Looking for opinions. my wife and i generally sail with just the 2 of us onboard our 29.5. i have raced and have no qualms with a spinaker, but my wife has less experience. we are looking for more power on those lite air august days,and are considering another head sail. does anyone have strong opinions one way or the other having used either a drifer or spin on their hunter? cost seems to be roughly equivalent. thanx for your thoughts.
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Asymmetrical Spinnaker
Not sure what a drifter is. We bought an asymmetric with a sock for our '77 h27. Deployment is easy with the sock, and the sail adds 1 to 2 knots to our light air performance. That's enough to keep us off the iron genny unless wind is less than 5 knots! A great sail. David Lady Lillie
Not sure what a drifter is. We bought an asymmetric with a sock for our '77 h27. Deployment is easy with the sock, and the sail adds 1 to 2 knots to our light air performance. That's enough to keep us off the iron genny unless wind is less than 5 knots! A great sail. David Lady Lillie
Doyle APC on my 29.5
This was my first season with a Doyle APC on my 29.5. It seemed to me that every time I needed a light air sail I really wanted to sail dead downwind, which doesnt work with the APC, which seems to me to work best with the wind abeam. The ability to pole the sail outside the shadow of the main makes a difference, and I'm actually thinking about setting up a pole and trying it on the APC. You need to think about prevailing winds in those light air times you experience and that definitely has an impact on your choice. The further abeam the prevailing wind, the better the APC works. Dead downwind, I'd choose the spinaker if I had it to do over.
This was my first season with a Doyle APC on my 29.5. It seemed to me that every time I needed a light air sail I really wanted to sail dead downwind, which doesnt work with the APC, which seems to me to work best with the wind abeam. The ability to pole the sail outside the shadow of the main makes a difference, and I'm actually thinking about setting up a pole and trying it on the APC. You need to think about prevailing winds in those light air times you experience and that definitely has an impact on your choice. The further abeam the prevailing wind, the better the APC works. Dead downwind, I'd choose the spinaker if I had it to do over.
Consider Your Typical Winds
Both David and Bruce have good comments and make valid points. It'd be really nice to have both a symetrical and an asymetrical sail but if you have to choose. The symetrical/traditional spinnaker has more square footage and therefore could provide more power, but... If the winds in your cruising area are typically astern, and not much in the way of powerboat wakes, then the traditional spinnaker can make sense. I find the powerboat wakes really mess up the sail unless the wind is blowing pretty good. If the wind angle if often abeam or forward of abeam, or varies a lot, then the asymetrical can make sense. The traditional spinnaker, in my opinion, takes more time to set up, with a pole, topping lift, and fore guy, and takes more effort to fly. How much into sailing and sail trim is your mate? It isn't a sit back and relax kind of sail and it's what I'd call more labor intensive to fly. With the asymetrical one doesn't have to mess with as much gear so if you have a short distance I think you'd more more likely to fly it. We fly a traditional chute so unless there is a reasonably long run I tend to err on the side of not flying it. Some of our most memorable sailing experiences have been while flying the chute. One afternoon we ran for several hours at up to 10 knots through the water on a H-35 sailing double handed - great time - my wife still remembers that and it was 8 years ago. Personally, I'd like both sails. Tough decision but I'd call it a win-win either way! By the way, you already have a feathering prop, right?
Both David and Bruce have good comments and make valid points. It'd be really nice to have both a symetrical and an asymetrical sail but if you have to choose. The symetrical/traditional spinnaker has more square footage and therefore could provide more power, but... If the winds in your cruising area are typically astern, and not much in the way of powerboat wakes, then the traditional spinnaker can make sense. I find the powerboat wakes really mess up the sail unless the wind is blowing pretty good. If the wind angle if often abeam or forward of abeam, or varies a lot, then the asymetrical can make sense. The traditional spinnaker, in my opinion, takes more time to set up, with a pole, topping lift, and fore guy, and takes more effort to fly. How much into sailing and sail trim is your mate? It isn't a sit back and relax kind of sail and it's what I'd call more labor intensive to fly. With the asymetrical one doesn't have to mess with as much gear so if you have a short distance I think you'd more more likely to fly it. We fly a traditional chute so unless there is a reasonably long run I tend to err on the side of not flying it. Some of our most memorable sailing experiences have been while flying the chute. One afternoon we ran for several hours at up to 10 knots through the water on a H-35 sailing double handed - great time - my wife still remembers that and it was 8 years ago. Personally, I'd like both sails. Tough decision but I'd call it a win-win either way! By the way, you already have a feathering prop, right?
