Capt. Mooron wrote:
Yup.... and no way it would hold the boom so I could hoist the auxiliary out
of the engine room with one!

For that you need a topping lift..

In that case, the solid vangs you've seen (and/or the booms) were sadly
lacking.

If it won't hold up a piddly little outboard motor, how is it going to
hold the force of the whole boat driving the boom tip into wave crests,
or any of the other things that can be expected to happen when you
*really* sail, occasionally in hard conditions?

I think you're forming your opinion based on incomplete data.

A *real* solid vang (and boom) will fulfill all the functions of a
topping lift, except as an emergency backstay replacement. I've seen a
lot that wouldn't, but I don't like them either.

It's sort of like a centerboard one-design that won't plane... what's
the point?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King