this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2025
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Sailing

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Spending my evening trying to identify a seemingly obscure piece of boom shackle tackle. (infosec.pub)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by kboyd@phpc.social to c/sailing@lemmy.world
12 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Spending my evening trying to identify a seemingly obscure piece of boom shackle tackle.

Or, more specifically, a boom vang that seems to have a harness that goes around the boom, instead of a bracket that attaches to the boom.

Can't seem to find the right words to describe it ... but the existing one is fraying & could fail.

#sailing @sailing

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[–] ghost_towels@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My guess is they did that so they wouldn’t have to drill through the boom. Might not of had a vang to begin with. Go to your local sailmakers and they can sew you up a new one.

[–] kboyd@phpc.social 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

@ghost_towels Thanks, good tip. I've got a sailmaker contact that can probably help.

Any idea what I can call it? My searches haven't turned up anything ready-made online. The webbing/straps go up to a metal plate (bridle? saddle? shoe? cuff?) on the top side of the boom, through strap slots, in order to apply evenly-distributed downward force. It looks like it should be some kind of kit, but no dice with DuckDuckGo and google.

[–] ghost_towels@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago

No idea, a vang bridle maybe? Interesting that it has a metal plate for the top, that seems specifically made for this then, so you’d think it would have a name.

[–] kboyd@phpc.social 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Okay, I've got some more photos of the boom vang attachment. Looks like the foot of the sail is fitted into a track on the boom, and the vang strap goes through special slotted clips on each side of the sail track in order to connect. Weird! What is this setup called? Can someone in #yyj #victoriaBC safely replace the strap for me until we can attach a proper vang mount point? #sailing @sailing

A metal clip fitted between the boom and the sail, with a blue mesh strap fed through two slots. The frayed end of the strap can be seen near the bottom. The same style of clip on the opposite side of the boom. A view from below, looking up, showing how the blue strap feeds underneath the boom between the two clips. A second view of the "healthy" side, showing that this is the only side sufficiently attached to the vang. Not safe; other side should also be attached.

[–] Amgine@mamot.fr 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

@kboyd @sailing

For rigging, try attaching the loop to the purchase, then lead the strap up and out the *top* slot, back in through the *bottom* slot, then the other side however feels comfortable for you. This should result in the lead to the purchase being more-centred, resulting in less twist to the boom.

As the last image suggests, the strap should be kept as short as possible. This gives the largest range for the purchase to tension.

Ask me about your purchase later..

[–] kboyd@phpc.social 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

@Amgine @sailing the thing is, I think the strap is supposed to be a contained loop. I don't think there's supposed to be a dangling piece; as far as I can tell from looking at it, it was sewn into place in the current form, and then the strap snapped off at a later point in time. Maybe I'm wrong? But the dangling bit doesn't feel right.

[–] Amgine@mamot.fr 1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

@kboyd @sailing

Okay, that would be weird, but I can see someone doing it. Do those two pieces of stainless just hook into the boltrope slot? If so, then yes, I think you are correct.

[–] kboyd@phpc.social 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

@Amgine @sailing It seems they do, yes. In hindsight I should have tried to see if they were easy to unclip. (That would be my expectation, and would simplify repairs if so.)

[–] Amgine@mamot.fr 1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

@kboyd @sailing

That will certainly make it easier to repair, or remove, if it works that way. Another way it may work is as a sort of shim, sliding into the bolt rope slot and with thinned edges - but that will likely require removing the boom from the gooseneck to remove it.

[–] kboyd@phpc.social 1 points 3 months ago

@Amgine @sailing uh oh. That would be "cut the strap and screw a proper bail or weld an attachment point in its place" territory, IMHO.

[–] Amgine@mamot.fr 1 points 3 months ago

@kboyd @sailing

Now I am super curious, but I am on the mainland at the moment so I cannot drive down to see it...