topping lift setup

[D. Fox]

Well, went out for a few hours this afternoon and on the way back in, my topping lift parted. I'd been planning to replace it as it was fairly worn but hadn't gotten around to it. Sooo, I'm looking for advice on how to set up the replacement. My old one was a single line that was tied to the end of the boom, ran up to the masthead and came back down to the boom. It parted at the top of the mast, due to chafe (and old age). Was looking at
some of the other boats in the marina and no two seemed to have the same setup.

Gotta get this done in the next week or two to get ready for the Good Old Boat Regatta. Any inputs are appreciated...thanks,

Dan Fox
'67 B27, #87, "Magpie"

[Tony G]

Dan
Contact Mark at Garhauer Marine and have them shoot you out one of those classy rigid boom vangs like Bill and others have. throw them $200 for a rush charge and you'll still come out $100 saved!
No, I nor any of my family work for Garhauer. I have used some of their products on two of my other boats and I'm a believer.

[Mike Goodwin]

The simple fix is a wire with thimbled eyes on both ends , shackled to the masthead & a single block on the other end , a short line goes from the end of the boom to the block & back down to the boom , where it is cleated off . This whole setup is under $25 .
The wire should be about 2' short of the leech length .

[glissando]

I second that. A broken topping lift is the perfect reason to justify the rigid vang. It makes life much easier, and no more hassles with adjusting the topping lift, flapping lines catching your mainsail leech, too-tight topping lifts scrwing up your sail shape, running forward to adust your rope boom vang (or, even worse, not having a vang to even adjust).

It's $200 very well spent. Join the converts! The handwriting is on the wall...it's a message from above, from a higher being.

Tim

[D. Fox]

Thanks for the responses. A few questions as I think about this -

Mike,

Maybe a dumb question, but what kind of wire should I use? Was looking at BoatUS/West etc. and it wasn't clear to me.

Tim/Tony,

Is the installation of the rigid vang fairly straightforward? What peripheral gear will I need other than the vang itself? Also, can you get them anywhere besides direct from the manufacturer?

Thanks again

Dan

[Bill]

For installation of the rigid vang, see the thread in the technical forum. (You may need to go beyond 30 days in the search window at the bottom of the page.)

[Mike Goodwin]

Dan,
Not a dumb question at all , 7x19 flexable wire available at West or Boat US , I'd use 3/32" although 1/16" is strong enough . 3/32 is about $.70 per foot. The folks at West will help you put the eyes in the ends .

Are you in the DC area ?

Mike

[D. Fox]

Yes, I live in Reston, VA (about 15 miles west of DC). The boat's in Annapolis. I'd love to go with a rigid vang but I don't think I'll have time to get it made up and shipped by Garhauer and then installed. I'll call them tomorrow and see what they say. If that doesn't work out, I'll go with the setup you described.

Gotta get me a bosuns chair.

[glissando]

Dan,

The only extra thing you will need for the Garhauer vang is a cleat for the control line back in the cockpit. (Be sure to get the vang version that is set up for cockpit control...otherwise it will be so inconvenient to use that you won't get the full benefits.) The vang comes with beautiful custom boom and mast brackets, and installation is easy.

Rig up a temporary topping lift and order the vang regardless of how long it takes...you won't be worry.

Tim