Telescoping whisker pole verses spinnaker pole

[Ninsar]

Can sailors that have used both whisker pole and spinnaker pole please give some pros & cons for each.
As I have not used either on my H450 as yet and am looking into acquiring one for use on the head sail.
If I consider doing the ARC in a few years I need to perfect it long before that adventure.
I"ve had comments on both solid and telescoping versions, facts please.
No, I don't use a spinnaker. goose wing only.
Clarification, maybe the wording should be telescoping or solid whisker pole?

 

[kloudie1]

I have used both although on smaller boats.. I found that the pole should be adjustable .. the solid one was too short sometimes and too long sometimes, depending on whether I was trying to wing out or stabilize the headsail in light air.

 

[Ken Cross]

On smaller boats I've even used a boat hook.

Ken

 

[Ron20324]

Adjustable. You might even use it on the main sail if you lose the boom usage.

 

[FastOlson]

That's a really big boat with potentially big loads on any pole. Note also that a whisker pole has to be longer than a spinnaker pole to be effective. Really - different devices for different purposes. Any fixed pole, like a spinnaker pole, will be easier to use and have less bits to malfunction.

OTOH, an extendable pole for headsails is a lot more useful for winging out a sail. Check the method used for extension. If you are shopping the used gear stores, you might think twice about any pole with a push-button stop. These can lop off a finger tip if you do not pay attention to what you are doing.

The "line drive" poles work well.
Like a most everything... it does get down to choices and options.
If you have the budget, go carbon fiber. You will appreciate the weight savings when using it on a moving deck.

 

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[shemandr]

A whisker pole and a spinnaker pole are fundamentally different. If you are flying a spinnaker you want a spinnaker pole. If you want to pole out a jib use a whisker pole. Whisker poles are smaller in diameter and lighter than spinnaker poles. You can have a whisker pole that is extendable or not. Typically the Hunters have one jib so you could get away with a fixed length whisker pole and enjoy it's simplicity. Or if you want adjustability, to use like a reaching strut on a broad reach or extended for wing on wing sailing, you could use the adjustable. There are telescoping and line controlled extendable. I don't really twist and lock but sometimes a line controlled can seem overly complicated. On my H356 I had a fixed pole, which someone gave me, and found it very useful. But it was likely maladjusted much of the time. Before that I used a boat hook. I didn't bother with an up and down for the pole. Of the two the down is more useful because you can hold the clew down and close the leech at the top of the sail. Whisker poles aren't aching to sky like a spinnaker pole is - but given an inattentive jibe and they can.

 

[Ted]

I've used both types of poles and neither of them are perfect.

Fixed length spinnaker pole cons: You are limited to one length. If you partially furl up your headsail, you might want to use a shorter pole. Fixed length poles are more difficult to store out of the way. Deck mounting is the most common storage method but it creates a tripping hazard. It can be stored on the lifeline stanchions but with a long pole, it will encroach on the deck area

Spinnaker pole pros: More convenient because you don't have to extend it. They weigh less because there is only one tube (although larger in diameter) as opposed to two tubes for an adjustable pole. There are less things to go wrong with a spinnaker pole.

Adjustable pole cons: More things to go wrong with it. With a line control pole, the inner and outer tubes can rotate and you might have to twist them back into the proper position. (not a biggy) There is an internal line which may need to be replaced after a lot of years of use. It takes a bit more time to extend the pole to the length you want.

Adjustable pole (whisker) pros: Adjustable length obviously. Easier to store. You have the option of storing it vertically on the mast because it can be made shorter than a spinnaker pole. It can be used with a partially furled or full headsail. If you buy a heavy duty adjustable pole, it can also be used as a spinnaker pole in moderate conditions. The line adjustable poles are better than the push button locking mechanism ones because they are safer and can be adjusted more easily once set.

 

[markwbird]

A whisker pole is adjustable because it's length should match the length of the foot of the genoa and genoas come in different sizes. A spinnaker pole is always the length of "J". No need to be adjustable. If you need a whisker pole get a whisker pole. If you are going to fly a spinnaker get a spin pole.

 

[gettinthere]

Note the comment about a whisker pole being the length of the foot of the genoa. Measure yours and then consider how you would store a solid pole of that length and how to manhandle it on deck. That is why collapsible whisker poles exist. 17' is a lot of pole to store vs a collapsed pole of 12'.

 

[jmce1587]

If you're flying a symmetrical spinnaker then a spin pole is desired that meets your "J" measurement. If you want to extend your genoa then an adjustable whisker pole is what you will want to use. On my H31 I have an extendable Forespar whisker pole that exceeds my "J" measurement and is a great tool downwind for racing when off the wind on either tack depending on wind angle. On my H31 the extended pole takes two persons on deck to handle due to size, weight and attachment point for topping lift and then extending from the inboard end. My pole is stored on deck on the stanchions. That said, Forespar makes a mast mounted arrangement that makes it easier to deploy (see link to video - http://www.forespar.com/whisker-poles.shtml) If I had to do this over I would go with the mast mounted arrangement. you will want to install a downhaul for the pole. We use a 4 to 1 block set up attached to either the mast tang or we can set up on the toe rail.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Can sailors that have used both whisker pole and spinnaker pole please give some pros & cons for each.

On my Pearson 30 I used a telescoping whisker pole extended by line. I had a 155% furling/reefing genoa on the boat most of the time. So, I could shorten the sail and shorten the pole as well if I wished to go wing-'n-wing under reduced sail, which I often did. It was a bit of work at times to muscle out the telescope and cleat the line. On a big boat like yours that might be tough work. The inboard fitting of the pole fastened to a mast padeye, one on either side, and was not adjustable up or down the mast.

The 38-ft boat I have now has only a spinnaker pole and previously a 135% furling/reefing genoa. Clearly, the design intent is that if I wish to go DDW then I should hoist the symmetrical spinnaker and use the pole as intended. That's a bit of a problem sailing with only the wife and me b/c it's too much work most of the time on a leisurely sail to deploy and recover the chute, especially if the wind is up and you have to remained focused on trimming while it is up, etc. I know; people do it all of the time and it's no big deal to them. But to go wing--'n-wing on the Bavaria I had to shorten the furling No. 1 so the spinnaker pole could usefully extend the sail, etc. I'd do this if going far; but for short gybes just to get position I'd goose-wing the genny (i.e., fly it opposite the main on the weather side w/o the pole up), which is very effective for short course corrections. (It works only if you can sail far enough off the wind to keep the genoa full w/o getting by the lee on the mainsail and crash gybing the boom.)

I now have a No.2 furling/reefing genoa on the Bavaria so the spinnaker pole is a much better fit for sailing DDW wing-'n-wing. But, I can still adjust the fit by furling the sail in further and/or by raising the inboard (mast-slide) end of pole to effectively shorten its extension. (The inboard end is not fixed to a padeye on the mast.) For folks who buy a fixed length whisker pole, that is what they do--raise/lower the inboard end of the pole on a mast slide to adjust its extension some out/in from the boat, etc. This is easier and faster than running in/out the whisker pole telescope using a line.

So, your money--your boat as Stu likes to remind. You can always have made a custom fixed-length whisker pole to fit your present headsail configuration that will work perfectly, but you may have to install a mast-slide system if adjustments might be needed. If you get a different-sized sail later; get another pole. The fixed-length whisker pole is tapered at the outboard end, I believe; which lightens it some. That's another way in which it differs from a spinnaker pole, which is not tapered in addition to being restricted in length to the J-dimension of your boat, etc. In terms of wielding--and you have bucks--consider a carbon fiber pole.