Just bought an asymmetrical spinnaker

[Bad Obsession]

Well, I bought a used asymmetrical spinnaker for my Compac 23. :dance:

It was cheap but it is supposed to be in really good shape (the reason it was cheap was that it has white, yellow, and blue panels and the blue bleed onto the white and yellow some).

So the dimensions of the sail are:
Luff: 25' 6"
Leech: 22' 10"
Foot: 15' 7

Another guy who has a Compac 23 says that his sail dimensions are:
Luff - 26.88'
Leech - 24.12'
Foot - 15.25'

It is not an exact match but everyone tells me that it should work okay. I am actually pretty excited because I have never flown an asymmetrical spinnaker but I have always wanted one for the summer light winds on the Chesapeake Bay.

I tend to sail single handed a lot. I do have an autopilot. I am thinking that I could rig and launch the spinnaker in light air okay (maybe moderate air also but I probably won't fly it in anything more that light to moderate air, 10 knots).

Does anyone else on here fly an asymmetrical spinnaker single handed? If so, I would love to hear any tips of tactics to make this work well.

 

[justsomeguy]

Thank goodness you have that autopilot. It really helps me out when flying my aspin solo.
If you're new to spinnakers, I'd start out by leaving the mainsail down until you get some time on the new sail.

The only other thing I can think of is a way to douse the thing quickly, such as a sock, when the wind pipes up unexpectedly.

Which will happen.

Great fun to fly them. Happy Festivus!

 

[Bad Obsession]

LOL....Not exactly new to spinnakers. A long time ago I was a spinnaker trimmer on a racing sailboat. That was one of my many crew jobs and I had actually done every crew job out there when I was younger. I am new to Asymmetrical spinnakers, I have a lot of hours with a symmetrical spinnaker. That being said, I have never flown one single handed.

 

[justsomeguy]

Give yourself lots of leeway for when you have to go forward to extricate the thing from your furled headsail!

 

[Joe]

On a boat your size, the need for a dousing sock is questionable. I would use a turtle bag clipped to lee side.... with the halyard and tack line running aft. Cheat out the tack line just before the hoist... then up she goes as fast as possible... just like when you were crewing.

Taking down the sail can be done from the companionway by releasing the halyard and tack line to pull the sail in under the boom with the sheet.

Using a dousing sock requires that you go forward for the hoist or take down.... on a 30 ft + boat it helps.

The biggest difference from your previous experience is the tack line. Rig an adjustable device that runs aft.

I rarely clip my asym tack to the forestay... for beam reaching, the tack line is tensioned to flatten the sail. For a broader point of sail ease the tack line for a fuller shape which also allows the spinnaker to float up higher, outside the pulpit.

 

[Ted]

It use to be popular to band spinnakers with rubber bands or yarn. You can band any style of spinnaker by placing rubber bands at 3-4 foot intervals to keep the luff and leech tapes together during the hoist, This method was very helpful because you are able to get the spinnaker fully hoisted before it filled. This is not really ecologically good practice and it is also against the racing rules. UK sailmakers has developed a simple way to band a spinnaker without having rubber bands land in the water during the hoist. It's the same principle but environmentally friendly. You can have your sail easily retrofitted or do it yourself. Check out the UK youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ6DteTOZ7I&feature=youtu.be I solo with my asymmetrical spinnaker all the time. Without banding, the hoist is more difficult than the douse. This system makes it almost foolproof. Have fun! You'll really enjoy the extra speed.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I know of banding and use to pack the sail to prep for the launch. One of the boats had a 1 ounce spinnaker for heavy weather and a helmsman who would launch it in crazy conditions. He made a boat plane that isn't supposed to plane....I'll put it that way.

Still, banding the sail was interesting and it was pretty cool to watch it go up and then the bands pop to fill the sail.....good times. Some of the broaches that we had with that sail were nasty and I left the claw marks on the deck to prove it!

only problem with banding is that some of the bands may not pop in a light weather launch.

So here is a big question....I am considering using the anchor roller as an attachment point. I will remove the stainless steel bail that is on there and put a stronger bail on it and put a block on the bail so I can adjust the tack. Attached is a picture of my bow on my boat. I do have a flex furler on it. Will this work or do you have any suggestions on this?

What size line would you use for the tack line? My halyard will be 5/16" and I am thinking the same size for my sheets. I will probably do 2 50' sheets for the spinnaker or 1 100 foot line that is attached permanently to the clue. WHich is better?

 

[justsomeguy]

Sure looks beefy enough.

Get the lightest-weight sheet(s) you dare.

 

[weinie]

Double check that you have all the lines running correctly. Sheets should be outside the shrouds and either forward or aft of the forestay depending on if you will gybe inside or out. Make sure the halyard is forward of the spreaders and not wrapped around the mast.
Prefeed the tack line so that it is ready to go before hoisting.
Gybing can be stressful alone so practice sailing on long straightaways where you won't have to gybe until you get the feel for it.
If you don't have a sock you can always douse the kite from the cockpit using the "letterbox" method (you can search youtube for videos on how to do it).

When flying the kite, the best way to trim it is to sheet it in and ease it out until the luff just starts to curl.

Don't try to sail too far down wind like you would with a symmetrical spinnaker.

 

[slaume]

I always leave the main up when the spinnaker is flying. It is much easier to handle the sail when you bring it in behind the main. I almost always sail alone. I use a sock and it is pretty fool proof.

