So the idea is to keep the boom level when it's not at the centerline (I'm assuming that when it's sheeted to the center, it's held right where it should be), for better sail shape?
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: ">Mboats<" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 9:39 PM Subject: Boom Vang > Does the vang also protect you from overloading the central bail, mainsheet, > blocks, cleats, etc.? Certainly the vang can take some of the load off the rest of the system, but it can also introduce higher loads than would otherwise be experienced because it is attached closer to the gooseneck. The fact that the vang pulls on the boom at and angle means that much of the force in the vang goes to simply introducing unwanted forces in the gooseneck. Proper design/selection of the system means that those unwanted forces do no harm. In school the sailing club had a fleet of 470's and one day another guy and myself were out having fun on a blustery fall day when all of a sudden there was a loud crack! almost like a gunshot. The gooseneck had failed and the boom shot forward a good 18". Fortunately the sail was not torn. We hobbled back to the dock. Another advantage of a vang on a 17 is that in preventing the boom from lifting it also prevents it from catching on the backstay during a [less-than-perfectly-executed] gybe. (It's happened to me on vangless Busca). Tod ----- Original Message ----- From: "Morris, Giles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 12:31 PM Subject: Boom Bale >At the risk of betraying myself to the group as a hopeless neophyte Nothing wrong with not knowing. We were all born neophytes, and I hope that there's always something for me to be a neophyte at. A boom bail is a metal strap in a U or V shape whose ends are attached to the sides of the boom (through-bolt, drill/tap/machine screw/Pop-rivet -- you name it). The idea is that something is attached to it -- probably the mainsheet block or the boom vang. In other words it's just a convenient way to attach a line to the boom. If I remember correctly the M-15 boom has a cast aluminum fitting at the end with a hole in it for attaching the mainsheet block, so you would only need one for attaching a boom vang. Just in case: A vang is a line that runs between the base of the mast and somewhere along the boom whose function is to pull the boom down -- keeps the sail flatter when the mainsheet is out. Giles Morris Arlington VA Montgomery 15 "Umiaq" Vancouver 25 "Dolphin" Miscellaneous small craft _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
