Managing rigid vang, mainsheet and traveller

[kawaboy]

Hi all

I would like some advise on how to coordinate these 3 sail controls.

Firstly, I am quite comfortable with using a plain (block and tackle) vang, main sheet and traveller.

Add the rigid vang to the equation and things get a bit confusing to me, especially when on the wind.

Assume close hauled situation, steady 20kts...

How do the rigid vang and mainsheet interact? Am I correct in thinking that they have to be operated in unison? HAul in the main...lower the vang? and vice versa?

My vang is operated by a jackscrew arrangement with a wheel that needs to be turned at the vang itself.

Thanks

Joe

[billknny]

Originally Posted by kawaboy

Hi all

I would like some advise on how to coordinate these 3 sail controls.

Firstly, I am quite comfortable with using a plain (block and tackle) vang, main sheet and traveller.

Add the rigid vang to the equation and things get a bit confusing to me, especially when on the wind.

Assume close hauled situation, steady 20kts...

How do the rigid vang and mainsheet interact? Am I correct in thinking that they have to be operated in unison? HAul in the main...lower the vang? and vice versa?

My vang is operated by a jackscrew arrangement with a wheel that needs to be turned at the vang itself.

Thanks

Joe

A truly rigid vang is a real hassle sailing hard on the wind, in fact it is a really quite a dumb design.

When you are close hauled you want to use the traveller to set the angle of the boom to the wind, and the mainsheet to set the boom's height, and hence the twist in the sail.

When you are off the wind, the vang is used to set the height of the boom and the mainsheet is used to adjust the angle.

It is a little bit more complex than that, but that is the general idea.

When close hauled, the only way you have to adjust the twist it to run forward to the mast, change the vang setting and then run back and adjust the sheet, and hope you have them right.

I'd throw it away myself and go to a standard setup, which is standard for a reason...

[roverhi]

The vang controls twist in the main by keeping the boom from rising. When the traveller cars are directly below the boom, the traveller does the same thing. As the wind pipes up it takes more tension on the mainsheet/vang to control twist and flatten the sail. A rigid vang becomes a problem because you may want to pull the boom down against the force of the rigid vang which is trying to maintain a fixed boom position. More than one boom has been bent because the mainsheet tension was pulling against the

A properly designed rigid vang will have a spring the allows you to pull the boom down tightening the leech with the mainsheet/traveller without bending the boom. The spring will hold the boom up in lieu of a topping lift when the sail is flaked

As the boom moves beyond the range of as you sail off the wind the vang controls vertical tension on the luff and the mainsheet controls horizontal positioning of the boom.

[kawaboy]

Originally Posted by roverhi

A rigid vang becomes a problem because you may want to pull the boom down against the force of the rigid vang which is trying to maintain a fixed boom position. More than one boom has been bent because the mainsheet tension was pulling against the vang

This situation is what prompted my question. I was sailing close hauled with a crewman who thought that "we're on the wind...sheet the main in tight". He didnt know about the rigid vang and the boom was like a banana! Lucky we caught it before any damage was done.


Ill seriously consider replacing it with one with the spring. Any recommendations? Boom is 15ft long.



Might be able to mod the rigid vang it as an adjustable backstay.


Thanks.

[bongo]

When we redesigned our rig, we opted for a Selden Rodkicker rigid vang with a Gas Spring. Love it. No topping lift, easy to reef, no damage to the boom... rodkicker rigid vang : Seldén Mast AB

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by bongo

When we redesigned our rig, we opted for a Selden Rodkicker rigid vang with a Gas Spring. Love it. No topping lift, easy to reef, no damage to the boom... rodkicker rigid vang : Seldén Mast AB

I also have this vang, and it works very well for us.

Solid vangs are great, but they really need gas springs in them.

[inspectr]

+1 for the Selden Gas strut vang.
The solid vang sounds like a hassle, I'd consider getting rid of it and using a conventional block and tackle vang run back to a jammer accessible in the cockpit

[markpierce]

We had a boomvang made of rope and block connecting mast base to mid-boom in the 1960s. Never saw the need to adjust, starting from a tight connection during many races.

[kawaboy]

Thanks for your replies, gentlemen


Ill try working with a soft vang and topping lift and see how that goes. My main concern are the solar panels. When pulled down, the boom just clears them.



Ill just have to make sure topping lift is set properly.


Ill look at the Selden product for later.



Thanks again.


Joe