Cruising chute tack

[jibes138]

For those of you that use a cruising chute, how do you rig the tack to get it outboar of your bow pulpit and roller furler or headstay? I was thinking of making a short length of wire and running it under the anchor roller so the sail can connect forward of the bow. Not sure if there is a better way?

 

[Broke sailor SV Marcell]

Buy the ATN Tacker. Nott expensive and it is made to do just that.

 

[sailingdog]

The ATN Tacker is designed to let you fly the tack of an Asym spinnaker using the furled headsail as a pivot point. It does NOT get the tack of the Asym outboard of the bow pulpit or roller furler.

If you want to do that, you probably need to rig a bow sprit of some sort. I wouldn't recommend using your bow roller, since it probably isn't engineered to resist an upward force like that....and doing so may damage it or rip it off the foredeck entirely.

Several companies make removable or extendable bowsprits for just this purpose.

 

[Broke sailor SV Marcell]

I respectfully disagree with Sailing Dog. When you attach the ATN Tacker to the tack of the spinnaker and around the furled headsail the wind will move the sail ahead of the furled head sail. You will also need to install a block somewhere on the bow roller and attach a line from the ATN Tacker to either a cleat or run it all the way to the cockpit. With this line you can adjust the tension along the luff of the sail.

 

[soulesailor]

If you attach a short lanyard or tether between the tack of your chute and the stemhead, forward of the roller furler, I think this would solve the problem. This would put the chute ABOVE the pulpit which is just as good as forward of it and in front of the roller furler which would then become a non-issue. If the luff length of your chute can accommodate the extra length of the tether this could be an easy and inexpensive solution.

Also, I didn't see a thread to introduce yourself so I'll do so here. Happy to be here!

 

[paulj]

My asym setup.....
Gave up on ATN sock and tacker, left too much sail exposed after sock was pulled down.
Atn was OK, but not as good as Rollgen.


paulj:troll:

 

[Paul356]

I shackled a 3" Harken block on the anchor roller fitting. I run the tack line through that. It's far enough forward to get the tack of the sail outside the pulpit and also allows the tack line to be adjusted up and down. On the 356, I don't have any concerns about the bow roller structure being strong enough to hold the tack.

 

[chuckwayne]

we did the same thing on our 356 and it works great. We led the guy aft to the cockpit via a set of furling line control blocks down the port side. Check the mounting of your anchor roller to make sure it can handle the upward load without reinforcement.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Around the pulpit to the toerail

We have a ~6' tack line with a snap shackle on the end. I wrap it around the top pulpit rail on the windward side, then fasten the snap shackle on the toerail. I can vary the tension on the tack by fastening it farther back on the toerail (tight for running close to the wind) or closer to the bow (loose for sailing off the wind.)

I can adjust the tack while sailing, but using a block, and running the tack line back to the cockpit would also work. This approach gets the tack of the spinnaker 1 to 2 feet ahead and to windward of the forestay, depending on conditions and point of sail.

 

[Auspicious]

Many people use the bow roller either directly or as a support for a block or sprit. Chuck is right on with his advice to confirm the installation will bear the loads.

I'm absolutely not a fan of the ATN Tacker and similar devices. With proper adjustment of the tack line (another good reason for running it aft) you can get significant rotation of the sail to windward when on a broad reach or deeper, increasing the projected area by reducing the sail that is shadowed by the main.

I got a sock for the first time last year. I've only used it a few times but so far I'm not convinced it is easier than the old fashioned way. Maybe that opinion comes from racing foredeck for too many years. One too many clunk in the head by the spinnaker pole?

 

[jibes138]

Thanks - Good Ideas

The stemhead fitting on the boat is a heavy casting with integral anchor roller. This fitting is used as the attachment point for the headstay and has chocks for the dock lines. It is pretty robust so I'm sure it will take the loads. My cruising chute is for light air up to about 12 knots max so the loads aren't that severe. I like the idea of attaching a block and running a line aft to allow adjustment. I use a similar idea for the sheet lead, they are too far aft to use the jib sheet track so i rigged some lines with blocks that I attach to the stern cleats and then run my sheets through the blocks back to the sheet winches. Works great and easy to remove. Never tried the sock (I'm too cheap) so i wrestle it aboard after releasing the head of the sail, it is pretty tough to pull it in when the breeze kicks up and it is time to reduce sail. I really like the sail in about 8 knots of wind, thanks again.

