Gaff vang
Encyclopedia
A gaff vang is a line on a gaff rig
sailboat
used to exert lateral force on the gaff and thus control the shape of the sail. Rarely used now they are commonly shown on old pictures and drawings. Typically separate port and starboard vangs were fitted. The primary purpose of the gaff vang is to reduce the twist in the sail caused by the boom "sagging away to leeward". This sag is the main cause of the gaff rig
's poor performance to windward relative to the Bermuda rig
.
The gaff vang "works well on a ketch or schooner, but is often found to be unleadable on a cutter"
Another use of the gaff vangs was to steady the gaff on a boomless gaff rig like a bawley
when the sail is brailed up.
"A rope or tackle extended from the boom of a fore-and-aft mainsail to a deck fitting of a vessel when running, in order to keep the boom from riding up"
Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...
sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
used to exert lateral force on the gaff and thus control the shape of the sail. Rarely used now they are commonly shown on old pictures and drawings. Typically separate port and starboard vangs were fitted. The primary purpose of the gaff vang is to reduce the twist in the sail caused by the boom "sagging away to leeward". This sag is the main cause of the gaff rig
Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...
's poor performance to windward relative to the Bermuda rig
Bermuda rig
The term Bermuda rig refers to a configuration of mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is also known as a Marconi rig; this is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats...
.
The gaff vang "works well on a ketch or schooner, but is often found to be unleadable on a cutter"
Another use of the gaff vangs was to steady the gaff on a boomless gaff rig like a bawley
Bawley
A Bawley was an English sailing vessel typified by a boomless cutter rig and probably named for having a boiler for cooking shrimp in amidships....
when the sail is brailed up.
"A rope or tackle extended from the boom of a fore-and-aft mainsail to a deck fitting of a vessel when running, in order to keep the boom from riding up"