mounting height for a whisker pole mast eye

Jackdaw · Jan 19, 2017

KJH said:
Interesting reading! I'm thinking about purchasing the CD heavy duty pole for my 83 C22. I have a 135 Genoa on a roller furler and am concerned about deploying the pole. UTUBE shows attaching the WP to the sheet prior to any rolling out the Genoa. If the WP is going to be positioned between upper center shroud and lower forward shroud is attachment to sheet made prior to or after the Genoa has been rolled out? Any issue with WP banging into shrouds?
As always, thanks for your expertise.
Ken

For sure that is the standard way to deploy the whisker pole, IF you don't have standing rigging that will get in the way. On the C22 with it's forward lower shrouds, you have to attach the pole to the clew and leave the mast end loose until after you deploy the sail.

The good news that unlike a spinnaker pole, the whisker does not load up and is easy to attach in 99% of conditions.

KJH · Jan 19, 2017

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your experience and expertise in answering my question!

CaptDon01 · Jan 19, 2017

The first photo was taken of me while I was crewing for a friend in last years C-22 Nationals running downwind. You can see the whisker pole is level, and with this genoa, it's connected to the mast at pretty close to the height of the gooseneck. But, this is with a genoa, the height might be different with a different cut sail with the clew either higher or lower.

The second photo was taken during the C-22 Great Lakes cruise while we were running for several hours down Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. This is me sitting up forward, and as you can see, the whisker pole is simply attached to the welded ring on the mast step. I like to keep things simple, and although you'll not see a dedicated racer secure the whisker pole like this, it works well for me, and didn't cost a thing. Is it the optimum position? Probably not, but who cares? It's holding the clew of the jib out nicely for me.

Never ever, ever, ever position the whisker pole between the upper shroud and the forward lower. When you buy your second whisker pole because you bend the first one around the forward lower when you got hit by a little wind shift, or you needed to gybe the jib you'll understand why.........

Don

KJH · Jan 19, 2017

JDUB and Captain Don,
Thank you for sharing your experience and opinions with me. This is why I love this forum!!!

Jacomo Sailor · Jan 29, 2017

CaptDon01 said:
The second photo was taken during the C-22 Great Lakes cruise while we were running for several hours down Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. This is me sitting up forward, and as you can see, the whisker pole is simply attached to the welded ring on the mast step. I like to keep things simple, and although you'll not see a dedicated racer secure the whisker pole like this, it works well for me, and didn't cost a thing. Is it the optimum position? Probably not, but who cares? It's holding the clew of the jib out nicely for me.
View attachment 131878

That's awesome. On my old boat (a Clipper Marine 21) I never got around to installing a pad eye. I simply snapped the pole end around the jib halyard just above it's cleat. It was a snug enough fit that it stayed where I put it, but could easily be slid up or down to level the pole. Although I intended to install an eye, I ended up using it that way for 25 years. I recently obtained a whisker pole for my C22, maybe this time I will actually install a pad eye.

Doug4bass · Jan 30, 2017

When I had my 22 the dilemma was that I was planning to use the pole for both my 110 and 150 headsails......different clew heights. I just kinda struck a happy medium between the both on the eye placement. But the difference wasnt that great. No need for a track. Pole is definitely in front of the fwd lowers.

McIntoshUSA · Feb 13, 2017

CaptDon01 said:
Never ever, ever, ever position the whisker pole between the upper shroud and the forward lower.

I do not have a Whisker Pole, but have often wondered if/when I do get one where would I attach it? I currently have a 135 genoa but would like to go to a 150 someday. My boat has 2 side stays. One is forward of the mast. So where should i attach the pole? If I attach it to the mast, level to the clew, then the pole will not be 90 degrees out. It will have to be more like 70 degrees out? One option is to attach it to my metal toe rail. So the question is is it best to have it level with the clew (attached to the mast) at about 70 degrees out or attached to the toe rail, 90 degrees out but not level with the clew????

Scott T-Bird · Feb 13, 2017

McIntoshUSA said:
I do not have a Whisker Pole, but have often wondered if/when I do get one where would I attach it? I currently have a 135 genoa but would like to go to a 150 someday. My boat has 2 side stays. One is forward of the mast. So where should i attach the pole? If I attach it to the mast, level to the clew, then the pole will not be 90 degrees out. It will have to be more like 70 degrees out? One option is to attach it to my metal toe rail. So the question is is it best to have it level with the clew (attached to the mast) at about 70 degrees out or attached to the toe rail, 90 degrees out but not level with the clew????

I don't think you would have a situation where you want to pull the pole back to the shrouds. If you are pulling the clew that far back, you shouldn't be using a whisker pole because the clew would be well inboard for a pole to be used.

Scott T-Bird · Feb 13, 2017

CaptDon, I like how the photo shows that there are at least 9 boats, all flying sails in the same configuration. How many were in front of you? Or were you leading the pack!?!

Gene Neill · Feb 13, 2017

My whisker pole is always somewhere between the upper shroud and the forward lower when flying a 150 or 180. There's no avoiding it. In this shot of the 180, you can see the pole is almost touching the forward side of the upper shroud. To place the pole behind the aft lower would be impossible, to go forward of the forward lower would result in a sail shape like capital 'U'.

Scott T-Bird · Feb 13, 2017

That seems pretty risky, but maybe with really light wind you can get away with it. The sail does look a little flat. This looks sort of like a deep reach without a mainsail. It looks like the sort of situation where maybe the mainsail should be used on stbd tack and the head sail should be on the windward side instead, with the pole well forward and pointing stbd for wing on wing sailing.

That said, I can see where a pair of lowers on each side could cause this problem. My rig has just one lower on each side, terminating at the same location as the upper. I would never set the pole behind the shrouds, so I guess I never had to contemplate this scenario.

Bruce Bennett · Feb 13, 2017

I use the whisker pole when running wing and wing. The PO installed it on my 1973 C22. It works great. My pole is the less expensive CD version. I use it with the 110 jib. It never hits the shrouds or stays. I keep it in the cockpit locker when I am not using it.

Jackdaw · Feb 14, 2017

Whenever you have poles around shrouds they can can get bent if you're not careful. On boats with forward swept lowers, you have to figure out what's the best set based on your sail, abilities, and conditions.

CaptDon01 · Feb 16, 2017

Scott T-Bird said:
CaptDon, I like how the photo shows that there are at least 9 boats, all flying sails in the same configuration. How many were in front of you? Or were you leading the pack!?!

Scott, just seen your question. Well as everyone rounded the weather mark the course to the leeward mark and the wind direction made sense to configure the jib on starboard side, however, most boats ended up gybing about a couple hundred yards from the leeward mark. My Skipper had the patience of Job putting up with me. My first few gybes were absolutely embarrassing! We were in the middle of the pack usually, I was crewing on a boat in the Gold Fleet, and we were never in the lead. Them's some fast boats, good Skippers, and impressive crews in the Gold Fleet. I was WAYYYYYyyyyyyyy out of my pay-grade.

Don

Scott T-Bird · Feb 16, 2017

CaptDon01 said:
My first few gybes were absolutely embarrassing! We were in the middle of the pack usually, I was crewing on a boat in the Gold Fleet, and we were never in the lead. Them's some fast boats, good Skippers, and impressive crews in the Gold Fleet. I was WAYYYYYyyyyyyyy out of my pay-grade.

Don

Here's a quote for you (from Teddy)
"It is not the critic who counts. ... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly ... who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."