I use two separate sheets and I usually only rig one of them. Most of the time I am flying the spinnaker, there will be a need to take it down before I need to jibe, Steve.

 

[RichH]

On a boat your size, the need for a dousing sock is questionable. I would use a turtle bag clipped to lee side.... with the halyard and tack line running aft. Cheat out the tack line just before the hoist... then up she goes as fast as possible... just like when you were crewing.

Taking down the sail can be done from the companionway by releasing the halyard and tack line to pull the sail in under the boom with the sheet.

Using a dousing sock requires that you go forward for the hoist or take down.... on a 30 ft + boat it helps.

The biggest difference from your previous experience is the tack line. Rig an adjustable device that runs aft.

I rarely clip my asym tack to the forestay... for beam reaching, the tack line is tensioned to flatten the sail. For a broader point of sail ease the tack line for a fuller shape which also allows the spinnaker to float up higher, outside the pulpit.

Totally agree with not using a 'sock' etc. on a boat that size. Instead run the spinn halyard all the way back to your cockpit and simply raise it 'as fast as possible' and with the sheet pre-marked to your normal (~225°) raising/dowsing course, while on starboard tack of course.
For dowsing simply ease the boom fully forward to blanket the spinn, release the tack line, the sheet still restrained in its winch/cleat, and PULL the spinn down (with the bitter end of the halyard cleated) as fast as possible and into a turtle bag affixed to the rail or down a hatch, etc.

For emergency dowsing (NO 'sock attached and bunched up at the head of the sail) .... Round up and TACK through the eye of the wind to go into a hove-to attitude and to lay the spin on the windward side of the mainsail, ..... keep the spinn sheet attached to its winch/cleat, first release the tack to pull the luff and most of the sail back and onto the windward side of the main, then release the halyard and 'peel' (pull down) the spinn thats now 'stuck' to the windward side of the main into its turtle bag or down a hatch, etc., then release the sheet. Only takes a few seconds to do but needs 'prior practice' in light winds. Be sure there are no 'sharps' in the rigging to tear the sail.

On a smaller boat a 'sock' and its control lines leads to mess of rope all over the place and adds unnecessary complexity to raising and dowsing - IMO.

Gybing -
If the sail will easily pass THROUGH the foretriangle (between the mast and forestay) consider to 'inside gybe' (through the foretriangle) instead of gybing the spinn out and around and in front of the boat. .... less chance of a 'wrap' of the spinn onto the forestay or having a spinn sheet go under the bow, with 'inside' gybes on smaller boats. Try this in 'benign' conditions first ... and of course, no 'sharps' in the rigging.

;-)

 

[DougM]

If you plan to sail solo, have you considered going to the expense of installing a furler? I understand that they can be used without major modification to the sail. Just a thought, it's only money...

For what its worth, I attach a block to a hole in the forward end of my anchor roller and run my tack line back to a spinlock on the cabin top That way it can be adjusted without going forward. With the halyard also led aft, its a fairly easy operation to hoist and douse ( other than the pile of sail cloth that ends up in the companionway).

 

[JTulls]

I was wondering about the furler option too...it would make the take down much easier.

I've never officially launched a spinnaker solo, but have done it shorthanded a number of times. Some tips I tend to follow:
-Sail low so the main blocks/depowers the spin
-Pre-feed the tack out to the end of the pole or wherever you're attaching the tack (having all the lines run back to the cockpit or within reach of the cockpit is really helpful). You will essentially 'strap' the foot, but don't cleat off the sheet so that once it's raised it will ease itself if it powers up
-Raise as fast as possible and grab the sheet and trim
-For the take down, I usually opt for a windward take down. Typically launch the chute on the port side, so if I'm sailing on a port gybe, I sail low and depower, then pull like mad to gybe the chute around and strap the foot along the windward side deck. Then you just pull the halyard, and let it collect onto the deck. Take a quick breather and then stuff into the bag.

I also usually run a single line for my sheets - find the middle and 'luggage tag' it to the clew, that way you can still remove it at the end of the day. Running one sheet just keeps the clew clear of big knots that can get hung up during gybes.

Hope that helps in some way! Good luck!

 

[sailorhokie]

When I bought my boat it came with an asymmetric spinnaker. Already attached was a Chutescoop. Finally got a chance to rig it and fly it. The Chutescoop was great.

Josh

 

[Jackdaw]

Bad,

For this sized boat, I'd advise learning to fly the kite without aids. Its the perfect sized boat to learn on, and the skills transfer up to bigger boats and sails. Once you rely on the aids, its hard to learn how NOT to use them, in particular if you end up on bigger boats. Its like ending up with a Ninja 900 motorcycle with training wheels.

Bands:
Banding is BAD for the environment and banned under the new racing rules. No.

Furlers:
Asym furlers are expensive and create as many problems as the solve. Finicky and prone to jam in all sorts of positions. I've been on several boats with them (as recently as last weekend) and I didn't like a one of them.

Socks:
Invented for offshore shorthanded racing, socks have their place. They allow a shorthanded crew the ability to deal with a kite in conditions is has no business being up in.

But for regular people, in regular conditions, I really recommend learning to deploy, fly, gibe, and douse a kite without the aids. More fun, better skills, lower cost! Plus you look bad-ass doing it. Never put up a sail you don't know how to take down in any situation.