When I ordered the vang, Garhauer offered to make the spring a bit stronger than normal at no additional cost since the Pearson's have slightly oversized spars. I had to trace the profile of the mast and boom so the fittings could be made to fit properly. I used a piece of solder that I bent to fit and traced to paper, which I then faxed to Garhauer. If I had known the manufacturers of the spars, I wouldn't have had to do this. Pokey has 22 inches from the top of the mast boot to the gooseneck, which Garhauer said was sufficient.

The installation couldn't have been easier - tap 14 holes, 8 on the mast, 6 on the boom, and bolt it on. Made especially easy because Mike Robinson (Joel's rigger - Ed.) did the actual work! I just used a block with cam cleat for the control line. I don't have any other control lines running to the cockpit, why should this be different? 

I had to reverse the main hatch to allow it to open aft. That also went extremely easily. The hatch apparently had been seated with silicone caulk. Next I removed the interior molding and the screws from the topside of the hatch frame. I slid a putty knife between hatch and deck and slid it all around the frame. This loosened the frame enough to be able to pry it up. I scraped the caulk from the deck and inside of the frame with the putty knife. I cleaned the deck and frame with acetone. Then I wire brushed the frame to remove what appeared to be oxidation (a white powder). I placed four finishing nails (about 2" long) into the corner screw holes to aid alignment after the holes on the frame would be filled with new sealant.

I  then applied a thick bead of LifeSeal (a poly/silicone blend) all around the frame and, remembering to make it face backward, placed the frame in place. I then tightened the screws down minutes before Mike arrived to install the vang. I forgot the step in which you leave the screws partially tightened for 24 hours andf then tighten the rest of the way after the sealant has cured. I hope I don't suffer as a result!