WILL BE SAILING SHORTHANDED, NEED ADVISE ON BEST WAY TO RIG FOR USING A CRUISING CHUTE/ASYMMETRICAL CHUTE FOR A 376. I DON'T WANT TO USE A SPINNAKER POLE!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
Shorthanded or solo?
IMHO I would not use any type of chute while singlehanding. It is my opionion only, but would stay away from these chutes unless there are at least two deck hands to control it.
IMHO I would not use any type of chute while singlehanding. It is my opionion only, but would stay away from these chutes unless there are at least two deck hands to control it.
A
Andy Hansom
shorthand flying
We sail 380 most of the time with just my wife and I and it is alot of fun and work but mostly fun to get it up and down but it seems to go smoothly(most of the time). 1 We set the autopiolt for the course we want to sail, well off the wind and then start coming up on the wind once it is up flying ( 2 hoist the spinnaker in the sock then one person goes forward to raise the sock while the other starts trimming in the spinnaker sheet. 3 Gybing seems to go best if we lower the sock gybe and rehoist the sock. 4 And lowering it is just the reverse of hoisting I think one of the keys to this is using the autopiolt so you have two people to work all of the lines good luck S/V Vanishin Point Leslie-Andy Hansom
We sail 380 most of the time with just my wife and I and it is alot of fun and work but mostly fun to get it up and down but it seems to go smoothly(most of the time). 1 We set the autopiolt for the course we want to sail, well off the wind and then start coming up on the wind once it is up flying ( 2 hoist the spinnaker in the sock then one person goes forward to raise the sock while the other starts trimming in the spinnaker sheet. 3 Gybing seems to go best if we lower the sock gybe and rehoist the sock. 4 And lowering it is just the reverse of hoisting I think one of the keys to this is using the autopiolt so you have two people to work all of the lines good luck S/V Vanishin Point Leslie-Andy Hansom
M
Michael Cohn
Dangerous, but doable
I fly a chute on my H45 while single handing it sometimes. You basically need a good autopilot, a good safety harness and jacklines, and a sock. Getting the chute up and flying is relatively easy; getting it down is tougher. You want to set a course such that the main blankets it, and you want to check that safety harness and jacklines very carefully. You DO NOT want the tether on the harness to be long enough to allow you to go over the side and be dragged under any circumstances. MC
I fly a chute on my H45 while single handing it sometimes. You basically need a good autopilot, a good safety harness and jacklines, and a sock. Getting the chute up and flying is relatively easy; getting it down is tougher. You want to set a course such that the main blankets it, and you want to check that safety harness and jacklines very carefully. You DO NOT want the tether on the harness to be long enough to allow you to go over the side and be dragged under any circumstances. MC
J
Jay Hill
HOW much money do you have?
Michael's response lists the equipment. Believe it or not it can be done from the helm/cockpit if all of the running rigging including the sock can be placed on automatic controls such as electric winches dedicated to each line. One each for the sock, halyard, guy, and sheet. The major drawbacks are 1) Price, this will costs several thousand dollars 2) It uses a huge amount of power 3) Electric winch warranties are voided if you open them so they must be sent to the factory if they ever break or need service of any kind 4) it adds about 150 lbs to your boat. (Trade-off mode.) Jay
Michael's response lists the equipment. Believe it or not it can be done from the helm/cockpit if all of the running rigging including the sock can be placed on automatic controls such as electric winches dedicated to each line. One each for the sock, halyard, guy, and sheet. The major drawbacks are 1) Price, this will costs several thousand dollars 2) It uses a huge amount of power 3) Electric winch warranties are voided if you open them so they must be sent to the factory if they ever break or need service of any kind 4) it adds about 150 lbs to your boat. (Trade-off mode.) Jay
B
Bob Miller
Asymmetrical tips
Peter, I have a asymmetrical spinnaker on my 37C. Here's my two tips. 1) I highly recommend a dousing sock. 2). When jibbing, the sheet being loosened becomes very slack in order to let the sail come around the front of the forestay. Many times it gets tangled with things and one time it got under the boat and caught in the prop. So, I cut it off. Now I use just one sheet and when jibbing, I walk the sheet up to the front of the boat, around the forstay and back again (requires someone else to steer the boat). This works alot better for me. I might also mention that since I don't race, I very seldom use the asymmetrical spinnaker. It just came with the boat. I don't think I would spend money to buy one. There are too many better ways to spend the money. Bob Miller "Gusty Getaway" Everett, WA
Peter, I have a asymmetrical spinnaker on my 37C. Here's my two tips. 1) I highly recommend a dousing sock. 2). When jibbing, the sheet being loosened becomes very slack in order to let the sail come around the front of the forestay. Many times it gets tangled with things and one time it got under the boat and caught in the prop. So, I cut it off. Now I use just one sheet and when jibbing, I walk the sheet up to the front of the boat, around the forstay and back again (requires someone else to steer the boat). This works alot better for me. I might also mention that since I don't race, I very seldom use the asymmetrical spinnaker. It just came with the boat. I don't think I would spend money to buy one. There are too many better ways to spend the money. Bob Miller "Gusty Getaway" Everett, WA
B
Been there
Bob, would you like to sell your asymmetrical?
Given your comments on not using it much, I thought I would ask. What cloth is it? What are its dimensions? It may be too large for my boat, but if it is about the right size, I would be interested.
Given your comments on not using it much, I thought I would ask. What cloth is it? What are its dimensions? It may be too large for my boat, but if it is about the right size, I would be interested.
B
Bob Miller
M
Michael Cohn
Maybe
Jay suggests using electric winches for all of the chute controls - I'm not sure if he was serious or not, but keep in mind that EACH winch costs several thousand dollars. Not to mention the high potential for something going wrong. A chute is not something to play with, and it is not something that should be used by inexperienced sailors. People frequently underestimate the amount of damage one of these things can do when handled improperly. You could probably rig a winch to pull the sock down over the chute, but you still have to get the entire mess down on the deck, which a winch won't do. This task requires your hands, which means you are out of the cockpit, which means you have the potential to go overboard, which means you die if you are singlehanding. This entire idea should be approached, if at all, with great caution. A chute can pull you overboard very quickly. MC
Jay suggests using electric winches for all of the chute controls - I'm not sure if he was serious or not, but keep in mind that EACH winch costs several thousand dollars. Not to mention the high potential for something going wrong. A chute is not something to play with, and it is not something that should be used by inexperienced sailors. People frequently underestimate the amount of damage one of these things can do when handled improperly. You could probably rig a winch to pull the sock down over the chute, but you still have to get the entire mess down on the deck, which a winch won't do. This task requires your hands, which means you are out of the cockpit, which means you have the potential to go overboard, which means you die if you are singlehanding. This entire idea should be approached, if at all, with great caution. A chute can pull you overboard very quickly. MC
J
Jay Hill
I couldn't agree more...
Michael, I didn't put in all the cautions about failed equipment and conditions did I? Certainly something to be VERY aware of and no, I do not fly a chute when alone.
Michael, I didn't put in all the cautions about failed equipment and conditions did I? Certainly something to be VERY aware of and no, I do not fly a chute when alone.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.