If you are unable to get proper luff tension when raising the main, and you suspect the cause may be the tension on the leach of the sail, then the problem is most likely that you have not loosened the mainsheet (or vang if you have one) sufficiently before raising the sail. The weight of the boom shouldn't be a problem.
As Dennis pointed out, the topping lift causes a lot of wear on the leach of the main. And as Lee pointed out, it's major effect when sailing is to negate any adjustments you do make to the mainsheet and vang, and to screw up tacks in light air. On my 25 (where the end of the boom is only about 2 feet ahead of the backstay) the topping lift spent probably a third of its life wrapped around the backstay and giving me fits. I was really glad to get rid of the verdamte thing. Josh said the topping lift might be useful to let the main twist off when slightly overcanvassed. You can accomplish the same thing by slightly loosening the mainsheet or the vang (if you have one); the pressure of the wind will increase the twist. Conversely, if you want to flatten the leach while not hard on the wind, tightening the mainsheet will pull in on the boom while it pulls down on the leach - which may not be optimal. The vang will control the leach tension independent of boom position, so you can use sheet and traveler to adjust the position of the boom. When reefing, releasing the rigid vang will raise the end of the boom ( and you won't need to stand on the cabin top or side of the cockpit to do the adjustment). And when you are done setting the reef, a pull on the vang will tighten up the leach and adjust the twist of the sail. I have Garhauer rigid vangs on both my boats, and no topping lifts. Main halyard gets attached to the end of the boom and snugged against the vang when the sail is down to stop halyard slap and to keep the boom from rocking side to side. I am a very happy camper. Rick Brass Imzadi C&C 38 mk 2 la Belle Aurore C&C 25 mk1 Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Dr. Mark Bodnar via CnC-List Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 10:44 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Dr. Mark Bodnar <drbod...@accesswave.ca> Subject: Re: Stus-List Rigid vang Realized that I made an error - I was not referring to the leach, I actually meant the luff (sorry - my nautical terms are not. Sail is hard to hoist fully to get the luff tight. Maybe if I raised the boom with the topping lift it would be easier to fully hoist -- which would then mean I would need to go back and loosen the topping lift every time. I'll have to play with it a bit. Same I guess when I reef - raising the boom with the topping lift would make it easier to snug down the reef point. The rigid vang would save the extra step. Thanks for all the info. I'm tempted to go with the Garhauer rigid vang, get rid of my topping lift completely - but I'll need to decide if that makes it to the top of my list or not. Mark There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. - George Santayana On 2015-09-29 7:38 PM, Jeffrey Nelson via CnC-List wrote: I have a Garhauer ridgid vang as well. Love it to death. I eliminated my topping lift all together with it. When I'm at the dock, I take the main halyard off and attach it to where the topping lift used to be to snug up. Keeps halyard from slapping the mast and keeps the rigid vang from making spring noises as the boat bounces a bit. If you keep your topping lift, you need the ability to slack it off quite a bit so your mainsheet can pull down as much as the sail will allow... -- Cheers, Jeff Nelson Muir Caileag C&C 30 Armdale Y.C. Halifax -----Original Message----- From: Dr. Mark Bodnar via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 5:33 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Dr. Mark Bodnar Subject: Stus-List Rigid vang Thinking about projects for the boat. I definitely need a new main sheet system - and expect I'll go with Marek's Garhauer suggestion. But that then raises the idea of a rigid boom vang - If I'm going to buy one in the near future it's better to combine shipping. I'm not racing, and rarely use the existing vang (except for downwind to hold down the boom). Currently boat is set up with a topping lift (which need to be replaced due to wear) I never adjust my topping lift - I have it set so it's slack when the sail is fully hoisted, and then when the sail is dropped it comes taut a few inches lower (maybe that's why I have a hard time getting the leach tight - easier if if I tightened up the topping lift before hoisting?). Any thoughts? I've never used a rigid vang. People happy with them? Given I don't adjust the topping lift I'm not seeing a big time savings - but maybe I should be adjusting it more? Mark There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. - George Santayana _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
_______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
