Save-A-Boat - The Forum for Plastic Classic Rebuilds!

I am planning to install a boom vang on my A30. From what I can discern, it never had one installed.
These are my questions.
1. For the boom bail, what is the best installation to prevent a stress riser that can weaken the boom. ie hole in the boom.
2. For the base of the mast, is it best to install a through bolt or thread two machine screws on each side.
3. The gooseneck slides on a track and is held down by a downhaul. Do you foresee pressure from the vang affecting the mainsail luff tension significantly?

Thanks for your input.

Hi Vanguard -

1) My brother is building an airplane of aluminum. Tons of rivets, so tons of holes. After drilling them, the builder has to debur each in order to make them less likely to develop a crack. I figure that if it's a good practice for airplane wings, it should be good for boats, so... It's simple and fast to do. More on that: https://www.kitplanes.com/those-rivet-holes/

Personally I prefer strap bails to single bolts, so the load is spread across multiple fasteners and a larger surface area.

2) At the mast base, do you have room to mount a thru-deck U bolt, with backing plates? Vangs have to pick up a big load.

3) If your sail is in good shape, I don't think the vang will significantly affect your luff tension. You do have the downhaul to fix that if it is the case. If you have or can borrow one of these (below), you can test vang placement before drilling holes in your boom.

HTH!

Thanks CaptK for all that useful information. I appreciate your input.