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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.
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?
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 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.
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.
Also find if you release vang and tighten topping lift before reefing you get a better shape. With single line reefing for first two reefs get different shape depending on how much pull in toppling is applied and how much it's eased after reef.
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'.
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
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.
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