Rigid Boom Vang

[Rick Johnson]

I'm installing a Garhauer (sp) rigid boom vang this weekend.  Since there were no instructions and when I asked for some I got a rather short email, does anyone have a picture they could post or send?  It all seems straightforward, but I hate drilling holes in the mast or boom until I'm sure.

[Ron Hill]

Rick : I'm traveling so I can't be of more help, but in 1998/99 I wrote an article about installing the rigid boom vang in the Mainsheet tech notes with a picture. 
If you need more let me know.   

[Jon Schneider]

Rick - I installed a Garhauer rigid vang last year (and love it).  I can probably snap a few low-res shots via my cell phone today if you give me an email address, or you can just call me on my cell at 917-434-4014 (if you're going to send me an email address, text it to me at my cell #). 

Truthfully, it's a pretty simple process.  You want the foot of the vang as low down on the mast as possible. Then, with the vang completely compressed via its blocks, place the head of it against the boom at the lowest point you want the boom to go.  Since the vang has a fair amount of expandability, I would advise you to set the boom's lowest point when the vang is fully-compressed to something less than 90 degrees.  That way you'll have plenty of room to exert downward pressure on the boom if you need to really flatten the sail.  Next, with the foot of the vang securely in place on the mast, drill and tap the middle four holes for the vang's boom fitting.  You want to do just the middle holes first in case you decide you need to move the vang forward or aft on the boom by an inch (thus the middle four holes would become either the aft- or forward-most holes). 

If you're unsure of the placement, you could probably experiment by wrapping the point on the boom where the vang's fitting would connect to it in rubber (for instance, inner-tube lining) and then securing the vang with large hose clamps.  You might be able to sail with the vang thus temporarily secured in a light breeze to see if it meets your needs.  You shouldn't really need to do this though as long as you give the boom a bit of downward mobility off the 90 degree axis from the mast. 

I then ran the vang-haul through my starboard deck organizer (which I upgraded to a four-block unit from the original two-block unit on my 1990 C34) and back to the cockpit through a new four-way fairlead under the traveler that Garhauer made for me.  It all sounds much more complicated that it really is.  Just remember the old saw: measure twice, drill once. 

Good luck.  Feel free to call me.