The last time we sailed it was extremely light air. On the downwind run we had a lot of trouble keeping the sails full and had to motor cause our efforts were just truthfully a bust. We are now considering a spinnaker but are unsure due to what seems a lot of modifications to the boat to add this. Can anyone expound on their experiences adding this to a 94 23.5 hunter. We have no add ons other than a companionway cover and cringe at the thought of drilling into the deck, etc. Should we consider this or are there optional genoa sails for this boat that might help. All wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
Spinnaker install or not?
- Thread starter southernsailer
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You could start by tacking (gybing) downwind. DDW is slow in light air. By going back and forth you increase your speed and can keep the sails fuller.
I wasn't going to say anything about my new asymmetric chute until I could get pictures, but here is a preview. I have a H27, not much bigger then your boat. I've been working with the sailmaker to make me a "small" chute that I could fly by myself. I also required a bag or sometimes called a Turtle rather then a sock or a furler. I attached the bag just forward of the stanchions on the proper side, hook up the halyard and connect two sheets which go outside of everything including the forward stay.
I have a small Harken block attached to my anchor fitting and two Harken blocks attached on either side to my stern pulpit as turning blocks. For the downhaul line, it goes through the bow (anchor) block and back through guides on my stanchions where it ends in a jam cleat.
I go out on a light day (we're good for those types in the Northwest), hook up everything at the dock, head out and on a down wind leg, roll up my jib, pull on the spinnaker halyard and we sailing.
I did no drilling or bought any expensive gear. The sheets and the halyard came with the boat. So far biggest problem is forgetting to take the jib sheets off the winch so I can use the spinnaker sheets. I'll learn.
The chute cost me a thousand which included the necessary blocks and guides. It was made by a local loft about an hour away from me who is a Doyle rep. Jim Kitchen is great to work with and he is showing me some new stuff as we designed this rig.
Have fun--that is what a chute is for.
I have a small Harken block attached to my anchor fitting and two Harken blocks attached on either side to my stern pulpit as turning blocks. For the downhaul line, it goes through the bow (anchor) block and back through guides on my stanchions where it ends in a jam cleat.
I go out on a light day (we're good for those types in the Northwest), hook up everything at the dock, head out and on a down wind leg, roll up my jib, pull on the spinnaker halyard and we sailing.
I did no drilling or bought any expensive gear. The sheets and the halyard came with the boat. So far biggest problem is forgetting to take the jib sheets off the winch so I can use the spinnaker sheets. I'll learn.
The chute cost me a thousand which included the necessary blocks and guides. It was made by a local loft about an hour away from me who is a Doyle rep. Jim Kitchen is great to work with and he is showing me some new stuff as we designed this rig.
Have fun--that is what a chute is for.
southernsailer,
Have you tried a whisker pole to keep your jib in place when running? It's much cheaper than a spinnaker, less hardware to install, and can be used in a much broader set of wind conditions.
For our size boats, the poles are light enough they don't need lines to hold them up. All you add is a single bracket to the front of the mast.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|319697|103585|312078|855333&id=104139
Have you tried a whisker pole to keep your jib in place when running? It's much cheaper than a spinnaker, less hardware to install, and can be used in a much broader set of wind conditions.
For our size boats, the poles are light enough they don't need lines to hold them up. All you add is a single bracket to the front of the mast.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|319697|103585|312078|855333&id=104139
I agree with Les.I have a 25.5. I have the identical set up except I use a sock to douse the spinnaker. I am still learning and single handed is a little bit of a pain. I get frsutrated easily. Patience is needed and think it through.
When I bought my first boat O'Day 23 I didn't want to race and the salesman didn't educate me as to the possibilities and benefits of haveing a spinnaker so I didn't get one. Big mistake. The spinnaker on a 23 foot sailboat is small and easily handled by two people and can make the differance between motoring and sailing and they are a lot of fun to use making the boat go faster. Anyway, naturally not having a spinnaker I started raceing in the later years of owning the boat, I raced in the non-spinnaker class. When I bought this boat I ordered a spinnaker and found when I got to Lake Auman that I couldn't use it because of the short raceing courses and the shifty wind. My advice would be go with the conventional spinnaker and have a blast. Don't be nervous about the rigging needed for a spinnaker there is always someone around who knows how and will help.
We have a symmetrical spinnaker on our boat that came with the boat. I made some changes to the rigging this year to make it easier to control, but even when I had a kind of cob job setup for it, we had no problems flying it with just my wife and me. It's very handy to have in light winds...makes the difference between sailing or not. It's actually more fun in a little more than extremely light winds. However, if I had to spend 1k or more for a new setup, it would probably be low on my list. Though, if I bought a new boat (or new to us), a spinnaker would be a must have. It would probably be an asymmetrical (cruising) spinnaker on a different boat.
One other thing we installed that helps with sail shape in light winds is a boomkicker. Put one on this year and love it.
One other thing we installed that helps with sail shape in light winds is a boomkicker. Put one on this year and love it.
Ok great info. Espicially on chute option, I didn't even consider that. My original post may have been too vague though. My boat is basically factory virgin. Other than a jib halyard I have no hardware at all to run a spinnaker or chute. I will have to buy everything ground up. My real big issue though, is I have a serious aversion with drilling into deck ( I know I am a little crazy, but putting holes in my deck makes me have nightmares of soft decking down the road) I know that I will eventually have to but I am trying to get around this as long as possible. I've been burning the brain thinking about this and I wonder if I could possibly put snatch blocks on the anchor cleat and mast bridle hooks.(Our mast raising system has two solid hookup spots built into the lifeline posts on both sides of the mast and a cleat in the anchor locker. But will this work verses not being on the deck, the hook ups are less than six inches off the deck. Also, how much force will they need to support or will they be strickly for line running and the wench take the force? It is a straight shot from those two hooks to the jib winches at the cockpit. I am still learning and researching. Any comments, knowledge,experience, etc. is appreciated. I have absolutely no experience with spinnakers or chutes.
On mine, I have a d-ring on the mast to attach the spinnaker pole. I have a block part way up the mast for the uphaul. I use the jib halyard to raise the spinnaker. I tied blocks to the base of each of the forward most stantions on each side of the boat. I run separate downhauls then, on each side, through those blocks to the end of the spinnaker pole (not the center) and back to the cockpit. When you jibe, its another thing that has to be clipped and unclipped, though. No holes in deck needed. My turning blocks for the spinnaker sheets are tied on short pieces of line and then clipped onto the rings where the lifelines are attached near the stern of the boat.
The separate downhaul setup has just been installed and is untested as yet, but looks like it will work fine and be better than just attaching a single downhaul to the base of the mast (the way I did it before).
The separate downhaul setup has just been installed and is untested as yet, but looks like it will work fine and be better than just attaching a single downhaul to the base of the mast (the way I did it before).
Thanks, I really like this idea and it seems like a fairly simple alternative to standard installation. Thanks for explaining it clearly for me, it made it easy to picture. I think this is the route to take. How did you intall the block on the mast, rivets or screws. On our Hobie everything was riveted. Just curious since it held fine for you.
Not actually sure. I bought the boat with the spinnaker. It already had that block on. I just recently did the improvements to the rest of the spinnakerrigging myself. If I were to put a block on my mast, I'd drill, tap and bolt it, making sure to use loctite on the threads. It won't take much stress as it's only for the pole uphaul.
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