Boom vang installation and introduction

[Truchero]

Hi all, I’m new to this forum (first post but browse a lot) and sailing. I started sailing a few years back on a 17ft Seaward Fox, and then transitioned to a Pearson Renegade 27 (Soleá) last year. I bought Solea (then named “the Avenger(s)”) at a boatyard in December 2020 and after 4 months of extensive repairs, I put it in a slip in Pass Christian, MS. We explored, fished and camped out on the barrier islands last summer and fall. The boat also survived our first hurricane together. I’m slowly learning the lines and making repairs and improvements along the way.

Question/opinion request:

The boom is 12ft long. It has a mains sheet on its end. It does not have a boom vang installed.

I serendipitously got ahold of the pictured main sheet vang.

Could I use it as boom vang? Things to note. The boat did not come with a main sail, I bought a used one that came off a Herreshoff 28. The sail fits, but barely, this means that I cannot lift the boom any higher when it’s fully up. In fact, I had to remove the halyard shackle to get that last inch to fully stretch the sail.

Would it be worth it? Is the current eyelet on the mast be strong enough? Would it work fine in conjunction with my current mainsheet? I plan on upgrading the mainsheet to a track system, but I don’t want to get too carried away just yet.

I’m looking forward to your opinions, thank you!!

[Gary Mc]

Yes that main sheet arrangement would work well for a vang and yes the eyelet on the mast base looks like it would be strong enough to take the vang loads. Cannot see what you are attaching to on the boom but if that is adequate then you should be fine.
A vang will be a big help controlling the main, especially considering the type of mainsheet arrangement that you have.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Truchero

Question/opinion request:

The boom is 12ft long. It has a mains sheet on its end. It does not have a boom vang installed.

I serendipitously got ahold of the pictured main sheet vang.

Could I use it as boom vang?

[1] You've a traditional long M mainsheet. I do not know a better technical name. The M represents the form it takes.

The long M mainsheet gives quite a bit of control, but not as direct and simple as a traveller.

[2] You've a traditional 'handy billy' as a vang.

Let's consider the limitations of a mainsheet, whether a long M mainsheet or a mainsheet with traveller. On broad reach, once your boom is outboard (i.e. outboard of directly above either the limit of a traveller or the outboard block of the long M mainsheet), you cannot tension the mainsail leech.

A vang, including a traditional handy bill vang is one way of doing that. But not if the vang is made to a cleat at the base of the mast.

I'd suggest you consider other attachment points for your handy billy vang. A chainplate might be just peachy.

If you don't have a bail on your boom, I'd suggest you consider making a strop, made around the boom, as the attachment point on the boom. A strop, unlike adding a bail, allows you to change position (until you find the optimum one) and does not weaken the structure of the bail.

Using an attachment point such as a chainplate, allows you to use the vang to tension the leech of the mainsail when the boom is outboard of your cockpit.

And you get the benefit of your vang becoming a preventer-vang, giving you a modicum of gybe prevention. I hasten to add that such a preventer-vang is not suitable for blue water preventer work. But likely good enough for coastal sailing.

Just be aware of the risks - make sure you can release that handy billy vang so the end of your boom is not held submerged when heeled.

Many of the handy billy vangs come with a cam cleat at one end, so the tension in the handy billy can be quickly released. Some argue that you should mount that cam cleat end at the boom and not at deck level, so you can quickly flick the free end out of the cam cleat and release tension fast.

[Spot]

Is this 'boom vang' (the c-shaped piece) anything useful or should one just go with a bail on the boom?


https://www.nandjmarine.com/store/pr...tail/boom-vang

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Spot

Is this 'boom vang' (the c-shaped piece) anything useful or should one just go with a bail on the boom?

The C-shaped device may be quite something. Like a strop, it has the advantage that you can by trial and error work out where best to attach your vang to the boom. Like a strop (and unlike a bail) it does not weaken the boom.

And unlike a strop, the C-shaped device likely releases the boom when subject to very high forces. That might be a good thing. Or not.

A length of webbing to make yourself a strop does not cost US$80.

Drop by your local auto wreckers to buy a car seat belt. If you carry a cutting device, you can find seat belt webbing at any car parking lot near you.

Your local chandlery/marine supply store might have a car park (or inside the store they might sell webbing by whatever lineal measure unit is fashionable in your jurisdiction).

[Truchero]

Alan! Thank you! this is very informative. I'll definitely use the strap idea and consider attaching the boom vang on a chainplate to act as a preventer. Should be easy enough! I'll keep the clam cleat on the boom side for a quick release as suggested. Though I think that I'll also attach it to the boom to use it in other points of sail (is a boom vang useful in other points of sail?). I read that the optimal angle when installed at the base of the mast is between 35 and 40 degrees. Would you agree? Thanks again.

Also, I saw c-clamp idea posted above, I was thinking of something like this wrapped a couple of times around the boom: https://www.harborfreight.com/3333-l...ngs-57271.html

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Truchero

Would it be worth it? Is the current eyelet on the mast be strong enough? Would it work fine in conjunction with my current mainsheet? I plan on upgrading the mainsheet to a track system, but I don’t want to get too carried away just yet.

A traveller system for a mainsheet does have massive advantages, providing a simple way to maintain leech tension in the mainsail. Of course, to establish a traveller system you face costs - buying and installing the traveller for one, and having the traveller equipment permanently on your deck.

