What's with the boom vang?

[Crikey]

That's very strange.... I was ordering some mod parts from BWY earlier this spring and was told exactly the same thing by a salesgirl. Because of that I omitted it from my order and was both dissapointed and puzzled by many other users reporting in their Mac's. My reason was also primarily to avoid installing a topping lift.
Dowsar Yachts, nearby in our area, has the M version fairly reasonably priced and I'm now going to get one from them instead of paying UPS their big duty tax grab. Question: how much is stowing the mast with the boom attached affected by one of these installations?

Ross

[mastreb]

That's very strange.... I was ordering some mod parts from BWY earlier this spring and was told exactly the same thing by a salesgirl. Because of that I omitted it from my order and was both dissapointed and puzzled by many other users reporting in their Mac's. My reason was also primarily to avoid installing a topping lift.
Dowsar Yachts, nearby in our area, has the M version fairly reasonably priced and I'm now going to get one from them instead of paying UPS their big duty tax grab. Question: how much is stowing the mast with the boom attached affected by one of these installations?

Ross

Stowing is not an issue, but then I stow differently than most people. Firstly, the kicker slides out of mounted boom slide simply by pulling the boom up or (when disconnected) aft. The kicker itself is not affixed to the boom. If you wanted to leave the boom kicker flopping about on deck or tied to your mast while trailering you could.

I stow the boom by disconnecting the mainsheet at the deck, the vang at the deck, and the boomkicker at the mast. I put the mainsheet sail bag on upside down (fasteners up) with the mainsheet, vang, and kicker all thrown in the "bottom" of the bag and then wrap the boom and mainsail with the bag. Last thing I do is disconnect the gooseneck at the boom pivot with a quickpin, leaving the gooseneck entirely on the mast. I do this because disassembling the gooseneck has twice resulted in my dropping hardware into the deep because of all the fiddly bits.

This leaves everything connected to the boom and in a nice tidy bag that I can drop on the cabin sole where it fits without moving at all, including the very long mainsheet and vang sheet. Re-installing is the opposite process. Easy peasy lemon breezy.

Matt

[Crikey]

Thanks Matt! Have yet to get a sailcover for the boom and may end up fabricating one like Sumner to work with the lazy jacks I installed but can't currently use because of the lack of kicker. At least that part will be rectified soon.

R

[Highlander]

Ross

doe's this help
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=689

J

[Crikey]

Thanks for that! I'm more inclined to do the adjustment with another line (yet!) led directly back to the cockpit as I think I would lose the ability otherwise on a run or broad reach. I don't have sail lugs yet but I think I will have to end up there soon in order to have single or dual line reefing that works properly without jamming in the rope slot. I'm relieved to know that the kicker can assist with relinquishing pressure off the sail for this purpose.

Georgian Bay - very nice! Was in Massassauga this July, and hope to run the North Channel next year. Perhaps we'll run into each other some day

So much to do, so little time!

Cheers .... Ross

[Phil M]

I stow the boom by disconnecting the mainsheet at the deck, the vang at the deck, and the boomkicker at the mast. I put the mainsheet sail bag on upside down (fasteners up) with the mainsheet, vang, and kicker all thrown in the "bottom" of the bag and then wrap the boom and mainsail with the bag. Last thing I do is disconnect the gooseneck at the boom pivot with a quickpin, leaving the gooseneck entirely on the mast. I do this because disassembling the gooseneck has twice resulted in my dropping hardware into the deep because of all the fiddly bits.

This leaves everything connected to the boom and in a nice tidy bag that I can drop on the cabin sole where it fits without moving at all, including the very long mainsheet and vang sheet. Re-installing is the opposite process. Easy peasy lemon breezy.
Matt

By mainsheet sail bag, you must be referring to a main sail cover. My main sail bag is about 20" X 24". I rarely used a main sail cover in my other Macgregor, so in my 26M, I never ordered one.
How exactly do you wrap the main with the boom? Roll it? Stuff it in? Use two people and layer it in? That might be an idea worth exploring for me, as it might save some setup and take-down time.

And, I agree, BWY is mistaken about boom-kickers preventing mast rotation. Also, my boomkicker is easily installed and then stowed away by using a quick pin.

Phil M

[mastreb]

By mainsheet sail bag, you must be referring to a main sail cover. My main sail bag is about 20" X 24". I rarely used a main sail cover in my other Macgregor, so in my 26M, I never ordered one.
How exactly do you wrap the main with the boom? Roll it? Stuff it in? Use two people and layer it in?

Phil M

Correct, I am talking about the main sail cover. I first lay out the main sail cover on deck below the boom. As I lower the mainsail, I fold it side-to-side at the mast by pulling the boltrope down about 12" below the boom and then pulling down the other side, back and forth. This flakes the sail over the boom pretty well. I just let the clew end fall where it falls. When fully down, I tie the main down at three points with ribbons, and then disconnect the mainsheet and vang at the deck and toss them onto the cover. Then I disconnect the boomkicker and fasten the cover along the top of the boom. Once it's all tidy, I disconnect the gooseneck and pull the mast side of the cover around the front and fasten some of those, using the cover ties to tie the remaining mast cover over the top of the cover.

Only takes one person. It's actually more complicated to write about than to do. It's pretty simple and makes handling the mainsail and boom setup simple.

[vizwhiz]

a little video of this upside-down-mainsail-cover-boom-removal procedure perhaps???

[Phil M]

a little video of this upside-down-mainsail-cover-boom-removal procedure perhaps???

I like videos, but they are hard to watch. The camera tends to jump around with way too much movement. The audio of the expert being filmed is often poor, yet the camera operator's voice, the non-expert, is blaring.

Videos are a great idea in theory, just very hard to do a decent job of it.

Phil M

[mastreb]

a little video of this upside-down-mainsail-cover-boom-removal procedure perhaps???

Well, sure I'll make a video of it on Sunday, but it really is quite simple: Just put the mainsail cover on upside down and not fastened around the mast, after having thrown the mainsheet, vang, and boomkicker in the bottom of the cover. Super simple.

[mastreb]

So I've found an even easier way to manage the boom kicker. Once I've got the mainsail flaked onto the boom, the vang and the main sheet detached and tossed onto the upside down cover, and the cover on the boom, I disconnect the boom wire hitch pin at the gooseneck leaving the gooseneck assembly on the mast and slide the boom assembly off the boom kicker (they are made to slide off the boom). Then rather than disconnecting the boom kicker and tossing it in the bag as I used to do, I now just fold the boom kicker up and lock it behind the gooseneck with the main sale foot ring pin. It remains on the mast foot, locked in place. Much easier than removing a ringing and clevis.

[ronacarme]

The stock X has no traveler, so the tightened vang is useful to maintain mainsail effective area and prevent excessive lifting of the aft end of the boom when the mainsheet is let out for broad reaching or running. It would also reduce the length of path of the aft end of the boom end, and so might reduce boom end velocity somewhat, in a accidental jibe (no preventer having been fitted), a safety issue.
Thus, the vang has non-racing utility.
Ron