8:1 Vang/Kicker

You might want to talk with someone at Intensity Sails ( http://www.intensitysails.com/lahudeco.html )...I've found them very helpful.

BTW, I'm curious about the 3:1 vang...do you find it unusable for recreational use? I have the pro model vang/cunningham, which is great for sailing but a little more complicated to rig than my young kids would like to deal with for a short sail. I'm thinking of getting a simple vang for casual use.
 
For 'casual use' the 3:1 vang would be ok. But the pro model would be much better when you need that little bit extra if you are, for example, racing.
 
I don't see what is complicated about the 'pro' model vang? (called turbo kit here in Aus)

You just put the top key fitting into the slot on the boom and you're away...
 
BTW, I'm curious about the 3:1 vang...do you find it unusable for recreational use?

I found it unsuitable for pretty much anything at all besides setting it on shore and forgetting about it. Probably some people have a technique for adjusting them, but I found that to get any sort of decent tension in the vang I had to bodily pull the boom down while I was adjusting it, which can't really be done while sailing. Maybe light adjustments would work, but nothing beyond that.

I bought a few blocks and cobbled together something using the classic 3:1 vang setup as a base... maybe it's 8:1, I don't remember. It is complicated as hell and gets tangled all the time but I am quite sure any sailor, including kids, would prefer it to the classic vang.
 
You might want to talk with someone at Intensity Sails ( http://www.intensitysails.com/lahudeco.html )...I've found them very helpful.

BTW, I'm curious about the 3:1 vang...do you find it unusable for recreational use? I have the pro model vang/cunningham, which is great for sailing but a little more complicated to rig than my young kids would like to deal with for a short sail. I'm thinking of getting a simple vang for casual use.

I did an 8:1 like in the blog at top, added 2 more blocks it gets tangled but I found
it more useful than 3:1.
 
Avoid the 3.1 system. I sailed with that for ages when I first started laser sailing years ago. It is nearly impossible to adjust. You have to be quite strong and master the technique of using your legs on the mainsheet to get any tension added on the water. For your young kids it would be impossible to adjust at all. Much better off using the kicker systems with additional purchases.
 
Use harken 404 instead of 224. that are smaller, higher breaking load and less likely to get jammed with mud/sand.
 
I use the 3:1 vang... but my interests in laser sailing are different than most... SailorChick is exactly right, it's impossible to adjust on the water. I set it and forget it...

My method is that on heavy wind days, I point the bow head to wind, two block the main and then crank the 3-1 vang and tie two half hitches behind the vang block cleat... then I forget about it.

On lighter wind days I just take out the slack and call it good.
 
just wanted to verify on the block to use: harken 404 instead of 224. is the two block setup better than the one block setup? and i know a lot of these threads are old, but a lot of the links are out of date. anyone have an up to date diagram of how to setup an 8:1? thank you!
 
harken 404 instead of 224
Doesn't matter, unless you use 6 mm line (which is good with the old vang cleat). Then the bigger ones run better. They're actually slightly cheaper, too.
anyone have an up to date diagram of how to setup an 8:1?
The least bad picture I found with a quick search of what I understand you want: http://nauticordoba.villacarlospaz.org/LASER/Reglamento/reglas/img/image010.jpeg
The primary line (red in that picture) can be much thinner than the cleating line.
 
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How long do I make the inner (red) line (it is not the control rope, is it?) And to double verify, both boland knots go over the vang tang. and I have 3mm line for this.
 
How long do I make the inner (red) line
2.5 metres should be enough. Rig it so that when the system is just slack, the floating block (one that's attached only to rope) is next to (within a few cm) the vang key block. Then you can cut off any extra rope.
(it is not the control rope, is it?)
Some terminology - the whole thing is called a "control system" and it consists of a primary (non-cleating) and a secondary (cleating) line, both of which are called "control lines". In the picture I linked to, the primary line is red and secondary blue.
And to double verify, both boland knots go over the vang tang.
Actually, I wouldn't recommend it. The system should rotate as a whole, so both lines should really be attached to somewhere above the swivel point. (The picture in question doesn't make that clear.) The neatest way is to thread both through the lower big holes in the block cheeks and tie them to the pin and/or the upper part of the swivel. Also, a bowline may not be the best knot for this because of the limited space.

(I think I'll go the the club and steal, I mean borrow, an old cleat block to test different configurations later :D )
 
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