spinnaker

[plainssailor]

I have a new to me 25 oday. I have a spinnaker, which is labeled head, tack and clew. I just pulled it out over my backyard and it sure looks like it is symmetrical...a perfect triangle. Should I measure it w/tape measure or is it obvious, and just labelled incorrectly? I also have two bails on the mast, one at the very top and one three feet down from the top. The po had a halyard going through a block at the lower one, he said he never used the spin, so I am a little bit lost here. My thought is to put my new halyard at the top and then get a nylon balls with a cable through them to mount the bottom of the spinnaker to go around the furled up genoa. then run a sheet through an existing block down on the forstays chainplate, to keep it pulled down and not ride up the furled up genoa, back to the cockpit? I think it will work if I do indeed have a asym. what do you think?

 

[RichBone]

To see if it is symmetrical lay it out and fold it in half from the head to the foot. There should be a seam in the middle of the foot.

Rich

 

[jdratlif]

I have a 25 that came with a spinnaker that I got to use last year. IT sounds like my boat is rigged similar to yours. My mast has two halyards, Jib and Main, ran through the top of the mast. That is all that can be routed through the top. Like your mast, there is a block mounted about three feet from the top. Last year I bought a 5/16" braided line, and ran it through this block as a third halyard.

So when it came time to set up my spinnaker, I did it like so. I had to take down my head sail to free up two of the three halyards. I then pulled out my spinnaker took it to the bow to set it up. I used the jib halyard as the halyard for the spinnaker. I then ran the guy through the outside of all my rigging back to my aft track blocks that are used for larger head sails. I then attached my whisker pole to the windward side foot of the spinnaker. This foot had the spinnaker sheet already attached, I ran this line back through the other side aft track blocks. I then took that third halyard I installed, and attached it to the end of the whisker pole that was attached to the spinnaker. This halyard was now the topping lift for the spinnaker. Now the spinnaker was all set to raise. I first started by raising the spinnaker halyard to the appropriate height. I then tightened the windward sheet to give the spinnaker some shape and keep it from folding in on its self. I then pulled the topping lift until the whisker pole was perpendicular to the mast. I then did some final trim work with the sheet and let it ride. It was alot of work but was AWESOME!.

I am going to attach some photos for help.

 

[jdratlif]

I realized I mislabeled the sheet and guy. They should be opposite then how I described it.

 

[plainssailor]

Hey JD, Thanks for the info. I took my spinnaker and ran a tape measure to it to check if it is sym or asym. I have an asym, the measurement from the head to the clew and the head to the tack are about 18 inches different. I will be using a 130 genoa on roller furling, so I will not be able to drop the headsail. I saw somewhere yesterday a guy ran a loop of nylon balls around the furled headsail and this would hold the foot down of the spinnaker low near to the pulpit, and out in front of the forsail. That is what I want to do. No pole, and easy to operate I hope. I just don't know what theycall the balled loop or where to get one. Have you seen this set up on before? Thanks Again!

 

[CalebD]

Something like this? http://www.atninc.com/tacker_en.php

 

[jdratlif]

I think the link that Caleb gave is pretty accurate to what you have described. I've heard of people flying A syms without bowsprits before. They have always described it as sailing it like it is an over sized Genoa.