H260 Spinnaker Question

[Dave4991]

Recently purchased an lightly used (2001) Doyle asymmetrical spinnaker from for my 2003 H260 . Spinnaker has all control lines except sheets and came with a dousing sock attached. What is needed, if anything, at the masthead to allow swivel, etc. ? I know my mast has a messenger line for the spinnaker halyard, which I need to buy. Anyone know the diameter and length? Do I need a loop or anything at the masthead? If so, where can I purchase? How should I set this up? Thanks.

 

[Clark]

Dave, the spin halyard should exit the mast a foot or so above the forestay but not from the mast head. You need nothing up there; the sock should have a swivel inside it at the top and the halyard should have a swivel snap shackle. If you go to the Store on this site, Rigging, etc. they will select the proper length. IMHO, a good 5/16th is plenty big enough for a spinnaker halyard. Also, your sheets should be lightweight (maybe even a floating line) and each one should be ~2x the length of your boat = 50'.
You're gonna love your new sail. We just got one for our 280 last fall and had a blast with it.

 

[Dave4991]

Thank you for the advice. Spinnaker sheets that float sound like a good investment. Do you have/use a block at your furler to control sail height?

 

[Clark]

I have not set it up that way (yet). I've flown it a couple of times and I wanted to keep it as simple as possible so I just tied it to the anchor roller. I am mulling over a couple of ideas on how to route the control line back to the cockpit.

 

[BobSail]

Dave: To control the height, we set up ours with a block tied to the anchor roller and a line running back to the cabin roof cleat. The line runs outside the forward stanchion to keep it out of the way. I added a second spinlock to the starboard side for the spinnaker halyard. The upshot is, we almost never touch the height. I know it is used for adjusting to wind velocity, but we are not aggressive sailors, and typically use the chute in lighter wind conditions. We bought the sheets and halyard from this site using their line spec page for the specific boat model. You'll also need two turning blocks to feed the sheets back to the aft stanchion rail, allowing them to "turn" to the cabin-top winches. The boat manual has some drawings of the set-up with line specs. I think there is still an electronic version floating around. You might check George's site. We also bought the ATN "Tacker" that slips over the furled headsail and allows the sail to pivot around the headstay during a gibe. ATN has a video on their site of the tacker, dousing sock and chute in use.

 

[Clark]

Just a short addendum. Adjusting the luff according to wind speed may have value but I think the primary function was to vary it dependant on how deep one wished to sail. Snug it up tight and a beam reach and a little higher may be achieved. By relaxing that line, the spin will belly out more and project sail area forward to catch a little more air. Also, in the very light air we used ours last fall, the Tacker was mostly in the way. That may change when the wind gets up above 2-3 knots.

 

[Dave4991]

Is the ATN Tacker required for an asymmetrical spinnaker? I looked at the ATN site earlier, but was not sure it would be required. Did seem useful for a symmetrical sail. I don't have an anchor roller on my boat, so I'll need a connection near the roller furling. I have purchased the turning blocks and spinlocks already as suggested in the 260 manual. However, I still need the sheets and halyard and possibly more hardware. Thanks.

 

[Clark]

Dave, it seems as though I've read that the tack line can be tied to the bow eye. That might be one option for you. No, a Tacker is not required

 

[Dave4991]

Thanks Clark. I have seen pictures of a turning block attached at the tack, then led aft to a spinlock. This would allow height adjustment. Since I have a roller furler, I'd have to pin it in the aft hole with the block in the forward hole where the furler is now. But, adding a block at the bow eye would work as well! Thanks.