[Rhodes22-list] Was Sails Now Boom Vangs

[David Culp]

OK... I will get some good pictures of the parts, the operation and how to
build it.  I have to take the operational pictures out on the water and if
it warms up a little more today, I may do it.

In the meantime, to answer Lee's question:  Yes, it will work on any point
of sail.  Most effective when the boom is swung out over the water to the
farthest point and has its greatest tendency to rise.  The closer the boom
is to the centerline of the boat, the less effective the device is until it
is nil when the boom reaches centerline.  With boom end sheeting and a loose
footed main in the case of the IMF, you would bend the boom before being
able to noticeably tighten the sail when close to the wind.  I use it on all
points of sail other then close-hauled and I have noticed it makes my tales
fly better even on a close reach.  This appears more efficient, but it has
not translated into any performance increases that I can see.  So anytime
the boom is completely over the boat, I don't worry about using it.  Only
when the boom starts rising, do I deploy it depending on conditions; keeping
in mind that sometimes you want some belly in the sail downwind or to spill
some wind in high wind conditions and the boom rising up helps that.

This is not rocket science by any means.  I got the idea from reading about
how some off shore sailors disconnect their boom vangs from the mast base
and attach them to the rail to use as a preventer.  That got me to wondering
if I could build a small boom vang with a purchase, attach it mid-boom on
the Rhodes and then fasten it to the rail in some manner.  The trick was
finding the right rail attach point which would allow enough leverage on the
boom when downwind and still not interfere with the pop top arrangement.  So
I experimented with several positions until I found a good compromise.

To demonstrate the simplicity of it:  Initially, I tied a loop of line
around the boom at about mid point and then treaded the other end through
the forward bimini attachment eye and played with that out on the water....
Hey... it works and I don't have to hold the boom down by hand anymore.

After that, it was just a matter of building something that could be easily
adjusted and quickly released to safely allow a tack or gybe and then able
to quickly attach the device to the other rail for the new point of sail.
 The normal cleat/block combination found on a boom vang and a snap shackle
took care of that.  If you are tacking a lot working upwind, you don't want
to use it.  Requires more effort then it is worth because you must
disconnect it from the windward side and reconnect on the leeward side after
taking up the line that runs out when the boom crosses the boat.  Running
downwind, broad or beam reaching, it's great!

Todd and others:  This is more of a home remedy then an invention.   I know
you are kidding but the idea of patenting or selling anything is the last
thing on my mind.  I am about 100 years too late and the parts are all
available at your favorite boat supply.  My real hope is that someone else
may find it useful and/or improve upon it.  If someone really wanted to
build something unique, they would figure out how to install a boom vang
from ABOVE the boom on the IMF that was adjustable for the different boom
positions.  Sort of along the lines of what the Viper has.  I would be
willing to pay for that.  If the Rhodes was anything other then an
occasional weekend racer, Stan would have probably already figured that one
out.  Those of us who have done a little racing know that 1/2 a knot is huge
when your hull speed is only 6.  That's a 12% increase in speed downwind.
 When just out cruising, if you are trying to cover a longer distance more
efficiently, then you may find this useful and that's my hope.

David


From: r22rumrunner at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Was Sails Now Boom Vangs
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Message-ID: <f71a.4445681d.387e3353 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

David,
Rhodies are always interested in inventions. Any information you want to
share with the list would be greatly appreciated.

Rummy


In a message dated 1/12/2010 3:01:01 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
dculp at hsbtx.com writes:

Since  you guys brought this up and not me.... I will tell you that there is
a way  to have a "boom vang/preventer" type apparatus on the Rhodes 22 that
works  with the pop top up or down and the boom up or down.  I have  been
reluctant to mention it on this forum because it is an  experimental,
personal project.  However, like Mark McQuire I have  decided to "come
clean"
with my Rhodes buds and budettes.   I  built it this last summer for about $
150.00 dollars and have been testing  it since then with good results.  It
is
not a true boom vang, but it  does accomplish the three main things that I
wanted:

1.  Keep  the boom down and parallel to the deck running downwind with a
possible  performance gain.

2.  Prevent an accidental gybe.

3.   Not interfere with the pop top or ingress/egress from the cabin and
works  in either boom position.

An unintended result of having it installed is  my new ability to sail the
boat backwards.  I did this initially to  test
the structural integrity of the setup.  Then it became a  joke.  You get
some
very interesting reactions from power boaters as  you go by them sailing
your
Rhodes backwards.  Perhaps even a few have  given up drinking as a result
.... nah!  Anyway, I was going to video  it and put it up on YouTube. Still
coming, but my videographer who also  participated in some of the testing is
very sick right now and I wanted to  give him a shot a being a part of it.

