I purchased a whisker pole for my Oday 26, and I don't have a topping lift I can use to support the pole. Trying to hold it in position manually is a real bummer! Any and all advise/suggestions about installing an adjustable topping lift to support the pole would be greatly appreciated.
Topping Lift
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One of my friends in the YC gave me a Forespar whisker Pole last year that he had on his Hunter 27. In the spring, I always set my mast up on the boat while it's on the trailer next to the house and even make sure the outboard is running. This year I put the sails on, particular the Gennie on the furler so that I could mount a pad eye on the front of my mast for the whisker pole. After getting the correct height, I drilled and tapped the mast for screw threads. I keep the whisker pole in the cabin. It would be nice to store it on the mast with a fancy sliding pad eye, but I would worry that someone would steal it off my boat. I try to stow my valuables under lock and key whenever possible and the less things I need to stow on my boat the better.
No I don't. This whisker pole was given to my by a member who has a hunter 27. To tell you the truth, I've never used a whisker pole. I used to use my telescoping boat pole for a whisker pole. I'd tie it to the mast. This whisker pole is an older telescopic Forespar with a prong on one end. I would have favored one with the pad eye extrusions on both ends, but beggars can't be choosers I guess. I tried it out a few weeks ago and it works great. If I need a topping lift, I could use my Jib halyard because my CDI Furler has it's own halyard built right into the furler.
To tell you the truth, I don't think I would really need the topping lift. The pole isn't that heavy to warrant using one. I only used it that once while running down the river, but the big test will be when I run back from Bristol RI across Mount Hope Bay back toward the Taunton River maybe next week if the wind is in the SW.
I've always wanted a whisker pole for years but I never wanted to lay out the big bucks they get for them. We have three marine consignment stores close by but I've never been able to find one that was the right size for my boat. The one that my friend gave me is the right size for my boat and it's adjustable. There is no way I'm going to leave it hanging vertical on my mast though. I'm stowing it in the cabin. Stuff like that have a tendency to grow legs and walk away if left out on the deck.
Thanks Joe, I keep my whisker pole in the cabin as well. Too expensive not to. Have a great saile.
Richard
Richard
Richard,
The only advice I can give you is to install a track for a sliding pad eye on your mast. That way, you can adjust the height for different sized sails. I didn't do this because my Gennie is more of cruising sail that I really favor. The sail is up swept with a higher clew that doesn't obstruct my view. When it comes time to buy another sail, I'm going to have it cut the same way as this one.
Penny and I went out to the bay on Tuesday and on our way back the next day, I set up my whisker pole and ran back wing & wing under light winds and that boat moved a heck of a lot faster with that pole up. I even used it coming up the river up to our club.
We had a great little cruise and I lucked out with a 31" Striper.
Joe
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Nice Fish Joe....always a bonus. We are still dialing in our boat and havent fished it yet, but we are getting it set up for fishing.
What is the purpose of your cross bar on the stern of your boat? I am referring to the stainless rail section that connects the factory port and starboard aft railing.
What is the purpose of your cross bar on the stern of your boat? I am referring to the stainless rail section that connects the factory port and starboard aft railing.
I had that made up for my detachable mast crutch many years ago. It's part of my mast raising/lowering rig with me stainless steel Gin Pole. I used to remove it and stow it in the cabin but I've grown to really like having it to lean on while I'm sailing so I bolted it to my stern rail permanent. Yesterday I tied a 5'X7' polytarp to it and we used the tarp for a Bimini top while we were sailing back. I just tie the tarp off to the hoop and the lifelines and prop up the center with my boat hook. It looks real stupid but it protected us from the sun.
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I try to limit my electronics to just the autopilot and the VHF radio Rich. I removed the dome light fixtures from inside the cabin a few years ago and installed self contained LED lights in their place.
Which reminds me. I need to try and fix my Standard Voyager Horizon VHF radio. The volume pot needs cleaning or replacing. I bought this radio in 1987 and it was state of the art back then and built especially for sailboats. I really hate to part with it. Don't laugh. It has 40 channels expandable to 55, scanning, PA intercom for both hailing and communication on the boat, plus two separate sets of weather channels.
Rich,
I'm not that much into marine electronics. I still have my hand held Garmin 12 that I bought in 1998. I used it for the first time in a couple of years just yesterday to mark off some coordinates of our YC "No Wake" signs out off our mooring field per order of our local harbormaster. He said that the coordinances that one of our members gave him previously, showed the signs were on land. It turns out that I got the same numbers on my Garmin 12 and was able to plot them in my Richardson's Chart book. Later on, I got in my boat and hit "Go To," on my GPS and my Garmin took me to both of them.
The Harbormaster probably has a map GPS and the screens on them seldom show the buoys in the right place, but I'll let him figure that one out.
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