Rigid Boom Vang

steve stoneback · June 22, 2009, 01:12:54 PM

Hi All,

I received my new rigid boom vang from Garhauer last week and have read many posts on installation....... being they don't come with any directions. I do know how to mount the vang (as low on the mast as possible) and to collapse the vang, hold it to the boom and allow for additional downward travel to tighten the leach.

I still need a couple of hardware items and would like suggestions on where to get them. I saw the picture of Stu's setup with the vang through long bail ,the 3rd from aft end of the boom. Where can I get a longer bail? and how long should it be?

I also need to add a triple deck organizer being I only have a double on both port and starboard. Catalina Direct? Catalina? or other? Last year I put all new ball bearing sheaves in the doubles I have and would like to buy the triple frame and one additional sheave, so if anyone knows where that might be possible that would be great.

Lastly I will be routing the vang line to a swivel Jam cleat with deck mount (25-31)through a new multiple fairlead attached to the underside of the traveler. Those will come from Garhauer.

I am open to suggestions and or comments if I am missing something.

thanks
Steve

karista · June 22, 2009, 02:47:02 PM

Steve
I had similar questions and found that by calling Garhauer (ask for Quido) they told me exactly what I needed to do for the installation. Like you, I had a double organizer, I bought the triple organizer from Garhauer with the ball bearing sheaves. Sold the Double organizer on Ebay. Give them a call, they are most helpful and have more experience with this installation than anyone on this forum!

Stu Jackson · June 22, 2009, 03:35:44 PM

Steve, Garhauer's the place to go. Before you sell your old organizer, you may want to simply consider stacking one new two hole on the existing other -- never know when you'll want to run another line back, like a cunningham if you don't have one yet. They only make a few sized bails in the proper width for our sized booms, so measure your existing ones and get the appropriate larger one. WM or any good chandlery will have them. The WM catalog has the measurements (2008 catalog, page 1238). The swivel cam cleat is a good idea and we use that kind, too - ours is like the Harken model 240, page 1224. It is very helpful to have the swivel when you grab the vang line, 'cuz when you're vanging you're usually sailing hard on the wind and every available access angle helps! (Goin' downwind it doesn't matter...)

steve stoneback · June 22, 2009, 08:05:49 PM

Thanks guys,

I will give Quido a call tomorrow. I also like those swiveling cam cleats. I put 2 of them on the aft cabin top to control the new traveler I installed last year. Stew, If I install the new triple deck organizers and keep the doubles, can I stack a double on top of a triple later if I run additional lines aft?

Steve

Stu Jackson · June 22, 2009, 10:06:39 PM

Yes, the Garhauer bolt holes all line up, since the holes are through the sheave centers. The only issue may be tapping the plate below the raised section supporting the organizers if you haven't used all the holes yet, if you only had twos. Yes, we have twos over threes. It could also be that our "good old boats" all came with threes on both sides for starters anyway.

Kyle Ewing · June 23, 2009, 08:42:21 PM

Steve,

I replaced my double organizer with a triple last weekend. I had to drill and tap 3 new holes to center the organizer on the mounting pad. The original double will fit on a new triple. In my case I stacked the double organizers on the port side.

Kyle Ewing
Donnybrook #1010

steve stoneback · June 24, 2009, 06:42:42 AM

Kyle,

Now you got me thinking...... maybe I will just buy one new triple and stack the double on the other side, I did just put new ball bearing sheaves in them last year.

I don't understand why you had to drill and tap all new holes for the the triple??? If the doubles will stack on the new triples the 2 holes should have lined up.

Steve

steve stoneback · June 24, 2009, 09:09:13 AM

I talked to Quido and he is wondering why I need a longer bail for the forward main sheet boom bail. He even suggested the vang may be to long. Does anyone know the pin to pin or should I say the bolt to bolt measurement with the Garhauer RV 20 -1SL vang? Both a full open and a full closed measurement would help me determine if I have the right vang. Maybe Garhauer can give me those measurements. When I ordered the vang I did tell them I had an 1989 standard rig, wing keel with a keel stepped mast. I would also like to know if anyone has a measurement of the distance from the back of the mast to the vang attachment point on the boom.

Thanks in advance for your help

Steve

Ken Juul · June 24, 2009, 09:58:42 AM

Some pictures in this thread that may be of help.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4992.0.html (Stu's photos)

If you can't find a longer bail, is it possible to do away with the forward block on the boom and run the sheet directly from the lower fiddle block at the traveller to the turning block at the mast base?

