Asymetrical Spinn

[John Martin]

Picking up our new spinnaker this weekend. Questions about the tack attachment point on the bow. What is anyone elce using? My plan now is to use the anchor bow roller (because it's there). Other thoughts are to put a pad-eye on the anchor platform, or to attach my whisker pole to the bow roller and extend it out about 2 feet.

I would appriciate any thoughts or comments or what works, etc.

John & Nancy Martin
"Intrepid" CD28 #346



johnmartin55@hotmail.com

[John]

Picking up our new spinnaker this weekend. Questions about the tack attachment point on the bow. What is anyone elce using? My plan now is to use the anchor bow roller (because it's there). Other thoughts are to put a pad-eye on the anchor platform, or to attach my whisker pole to the bow roller and extend it out about 2 feet.

I would appriciate any thoughts or comments or what works, etc.

John & Nancy Martin
"Intrepid" CD28 #346

The anchor bow roller is a good choice as that's what we used and it has worked out well for many years.
The tack attachment point should be as far forward as you can get it.
We use a Ulmer K. "Flasher" asymetrical and it has a tack pendant that is about 6 feet long that is led through a small snatch block attached to a pad eye. The pad eye is mounted on the captive bail of the bow anchor roller. The pendant is cleated off to one of the bow cleats. We use a UK "Stasher" sock which greatly assists in controlling the sail so we don't have to blanket it from the wind with the mainsail during sets and drops. I highly recommend the use of a sock. It greatly simplifies the use of the sail and prevents twists and makes the sail quickly ready to deploy. Enough can't be said about the benefits of a well designed and set up sock.

[Ed Dreyer]

Picking up our new spinnaker this weekend. Questions about the tack attachment point on the bow. What is anyone elce using? My plan now is to use the anchor bow roller (because it's there). Other thoughts are to put a pad-eye on the anchor platform, or to attach my whisker pole to the bow roller and extend it out about 2 feet.

I would appriciate any thoughts or comments or what works, etc.

John & Nancy Martin
"Intrepid" CD28 #346

John & Nancy:

I suggest putting a padeye and the bowsprit with a block and rigging a tack line, The tack line is shackled to the spinnaker tack and the other end can be belayed on the bow cleats or, even better, run back to the cockput through a couple of fairleads. (This is the modern sportboat practice)

Then you can adjust the tack - easing out to get the head of the sail forward of the boat downwind and trimming inwhen reaching off.

A whisker pole may not be strong enough to use it on the tack line (but it can help on the sheet to pole it out to leeward) but a spinnaker pole will work to pole it to windward.

We have been doing this with our CD33 for several years and works quite well!!

Ed



edreyer@bge.com

[Don Carr]

Picking up our new spinnaker this weekend. Questions about the tack attachment point on the bow. What is anyone elce using? My plan now is to use the anchor bow roller (because it's there). Other thoughts are to put a pad-eye on the anchor platform, or to attach my whisker pole to the bow roller and extend it out about 2 feet.

I would appriciate any thoughts or comments or what works, etc.

John & Nancy Martin
"Intrepid" CD28 #346

The bow roller sounds like the best suggestion as the only requirement is that the asym fly outboard of the forestay. On my CD25 there are 3 holes on the bronze chock. I rigged my forestay to the middle hole and placed a Schaeffer series 5 block on the most forward hole running the tack aft to the bow cleat. Works very well and find that on most reaching and downwind siuations not a lot of tack line adjustment is required. Also it is important to run your sheets through turning blocks which in my case mounted on the stern cleats using Schaeffer snap shackle blocks and then to the winch. Just take some time and insure that all running rigging stays outboard of everything. I personally find that deployment/takedown once you learn the technique isn't too bad in moderate winds (socks would seem to be a big assist).
In higher winds my recommendation is that you really need 2 crew to safely and in a seaman like manner handle the sail. I have sailed all summer with my UK asym..makes a big difference in downwind performance of the CD25. I might also send you to the UK web site.they have a great dissertation on rigging and handling an asym.
Did you get a collar with your sail..this is an important piece on reaches as it keeps the sail from blowing too far leeward. The tack pendant should be adjusted so that the tack of the sail flys about 4Ft from deck level...this works well and allows the sail to clear the pulpit during jibes..tacking this sail is a bit of work so I usually try to use it when I am on a run and jibe rather than tack.
Hope some of this helps..the amount of canvas flying can be intimidating at fist, but as in everything in sailing...lot's of practice always pays off.



carrd@erols.com