What does a vang do?
The vang allows vertical adjustment of the boom, and is an extremely important tool to shape the main for speed. Tension the vang to tighten the leech, flatten the sail and bend the mast. Cruisers use the vang to keep the boom from rising when sailing downwind and abraiding the main.
Do I need a boom vang?
No you don’t “need” a boom vang. Well, except to race. And racing it the boom vang will buy you between a nothing and an extra half knot depending.
Why is it called a rigid boom vang?
According to Alexander, “a rigid vang allows you to lift the boom and twist off the sail in light air. This is why most rigid vangs use a spring or compressed-gas system to support the boom. The tackle outside a rigid vang is used to overcome the lifting force generated by the vang and to pull the boom down.
What is a vang on a boat?
A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK) (often shortened to “vang” or “kicker”) is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exert downward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. By controlling leech tension, the boom vang is one way of controlling sail twist.
What does a cunningham do on a sailboat?
The cunningham controls the fore and aft position of draft in the mainsail or genoa and works together with the traveler, mainsheet, outhaul and vang to optimize sail shape and increase boatspeed. Cunningham controls lead to the crew to encourage adjustment as wind speed changes.
What is boom vang system?
A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK) (often shortened to “vang” or “kicker”) is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exert downward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. On small sailboats and some cruising sailboats a vang may be omitted.
How tight should boom vang be?
The golden rule of thumb: Use enough vang to keep the top batten parallel to the boom. If it is too tight, the top telltale will stall. There are a few exceptions however when it comes to boom vang use.
How is the mechanical advantage of a vang system determined?
Mechanical advantage or purchase, how much power a vang system can apply, is created in two ways. Tackle systems multiply power by running line or wire through single, double, triple or fiddle blocks. You can calculate the mechanical advantage of a tackle system by counting its parts.
How many inches does a Vang cylinder take?
2 x 2 x 2 x 4 = 32 to 1. This 32:1 rigid vang system is very powerful but slow. Each inch that the top of the cylinder moves in or out requires 32 inches of line moving through your hand. 8:1 cascade system—mechanical advantage of 2 x 2 x 2 with two “floating blocks”.
What kind of spring does a Vang use?
Rigid vangs, like the Forespar Yacht Rod, provide this support with an internal spring. The Boomkicker is a clever fiberglass spring device that is simple to add to small-boat vangs that use block purchase systems.
What is the Cascade block on a Vang?
Introducing a ‘cascade’ block to the Vang #4 system really boosts the purchase power of this economical vang system. The cascade doubles the purchase to 10:1, whilst insuring friction is kept to a minimum. These days low stretch Spectra, instead of wire is used for the doubling line, avoiding the need for swaging.