Sail Care
is proud to offer these innovative rope vangs!
Rope or Soft Vangs come in a variety of
sizes depending on the length of the boat. They are all
pretty much generic in that you have two blocks; one is
attached to the boom and the other is attached to the
base of the mast usually in a 4 to 1 arrangement. The
ideal angle for this is 45 degrees. Note: to get 45
degrees, measure from the bottom of the boom at the mast
to the base of the mast. Measure that same distance from
the mast along the bottom of the boom. That point to the
base of the mast should be 45 degrees.
 Most
rope vang setups have a cam cleat attached to one of the
blocks. The tail of the line would end up passing through
the cam cleat and this is where you would make the adjustment
for the vang and secure the line.
The blocks are best attached to the bottom
of the boom and the base of the mast by a Snap Shackle.
This keeps the blocks securely in place but also allows
you to disconnect the vang at the base of the mast and
reattach it to the toe rail when going down wind. This
acts as a preventer to keep the main from being accidentally
backwinded, causing you make an accidental jibe (which
can cause serious damage).
Rope vangs are a great mainsail trimming
aid. Used in conjunction with the mainsheet system and
the main halyard or cunningham, you should be able to
shape the main to the wind that is available so that you
can get the best performance on all points of sail.
If you like all control lines brought back
to the cockpit, you can accomplish that by using just
two standard blocks, usually fiddle style block, bringing
the tail of the line off the block at the mast, across
the deck to a deck organizer or single cheek block, and
then back to the cockpit where a number of different items
or pieces of hardware can be used to secure it.
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