Drifter vs asymmetrical spinnaker

[Voyager1]

Looking to add a light weight sail. Was thinking asymmetrical spinnaker (see previous post) but have been reading about drifters. I Sail solo most often or with inexperienced crew. Would a drifter be easier to handle with reasonable good performance. Thinking I could add a Solent stay to hank on a drifter. Just looking for something for those few times a year with light winds (5-9knots). My mast is down so thinking it would be good option. I could add a T- fitting to the mast, use Dynex Dux for the stay, connect to the pad eye just aft of furler (see photo, not sure it would be strong enough) with a 4/1 tackle at the deck connection. I have two spare sheaves in my mast head . Seem reasonable in my head. Any thought on a drifter vs asymmetrical spinnaker or would it not be worth the effort to add a Solent stay. Not looking to invest in a spinnaker furler.

Also looking at the photo would you use the anchor pins connections for a asymmetrical spinnaker with ATN tacker. Bow plate is cast.

 

[Hunter216]

Also looking at the photo would you use the anchor pins connections for a asymmetrical spinnaker with ATN tacker. Bow plate is cast.

Here is a photo of a rigged ATN tacker. The line from the tacker “cup” to the boat is really just to adjust the height of the tack of the sail. You really don’t even need the block, just tie it off to the bow cleat.

 

[Hayden Watson]

Your anchor roller is integrated to your stem fitting like mine so it is plenty strong enough. I use the anchor locking pin on my C30 but the pin is long enough that if the shackle was loaded in the center of the gap it would bend the pin. In engineering speak, the pin has sufficient shear capacity but not enough moment capacity for midpoint bending. I overcame this problem by using nylon washers to hold the shackle against one of the cheeks. You could also use a soft shackle to lash it to one of the rollers which would be stronger still because that would give you double shear instead of single.

 

[Voyager1]

Thanks for the photo, if I go with the asymmetrical spinnaker I think that will work. Connecting a block to the anchor pin and cleating it.

 

[Sailfanatic]

Thanks for the photo, if I go with the asymmetrical spinnaker I think that will work. Connecting a block to the anchor pin and cleating it.

So you want to consider the halyard you will use for this setup. If you spinnaker tack is in front of the headstay, you will want to jibe the sail in front of the forestay, in which case you want to have a halyard which is also in front of the forestay, ie a true spinnaker halyard hanging from a crane...

 

[Brian S]

Asyms and drifters are 2 different types of sails, mostly differentiated by how high they can point. An asym will do in deep angles, generally deeper than beam reaching, and drifters, being a stayed sail, will be better for closer angles on up to close hauled. A drifter can be used for deep angles if it's poled out with a gin pole. I think cruising asyms are cut flatter, and can go a bit higher angles than a racing asym, which is mostly for hotter angles gybing downwind, which is hoped to give you better speed over ground than drag racing dead downwind. It's something to discuss with your sailmaker.