Miami, FLI live in Florida
One problem is that there are a gazillion different ways to do it, and it's changed over time. If you got the boat in Florida, I'm guessing it's a 1975-ish Vanguard. What kind of mast does it have?
Since there is no value in "restoring" this boat, and not much of a racing class, all you need to do is set it up for practical fun sailing. That's fairly easy... halyards and sheets and sail control lines (vang, outhaul, cunningham, barber hauls if any) and traps. The spinnaker adds another layer of complexity but the boat will feel totally dead going downwind without it.
Another similar discussion here:
470 Rigging guide
As a consequence of standing too close to the keg at a recent regatta, I've purchased 2 old 70's era 470's that need to be rigged. Having spent some time on 505's, I know I can rig the boats but would like to stay within class rules and best practises but there seem to be no rigging guides out...forums.sailinganarchy.com
Apparently a lot of the old rigging/deck layout diagrams have been taken off-line. Not profitable, I guess.
The biggest problem I forsee is duplicating the main halyard, if you don't have it. The type of halyard lock and the spacing are critical to being able to get the sail up and down and have the sail actually fly well. This is fixable by getting rid of the halyard lock system and putting on a dyneema halyard with a cleat and some kind of tensioner. I'm not a fan of 1950s technology on sailboats anyway.
Please provide me with a name or a # of a person, because when I called them they said that they don't do 470sIf you have the $
West Marine Rigging Service
Regardless of whether you own a traditional sailboat, offshore cruiser, club racer, high-tech dinghy or cutting edge racer, our master riggers are ready to help. And with easy ordering, guaranteed quality and fast service, it’s no wonder that sailors everywhere increasingly turn to us for the rigging they need! Extensive Delivery: If we don’t have it, we will do our best to get it for you. Fast Service: Quick turnaround on in-stock items. Superb Quality: Trained and certified staff. Multiple Locations: 8 store shops and 1 production facility.
I wouldn't trust somebody from West Marine unless you talked to somebody at one of their better locations like Newport, RI or San Diego, CA. When I was in the West Marine in Miami near Coconut Grove the other day, they barely knew what they had in the store.Please provide me with a name or a # of a person, because when I called them they said that they don't do 470s
Where are you located? I think if it were me, I'd find the closest sailing program that offers racing and ask the race coach or head coach to look it over and pay them $50 for their time. There's plenty going on but once you hook up a few things the rest fall into place.
There are top Tampa / St Pete 470 teams – this will mean some top sailors and coaches. 470 events happen around there too – not saying you'd join the racing, but you might head there to learn for example to get a current racing sailor to give you a day of rigging and coaching.
And it's a dream spot to sail in.