Is a Vang a Good Addition to an Offshore Cruising Boat?

[Andrew Troup]

Boats with no vang whatsoever (neither centreline nor toerail) are prone to rolling when sailing deep angles (broad reaching or running), because the flow across the top panels of the mainsail can easily reverse in a rhythmical way.

Another way of saying this is that the top of the main lies in line with the plane in which the boat rolls, so it does not provide any roll damping.

Because it is so far from the centre of roll, that is the location where damping/stabilising would be most effective.

Furthermore, the sail will 'pant', with the boom rising and falling, the sailcloth chafing on the rigging wires (particularly at the battens), and the changing sailshape accentuating the variable forces, contributing to the rolling.

Does not apply to the OP, who inherited a toe-rail vang, but I thought it worth mentioning for the benefit of those wondering about the question in the title.

[GrowleyMonster]

Another vote for soft vang. If it is in the way, don't use it. Otherwise it is a cheap way to do a lot of stuff, particularly adjusting sail shape and as a preventer. A hard vang can be a PITA, especially on a retrofit.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

...A hard vang can be a PITA, especially on a retrofit.

In what way?

It isn't very fussy work for someone good with his hands. There is a preferred arrangement and installation angle. If an existing fitting is in the way, it must be removed. You have to drill and tap a few holes... If you want to get fancy you can run the control line to the cockpit.

It controls the boom, regardless of setting, and keeps it off your head when you ease the halyard from the cockpit. Not that a topping lift cannot. Unique to the semi-rigid vang is that, at rest, the front of the boom presses UP on the gooseneck, due to the vang being a fulcrum to the boom's weight.

[TeddyDiver]

Dump the boom so you don't need a vang. Needs a bit rerigging thou..