Whisker pole set up, front of mast

Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
My mast had a plastic eye screwed to the front of the mast, roughly two feet up. I also have the light duty Forespar whisker pole that came in the boat, although the two shafts are seized together with galv corrosion. One of these days I will continue my effort to free them or just give up and buy a new pole.

Anyway, I don't have a spin yet, but since I have the mast down I'd like to consider fixing everything now rather than waiting. Does anyone have a T-Track on their mast with an adjustable car/whiskey pole eye? What are the advantages to it vice a fixed location? I'm assuming that it may also be handy as an attachment point for a gin pole in raising the mast, sound reasonable?

I have an extra 1 meter piece of Ronstan 25 mm T track. I can install it now... or wait till I actually get a spin.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
For a spinnaker it is a good idea to have the ring on a track so you can adjust the height. The Spin pole should be level so that means adjusting the height for different size spinnakers and also to different conditions
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Whisker pole ring should be mounted at clew height.

A track is really overkill for small boats. Most just use two rings at a high and low pole position. This include racy numbers like the J22 and j24
 
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Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Whisker pole ring should be mounted at clew height.

A track is really overkill for small boats. Most just use two rings at a high and low pole position. This include racy numbers like the J22 and j24
Yeah, that sounds pretty reasonable and easy to do later. Although I have the T-track already (a pair of 1 meter after I decided to install 1.5 meter genoa tracks) the cost of a single pole ring on a track car is still probably more than double the two stainless rings that will rivet or screw in place.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
You should have an adjustable track on the front of the mast if you're going to really be "right thing" to make a symmetrical spinnaker work. If you care, the shaping of the spinnaker depending on the angle of apparent wind, it's speed, and the cut of the sail are variables that a fixed-ring don't accommodate like you should.

That said, an adjustable track (make it longer than shorter) and ring on a car with pins is better than a fixed track. A fixed ring can work -- just as well.

If you don't have a spinnaker now -- WHY would you get a symmetric vs. an asymmetric chute????
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
So..... you have a whisker pole that you want to use as a spinnaker pole... am I reading you correctly? Are you aware of the different forces affecting a spinnaker pole vs. those of a whisker pole... The spinnaker pole contents with a lot or torque .... remember it is attached the windward clew (or tack, if that's easier to visualize) and is the only hard connection to the boat besides the halyard,,, where as the whisker pole is attached to the clew of your genoa/jib, a sail that is attached full length to the forestay, for the sole purpose of holding out the sail in light air.... much less stress on the whisker pole. I suggest researching the Forespar site first, before you by anything. BTW, Forespar does not recommend T track for Catalinas 25 and under... a padeye is sufficient. http://www.forespar.com/products/sail-spinnaker-pole-size-guide.shtml#C_LIST
 
Apr 21, 2015
127
Catalina 22 Sport #15582 Indianapolis
Go with the track w/ adjustable pad-eye. Have one on my C22 Sport. The cheap piece of plastic will break over-time. The track w/ adjustable pad-eye is more expensive, but can handle the load. Plus, adjustable if you are using different sizes or cut of sails (e.g. 110, 135, 150, Drifter). Also consider the fact that the Catalina 22 is a masthead rig, so you have a larger genoa than a comparable fractional rig, resulting in more pressure on the genoa 150% sail. When I am using the whisker pole in 15 to 20 MPH wind, I want my whisker pole to remain firmly attached to the mast. But if you're only going to use a whisker pole infrequently, the plastic pad-eye will work fine...just keep a spare.
 
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SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
The spinnaker pole contents with a lot or torque ..

I would think it's not a lot of torque (a/k/a twisting) -- It would compression, tension, and (hopefully, not much, bending). The connection at the mast on some boats is a "pin" (I had one on our Sabre years ago) -- that was to facilitate quickly placing and disconnecting the pole (as in dip jibing the chute).
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Torque/twisting can unlock a twist-lock pole under stress. Trust me on that one! I have two poles, one a full-size adjustable. The other is a 1 1/8 inch one-piece I picked up somewhere. I use it on the jib, so for the ring location I attached the pole to the clew, made it horizontal and mark the mast for the ring.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I just know our jibsheet sometimes hangs up on it when the crew is overzealous during a tack.
Then I have to go forward and release it. :(
The admiral came up with the suggestion to wrap one of our wide straps around the mast to cover the eye.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
As Joe also mentions, a track on a C22 is serious overkill. Get one is you want, but it adds cost, complexity and weight to the boat. And normally I advocate that kinda thing! ;^) If you HAVE existing track, make sure it will be OK mounting to a very curved surface. Most is designed to be mounted on flat. You don't want it to teeter-totter.

The SS ring (or 2) will never tear off the boat. and yes while sailing you might loose a tiny bit of windward projection (and inch or two) if you use the topping lift and downhaul to adjust the sail end of the pole height.

Like I said, much bigger and competitive boats use rings.
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Just so everyone understands... I do have a Whisker pole that came with the boat. It can get it to work if I can get the corrosion cleared and unsieze the two parts. I do NOT have a spinnaker pole or a spinnaker (yet). I understand the difference between the two poles and their function, but I could be totally wrong in assuming that they both connect to the eye on the front of the mast... so I am all goofy there?
I do have a track section that is 1 meter and the back is curved for use on spars, so no worries there. What was on the boat before was the little plastic pad eye only intended for use with the light duty Forespar whisker pole. That's what lead to this question since I am re-assembling my mast components. I won't be using the cheesy plastic eye, but good advice to consider has been given for the track option or for two stainless pad eyes. I think some downwind sailing practice will help me decide.
P.S. I do have a 150 genoa but I do not have a Spin...
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Just so everyone understands... I do have a Whisker pole that came with the boat. It can get it to work if I can get the corrosion cleared and unsieze the two parts. I do NOT have a spinnaker pole or a spinnaker (yet). I understand the difference between the two poles and their function, but I could be totally wrong in assuming that they both connect to the eye on the front of the mast... so I am all goofy there?
I do have a track section that is 1 meter and the back is curved for use on spars, so no worries there. What was on the boat before was the little plastic pad eye only intended for use with the light duty Forespar whisker pole. That's what lead to this question since I am re-assembling my mast components. I won't be using the cheesy plastic eye, but good advice to consider has been given for the track option or for two stainless pad eyes. I think some downwind sailing practice will help me decide.
P.S. I do have a 150 genoa but I do not have a Spin...
You are correct on all of your assumptions. Use a SS ring and you will be fine. If you really want to, use the track and a pin-car ring on the track.
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
Whisker pole ring should be mounted at clew height.

A track is really overkill for small boats. Most just use two rings at a high and low pole position. This include racy numbers like the J22 and j24
I did exactly that, I mounted a second ring lower on the mast for my whisker pole. Works great, ya kind of eye-ball the position but, you can get it real close to where you need it.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I did exactly that, I mounted a second ring lower on the mast for my whisker pole. Works great, ya kind of eye-ball the position but, you can get it real close to where you need it.
Or tape a small bubble level to the whisker pole, attach it to the sail, and slide the mast end up and down until its level. ;^)

Just make sure the boat is on an even keel when you do this.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
It's generally at the height where the clew will want to be when you have it deployed in on a run (i.e., when the apparent wind at a "wing-and-wing" position.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
It's generally at the height where the clew will want to be when you have it deployed in on a run (i.e., ithe the wind at "wing-and-wing" position.
Correct. Might be about or below the natural 'lay' of the unfurled sail, depending on how much twist is desired in the sail.