Looking in the Garhauer catalog they have 5.5"x3" boom bails.

steve stoneback · June 24, 2009, 12:09:18 PM

Thanks Ken. Those are the pictures of Stu's setup that I was referring to. It looks to me like the bail is at least 8 inches long. The one picture that best shows the long bail also shows the middle main sheet bail which I assume is standard and it's 4 inches long. The way the vang is positioned through the long bail tells me a 5.5 wouldn't' be long enough. The only 8 plus inch long one I can find is 5 3/4 wide.

From what I have read on this board many 34's have been upgraded with the Garhauer rigid vang. I can't be the only one that has had this issue. That's assuming they sent me the right vang. I can't seem to find any other pictures showing the vang attachment to the boom.

Anyone have any ideas? or pictures of the vang / boom attachment?

Steve

Stu Jackson · June 24, 2009, 01:42:20 PM

Quote from: Ken Juul on June 24, 2009, 09:58:42 AM
If you can't find a longer bail, is it possible to do away with the forward block on the boom and run the sheet directly from the lower fiddle block at the traveller to the turning block at the mast base?

Ken, thanks for finding those photos. I went back and looked at my picture and the two things I can think of regarding this suggestion are: 1) could interfere with the dorades (close, but maybe) and 2) would interfere with the saloon hatch, but we never leave that open when sailing or even motoring unless it's really hot or dead calm, but the ferry and tugboat wakes are not worth getting inside our boat. I recall Ron Hill suggesting either that or something like that to reduce friction on the mainsheet some time ago. I did a search for mainsheet/Ron Hill but since he references all his writeups in Mainsheet in so many of his posts, it's nine pages and hard to find anything there without more patience than I have right now. Steve, you could try that route.

Steve, why not call Garhauer and ask Bill or Guido if they have longer bails or can make 'em for you? My PO had all work done by someone else, so i don't know where that one came from, but it must exist somewhere.

Kyle Ewing · June 24, 2009, 03:52:02 PM

Steve,

The holes on the double line up with the triple but on my boat (#1010) the triple organizer would have hung over the base half and inch to an inch and would have created a foot scrape hazard.
I still would have had to drill and tap the third hole so it was just as easy to drill the other two.

Kyle

Stu Jackson · June 24, 2009, 05:22:30 PM

Kyle, that's very interesting. It sounds like when they originally installed the organizers the # of holes depended on whether the owner had ordered a two or three hole unit, and they tapped the holes based on that. I would have thought that they'd tap all the holes for a three banger and then use only two for the shorter one, 'cuz the base is big enough for the three-fer.

Ron Hill · June 24, 2009, 05:49:05 PM

Steve : I wrote up a Ridged Boom Vang installation in the Mainsheet Tech notes (with a picture).

I used the bails that came with the boat. My boat has boom 4 bails, 3 for the mainsheet blocks and one forward for a soft vang toward the mast. It is depicted on page 4.1.7 of your owners manual !!
My rigid boom vang attaches as low as possible (just above an in-mast small bail) on the mast and about half way between the booms' "vang bail and the most forward mainsheet bail".

I also mentioned in that article that the mainsheet line needed to be rerouted from the last boom block (skipping the block below the goose neck) directly to the block at the base of the mast, then on to the turning block.

It's amazing the information that's written up in those old tech notes -- too bad they aren't in WiKi so someone looks at them!!!!

Stu Jackson · June 24, 2009, 07:12:26 PM

Quote from: Ron Hill on June 24, 2009, 05:49:05 PM
It's amazing the information that's written up in those old tech notes -- too bad they aren't in WiKi so someone looks at them!!!!

Ron, you can lead a horse to water...

The Tech Notes Online (TNOs) are available to C34IA members.

For the past few years I have been promising that the Tech Notes from 2003 to the present would be uploaded to the TNOs. Our goal was to improve the old b&w PDF files with full color photos and the original text that may have been edited for space by Mainsheet magazine as finally published.

We want to continue to share the largest amount of information for our C34 owners as we possibly can provide. All in one place, no separate email Lists!

Because of my skiing accident, and my feeble attempts at learning html language and the rest, I have been remiss in fulfilling that promise.

I am pleased to report that our new Commodore Bob Kuba has agreed to perform the services necessary to translate and upload all of that information. This means that we will soon be seeing those TNOs included on the website for C34IA members to access.

OK, OK, the ball's still in my court to get that information from my computer to Bob's, but I'm workin' on it. I promise...

Thanks again for your patience.

And, Ron, even when it's there, from where we're sitting, we can only take pride in the fact that we've made it happen, and that it's available. It makes no sense to b*tch about who reads it or not... You done good! -- For goodness sake, you wrote most of it!