holt vang question

Krycek

Krycek

Member
So, today I was helping a friend rig her 15:1 Holt vang. I have been sailing the Harken ones since 2001 so never really experienced the Holt vang.

So the question is this: is the line supposed to cross over itself as i comes down from the aft turning blocks? We noticed from the last block back up to the double becket block and then back down to the block to the cleat there was no way to avoid the line crossing. We even looked at the directions that came with the thing and it looked right.

So are we doing something wrong or is this a minor design flaw? I'm inclined to think we are doing something wrong....
 
You just beat me to it on this exact same question. I've bought a second-hand laser with a Holt kicker & I am getting frustrated by this. The main concern is the additional friction when easing in light winds. I've tried re-rigging a few times but always end up with lines crossed. If this is the way it was designed it's a poor show. Does anyone have a photo of one rigged to run "smoothly", or should I prepare to get my cheque book out to but a Harken one? Thanks
 
Someone may correct me - but I think that's the way the holt one is. You always have one line crossed. Our club boats have the holt (cheaper) and it's a bitch to let the kicker off properly in light air. The harken kicker is a slightly different design (bottom turning blocks rotated) so it doesn't suffer from this.
 
It is just the design of the holt one, you will always have ropes crossing and causing friction. Stick with the harken one.
 
I remember looking at the differences between the pictures of the Holt and Harken when I upgraded several years back. The Holt just looked less user friendly.
 
thanks all... it kinda boggles my mind that for 200 USD they couldn't design a vang that was simplier and didn't cross lines. I take it from the other responses the friction does become a problem? Does anyone LIKE the Holt vang?
 
I love the Holt vang. I really enjoy the way the cleat swivels, especially when it is windy.

Yes, there will be one spot where the line will cross itself, but this has never presented itself as a problem.

The stock line that comes with the boat/vang should be replaced. It runs through the blocks terribly. If you replace it with some thin Swiftcord, D12, etc, it will be fine.
 
I use 3mm D12 as the primary and 4mm Dynema Race as the control line - my Laser came with the Holt Vang/kicker, I'm told that it's not quite a durable as the Harken version but it seems to work OK. I've subsequently replaced the other blocks in the kicker with their Harken equivalents - they do run a bit sweeter but they are a bit more expensive.

Nigel
 
Hi.
I use equal lines for my XD Holt Vang like "webmuppet". I run it in ratio 1:12. I have both models (Harken and Holt XDs). Personally I am the opinion, it is not so much more difference between them. In light winds, if I have to push out the boom for downwind sailing, I have by far more more problems with the friction of the mainsheet blocks (I use the 7mm Rooster Polilite), compared to problems of friction of the XD control-systems/XD-Vang. Thanks to those, that decided to change those blocks to ball bearing mounted mainsheet blocks soon.

If one is an economic thinking sailor, it's okay I think, to take the Holt XD basic block instead of the one of Harken. Remember: Rob Scheidt, the King of Lasersailing, did "downgrade" back to the non-Xd "Classic" Holt vang (view the videos of Athens 2004), in reason he thought "to have a much better feeling for the flow of the stress in the sail" he once did explain in an interview ....

Ciao
LooserLu
 
LooserLu said:
I have by far more more problems with the friction of the mainsheet blocks (I use the 7mm Rooster Polilite), compared to problems of friction of the XD control-systems/XD-Vang. Thanks to those, that decided to change those blocks to ball bearing mounted mainsheet blocks soon.
Click to expand...

I've actually swapped my 7mm Polilite for the 6mm version just to lose some of that friction. I'm not a very experienced Laser sailor but I do come from an engineering background hence (to me) it seems sensible to get rid of as much friction in the controls as possible. I generally only sail for fun and only occasionally compete in local club races but I think that I'm going to near the front of the queue (just behind LooserLu ?) to get hold of those new ball-bearing mainsheet blocks

Nigel
 
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