Some have argued that having two 'handy billy'-style vangs, made to the boom and to somewhere on the deck such as a shroud chainplate or a point on a toe-rail, is as good or perhaps even superior to a traveller system.

One of the better expositions of the two vang arrangement was by Jerry Powlas, skipper of a C&C 30, and published in one of the very early issues of Good Old Boat in 1998.

Should you be interested, I'd suggest pointing your browser to:

http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_se...angprevent.php

[stormalong]

Ahhhh the memories. I was half owner of a Renegade for ten years. Yours looks like an inboard version. Is it? Mine had a large cutout at the back end of the cockpit for access to the outboard controls.

That yellow C shaped piece was a very common way to attach a vang to the boom. The main had a bolt rope along the foot so no way to do a strap.

I had replaced the three point mainsheet with a traveler. Be aware that the bolts for the cleat and the eyes may not be accessible from inside the lazarette. IIRC I had to cut them off flush and covered the area with a plastic strip to hide the old bolts. That was a long time ago, mid '70s to mid '80s. I had no fiber glassing skills back then and the easiest, cheapest solution was a plastic strip, probably still is. You may have issues with through bolting a traveler. Again IIRC there is a bulkhead or beam right where you will want to attach the traveler track.

Back then rigid boon vangs were new or unheard of. You might consider a rigid vang and forget about the mainsheet traveler. If you do a rigid vang would I suggest a reinforcement inside the mast at the attachment point. Get someone the bend a piece of 1/4 inch aluminum sheet to fit the contour of the inside of the mast and through bolt it to the vang attachment.

With a rigid vang you can eliminate the topping lift. It was always annoying. Either it was chafing the leach or we would disconnect it, tie it off to the backstay and often forgot to re-attach it before dropping the main.

That was a fun boat for Lake Michigan. We took it from Chicago to Mackinack and back a couple of times. That boat was far superior to the Pearson 26 that replaced it. The 26 sold like hotcakes but was not as well built as the Renegade.

[Truchero]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Should you be interested, I'd suggest pointing your browser to:

http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_se...angprevent.php

I read over the article, it's very interesting. For now, I want to keep things simple. I need to learn a lot before I can even think about such modifications. I'm going to add the boom vang since I have everything there, but I'll keep the M mainsheet configuration for the time being, since even if I had an upgraded system, I probably would't take advantage of it!

[Truchero]

Originally Posted by stormalong

I had replaced the three point mainsheet with a traveler. Be aware that the bolts for the cleat and the eyes may not be accessible from inside the lazarette.
...

Back then rigid boon vangs were new or unheard of. You might consider a rigid vang and forget about the mainsheet traveler.

...

That was a fun boat for Lake Michigan. We took it from Chicago to Mackinack and back a couple of times. That boat was far superior to the Pearson 26 that replaced it. The 26 sold like hotcakes but was not as well built as the Renegade.

It has an A4 inboard engine, it's a bit of a frankenstein creation, but runs amazingly well. That means I have full access into the lazarette, and all through hole bolts. In fact I pulled up the whole back section (as well as most of the deck) and replaced the rotten balsa core sections with coosa board. But for now, I'm not going to make any modifications to the M configuration until I actually learn how to sail better. I also like the the backstay, since I can raise the boom above our tall bimini that we use at anchor. I may be able to do that with the rigid vang as well, but too many unknowns for now. I'm also in the process of varnishing all the wood, modifying the interior, and so many little projects that consume most of my free time.

I love to hear stories about other people's experiences on the Renegade since there is not much info out there about them. Thanks again, -Ben

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by Spot

Is this 'boom vang' (the c-shaped piece) anything useful or should one just go with a bail on the boom?


https://www.nandjmarine.com/store/pr...tail/boom-vang

That C shaped piece is the same as a Bail. It is designed for a very old Roller Reefing system, where you reduced sail area by rolling it around the boom, thus the Vang needed to have those rollers at the end so the boom and sail could rotate within it.

[Spot]

Thanks Djarraluda.
My boat has a roller boom but it is not set up well to be deployed. Something like this might not be a bad accessory for me to have. Would skateboard wheels work?

[davil]

Originally Posted by Truchero

Alan! Thank you! this is very informative. I'll definitely use the strap idea and consider attaching the boom vang on a chainplate to act as a preventer. Should be easy enough! I'll keep the clam cleat on the boom side for a quick release as suggested. Though I think that I'll also attach it to the boom to use it in other points of sail (is a boom vang useful in other points of sail?). I read that the optimal angle when installed at the base of the mast is between 35 and 40 degrees. Would you agree? Thanks again.

Also, I saw c-clamp idea posted above, I was thinking of something like this wrapped a couple of times around the boom: https://www.harborfreight.com/3333-l...ngs-57271.html

==================================
that set up is exactly same as I have, except I used a couple of very beefy stainless rings sewn.
For the cost at HF is a cheap way to see how it works ,if you like it, can then replace it, the fittings used more likely will rust.
Another inexpensive way to play with is to roll any line several times around the boom, knot a couple of bowlines, or just leave enough room on the turns and hook the vang on it.
For the purpose of exploring, will be fine. Not a permanent set.
Just thought.