerous when not...a snapping vang for example can be catastrophic for goosenecks, mast fitting and booms

it happens all the time either by racing aggresively or simply by bad useage


its this that my points were foccused on

peace
 
#61 ·
I think that we're done with this thread. No sniping, gentlemen. Lots of boats in the sea and lots of ways to sail them. Let's leave it at that. :cool:

Thank you for the early replies that were on topic. They were concise and technical and contributed to a decision on my part. I appreciate it.
 
#64 ·
I have a vang that I hate and consider virtually worthless. I'm considering removing it and am looking for opinions. I get that on a smaller boat, the vang is very useful to shape the main as the wind increases. But on the configuration shown below with the mid-boom sheeting, I wonder if it is of any use. Upwind, no matter how much tension I put on it (as shown: 4:1, now rigged as 8:1), there is no change.
Absolutely needed (for your configuration, which is close to mine).

As soon as you ease off below a close reach, the vang is going to control the leach tension. On the wind, the leach tension is the mainsheet's job.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top