Archives
Check the HOW Archives by searching for the word "spinnaker" and you'll get a full rundown of pros and cons.
Check the HOW Archives by searching for the word "spinnaker" and you'll get a full rundown of pros and cons.
UPS
We have the UPS. It is a great sail. Set it and forget it. The sail can also be polled out to act like a drifter.
We have the UPS. It is a great sail. Set it and forget it. The sail can also be polled out to act like a drifter.
To Bruce
This is a reply to Bruce Mumford. If by "pole the spinnaker" you mean a bowsprit, I have mastered the art by putting one 8-foot steel pipe within another one and anchoring it in the anchor locker. This year I ran the spinnaker 20 times without bending the combined pipe, and it makes a big difference with the spinnaker eight feet off the bow. email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com for details, and I can regale you for minutes.
This is a reply to Bruce Mumford. If by "pole the spinnaker" you mean a bowsprit, I have mastered the art by putting one 8-foot steel pipe within another one and anchoring it in the anchor locker. This year I ran the spinnaker 20 times without bending the combined pipe, and it makes a big difference with the spinnaker eight feet off the bow. email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com for details, and I can regale you for minutes.
Bill - email adddress failed so here's response
Bill: Your description is interesting. I'm really talking about the dead downwind run where you could put a jib wing on wing but already have the chute up when you realize the next leg is direct downwind. What I was actually thinking of was a whisker pole off the mast so that I could get the spinaker tack (just now not sure that's the right name for the forward foot of the cruising chute that you adjust up or down for proper draft - guess the smell of the turkey in the oven is getting to me). Anyway, pole the tack out to the side opposite the main so that it catches whats spilling off the mast end of the main sail. I would use what would otherwise be the lazy sheet as a pole guy in conjunction with the tack downhaul as I have snap shackles on them and could easily attach it to the tack. The active sheet would still be on the same side as the main. I'm really trying to make the cruising spinaker fly like a conventional spinaker. From your posting, I sense that you are simply getting the tack farther out in front of the boat, but not necessarily off to one side? Please feel free to claify or give suggestions. Thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving! Bruce Mulford
Bill: Your description is interesting. I'm really talking about the dead downwind run where you could put a jib wing on wing but already have the chute up when you realize the next leg is direct downwind. What I was actually thinking of was a whisker pole off the mast so that I could get the spinaker tack (just now not sure that's the right name for the forward foot of the cruising chute that you adjust up or down for proper draft - guess the smell of the turkey in the oven is getting to me). Anyway, pole the tack out to the side opposite the main so that it catches whats spilling off the mast end of the main sail. I would use what would otherwise be the lazy sheet as a pole guy in conjunction with the tack downhaul as I have snap shackles on them and could easily attach it to the tack. The active sheet would still be on the same side as the main. I'm really trying to make the cruising spinaker fly like a conventional spinaker. From your posting, I sense that you are simply getting the tack farther out in front of the boat, but not necessarily off to one side? Please feel free to claify or give suggestions. Thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving! Bruce Mulford
Back to Bruce
Good point, you are indeed talking about a pole to keep the clew out as you go wing-on-wing. I was talking about a bowsprit to throw the tack out farther. 29.5s just don't work very well dead downwind beause the boom can't get past 45 degrees, and we're all antsy in the lee. If you're interested in the bowsprit, try another email: editor@vagazette.com
Good point, you are indeed talking about a pole to keep the clew out as you go wing-on-wing. I was talking about a bowsprit to throw the tack out farther. 29.5s just don't work very well dead downwind beause the boom can't get past 45 degrees, and we're all antsy in the lee. If you're interested in the bowsprit, try another email: editor@vagazette.com
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