 

[chuckwayne]

Re: Thanks - Good Ideas

sounds like your stem fitting will do fine! We have the ATN sock and love it-you can sock the chute quickly, even in gusty winds, and maneuver quickly if you have to. It's also much safer on the foredeck since once the chute's in the sock there's a lot less confusion and potential hazards on the foredeck (I've been lifted off the boat by a suddenly filled chute). Also, instead of streaming the chute downwind in a jibe you can just toss the sock over to the other side of the forestay after you've dressed the rest of the sails and unsock-great in close quarters

 

[Capt. Ed]

All great ideas ,one day when we were about to bring down the chute in anticipation of higher wind,I began to sock the chute .I stopped about 2 feet down . At this point I had a reefed chute! Looked like hell but it worked . We don't do this as general practice ,and would like some opinions on this reefing .

 

[David in Sandusky]

Reefing...

If our asymetric threatens to round up the boat, or is otherwise overpowered, there is almost always enough wind to drive us at hull speed with our 110, and the main.

That's where the sock is great. We drop the sock, deploy the roller furled genny, and then pack the spinnaker in its bag. Just a few minutes to be neat and tidy in the new configuration.

On a broad reach, the spinnaker will take more wind then we thought. A couple of times we have arrived at Erie from the west on a strong southwest wind. Both times, we got the chute down, and turned to the southeast to put us on a beam reach. Both times we had to reef the main and the genny to keep the boat on her feet. And both times we had a heck of a time getting up the channel into the bay with the wind dead on our nose! (The second time, we blew the head gasket on our old SB8.)

In both cases, it was clear that our spinnaker was handling 20 knot winds on a broad reach. Much of the time, it was driving our heavy hull at 1 to 2 knots above hull speed.

 

[RichH]

For less than beam reaching you really dont need a 'tacker' or 'parrel beads', etc. as if you trim the tack line correctly the luff of the spinn will be on the correct side (windward side) taking wind - If your tackline is correctly slackened that luff will become very rounded and that excess will 'move' across the headstay. It's only when you are beam or higher reaching that you need a 'tacker' etc. but then your luff is tightened (via the tackline) and the luff shape is more or less 'straight'.

In addition to Davids post, in blustery conditions you can easily 'reef' a spinnaker for short stretches by simply pulling the 'sock' down part-way.
I prefer NOT to use a sock as it adds much more complexity and potential to foul on something; but, you need a well practiced crew to not use a sock, etc. For sailing when shorthanded or single-handing I prefer to have the sock's control lines pinned to the cap rail with a double block and the control lines then led back to the cockpit.

The roll-gen system - separate roller furling system for spinnakers - is beginning to look good to me. Pricey but very safe/convenient: http://www.rollgen.com/

 

[Auspicious]

Never tried the sock (I'm too cheap) so i wrestle it aboard after releasing the head of the sail, it is pretty tough to pull it in when the breeze kicks up and it is time to reduce sail. I really like the sail in about 8 knots of wind, thanks again.

Maybe you do this and just didn't describe it all: To douse the chute turn almost dead downwind to blanket the chute behind the main. Depending on your rigging either pop the tack shackle or just let the tack line run free. Pull the chute sheet inboard and under the boom. Ease the chute halyard as you pull the chute in under the boom and stuff it down the companionway. I do it singlehanded with my foot on the halyard to adjust the drop as I pull the sail in with both hands and push it down the ladder.

 

[pchazel]

Re: Reefing...

David:
I was wondering what make chute you use on Lady Lillie. We have a Catalina 310, "Serenade" over at the Sandusky Sailing Club. We love to use our gennaker and have been trying to decide on a chute to use with it. PS. Our boat is now on the hard at Sandusky Harbor Marina.
Pete Hazel
Catalina 310
"Serenade"

 

[Prime Time]

Simple is easy

I fly mine with a block on the old jib tack shackle just aft of the roller furler. The sail flies forward on a tack line.