Issues:

True boom vangs  can be tightened and swing the full 180 degree travel of
the
boom.  My  system has two attach points and the tensioning line must be
released to  run in the blocks in either a tack or gybe and then you have to
move the  snap shackle to the other side and re-tension.  However, it does
a
great job of controlling boom rise working downwind and really the  Rhodes
doesn't need a boom vang except downwind in my opinion.  In  other words,
with a small, end-sheeted main, you really can't depower with  a vang close
to the wind for a noticeable result.  The traveler is  much more effective
in
that regard.

Accidental gybes have been  tested up to wind speeds of approximately 12-13
kts with good results but I  wouldn't go much higher then that.  My target
is
15 kts., but so far  haven't gotten to test in a known steady 15 kt wind.
The perfect system and  there are some on the market, would allow a slow
release of the boom to  gybe the boat.  Otherwise, there are some huge
transitional loads put  on the rig, tensioning lines and hardware of this
system or any system for  that matter.  Accidental gybes in a sailboat are
dangerous and never  good for the rig regardless of what system is in place.
This preventer will  prevent an accidental gybe, but even better, it gives
you more time to  recognize that possibility and recover your course before
it  happens.

Should the normal Rhodes owner run out and put this on his/her  boat?
Leaving it up to you, but most probably don't care.  Would the  manufacturer
of the boat recommend it? Probably not as presently  designed.  Has it
worked
well for me and been convincing to other  sailors who have witnessed its
operation?  Yes!   Could you  hurt yourself or damage your boat with it?
Maybe, if you are not paying  attention and do stupid things in high winds.
Of course, that holds true in  any sailing situation; so it is not
inherently dangerous.

Now the  most important thing:  Did it increase the speed of the boat?
Yes.
My knot-meter tells me about .5 kts in winds 12-13 knots in  relatively
smooth water.

Someone wrote on this forum sometime time  back that when they manually held
their boom down by hand going downwind...  that it was worth about 1/2 a
knot.      $ 150.00 dollars  later, I can confirm that observation as being
pretty much true.   There are a lot of factors that control boat speed and
your results may  vary.

In the final analysis; for most people, there are better ways to  spend your
money for 1/2 a knot.  For instance, a whisker pole for the  Rhodes costs
about $ 150.00 dollars.  If you want real performance  downwind, put a
spinnaker on the boat.  I was more interested in  increasing efficiency with
the sails I have.  I never have a crew and  don't want a spinnaker, so this
is what I did. IT DOES WHAT I WANTED IT TO  DO. Which is my definition of a
successful home project. If others are  interested, post your comments and I
will build a webpage with photos fully  explaining how to build it.  It's
actually fairly simple.  You  will have to decide if it is worth it to you.

David Culp

Date:  Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:09:19 -0800 (PST)
From: Leland  <LKUHN at cnmc.org>
Subject: [Rhodes22-list]  Was Sails Now Boom  Vangs
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Message-ID:  <27128980.post at talk.nabble.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset=us-ascii


Rummy,

Since you brought up the winter  topic and unlike you I won't be able to
sail
until the ice melts, how about  them boom vangs?

Someone on this list has a removable vang that can be  used with the poptop
down but I normally sail with the poptop up and am too  lazy to take a vang
on and off.

I assume there is no practical means  of keeping the boom down when the
poptop is up or Stan would have figured  it out by now.  A reverse rigid
vang-like apparatus installed higher  up on the mast could push the boom
down
but would probably interfere with  the sail.  You could tie the end of the
boom down using strategically  placed cleats but that could involve a lot of
cleats and a safety  issue.  Even less safe would be a bag of weights
hanging
off the end  of the boom--might be exciting during tacks and jibes.

Until someone  comes up with a workable solution I guess I'll just keep
using
Boomer to  hold things down, but my wife doesn't particularly like the title
or the  job.

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island,  MD