Topping Lift

[Brad Young]

DarBay has a rigid Vang. Is there any  need to keep the Topping lift?
What are the pros and cons?

Thanks
Brad

[Ron Hill]

Brad : I installed a rigid Vang back in 1997? removed the toping lift (no regrets) as I found all it did was rub against the roach of the mainsail.

I've seen articles that state you shouldn't do that, but I have never understood their logic. 
I still have the topping lift in my attic and have no plans to reinstall it.

I'm sure you are going to get all kinds of diverse openions.  Good luck

[tommyt]

I would agree with Ron. I have a Dutchman system which works from the topping lift so I still use it for that. If I ever go to a stack pack it will no longer be needed.

[Craig Illman]

I left a tag line in when I installed my solid vang. I didn't miss the topping lift. I briefly considered a backup main halyard.

[Ron Volk]

Even though I don't like it flopping around, I left it just for an emergency in case anything happens to the main halyard.  Don't know whether that's a concern or not.

[Craig Illman]

My funny little anecdote to the tag line was that Jack Hutteball & I were sailing in some 2-3 knot winds and when down below I heard a hum that I thought was engine noise or something similar from a distant anchored tanker or other watercraft. Only later did I realize that the nylon tag line had shrunk over the winter and turned into a guitar string. It was vibrating in the light air transmitting the harmonics to the port shroud where it was secured.

[Wayne]

I have mine tied off to a shroud . . . just in case I need it for something someday.

[Lance Jones]

Wow. Mine is different than all those others. It is a fixed, shroud/stay type cable with a block on the end. The adjustment line runs from the boom to the block and back to the boom. Would love to replace it with a flag halyard so I can fly BIG Celtic flags off it.

[Ken Juul]

It's much better to run your flag halyard off the backstay.  Put a block about half way up and tie the flag halyard off at some out of the way point in the cockpit.  It will keep the flag from fouling on the main.