Trogear Bowsprit?

Ted · Nov 21, 2018

There are two sides to every story. Here is one of them. The person who posted this video on YouTube claimed that Trogear does not offer a warranty, but that is not the case. The product looks like it would tick most of my "pros" boxes.

Here is Trogear's warranty.

Product Warranty:

Trogear SAS (Trogear) warrants the goods manufactured or sold by it to be free of defects in materials or workmanship for three (3) years, and unless otherwise stated, from the date of purchase by the original purchaser except that:

This warranty shall not apply to any product which has been improperly fitted, improperly maintained, altered, abused or used in any application for which it was not intended.
This warranty shall not apply for damage resulting from corrosion, ultra violet degradation or wear and tear.
This warranty shall not apply if the product was used in conditions that exceed the product’s performance specifications, safe working loads or other than cruising or recreational use.
- AS-25: Max Asymmetrical Spinnaker 1000 ft2 (93 m2), Code 0 800 ft2 (75 m2) / SWL: 2100 lbs
- AS-30 (discontinued model June 2018): Max Asymmetrical Spinnaker 1000 ft2 (93 m2), Code 0 800 ft2 (75 m2) / SWL: 2100 lbs
- AS-30R: Max Asymmetrical Spinnaker 1500 ft2 (140 m2), Code 0 1200 ft2 (111 m2) / SWL: 3000 lbs
- AS-40: Max Asymmetrical Spinnaker 2000 ft2 (186 m2), Code 0 1600 ft2 (150 m2) / SWL: 4000 lbs.
- AS-50: Max Asymmetrical Spinnaker 2200 ft2 (204 m2), Code 0 1760 ft2 (165 m2) / SWL: 4400 lbs
Trogear’s liability shall be limited to the repair or replacement, at its discretion, of the defective goods.
Trogear requires return of any damaged goods for inspection. This warranty shall not apply if goods are not returned upon request from Trogear SAS.

Trogear shall not be liable for:

Any loss of anticipated turnover or profit or indirect, consequential or economic loss;
Damages, costs or expenses payable to any third party;
Any damage to yachts or equipment;
Death or personal Injury (unless caused by Trogear’s negligence).

(updated June 7, 2018)

Ted · Nov 22, 2018

I've been following the Trogear bow sprits for about 5 years and have noticed that they have made changes to their specifications and maximum load recommendations. I guess that real world use has discovered some areas of concern and Trogear is addressing them. (after the fact) Once these products are in the hands of the public, (especially racers), all bets are off. I still like the product.

jssailem · Nov 22, 2018

I first looked at the product in 2014. It was interesting yet priced beyond my project budget.
I suspect like many new ideas there is a need to test it in customer useage.
At the price it is going to take some time for the use/feedback loop to yield a mature product.

FastOlson · Nov 22, 2018

A friend has one on his O-34, racing in Chicago. Likes it a Lot; and he races a Lot.
He spent the necessary time to do a really well-finished and detailed install, I should add.
(Important no matter what sort of thingy you add to your boat!)

It's one of the examples featured on the vendor web site, as well.
If I were still campaigning a boat, I would probably put one on ours. We are just cruisers and day sailors nowadays. Also, our (river) sailing venue is mostly upwind and DW. So there is less need for an A-sail. When the breeze is light we do use our tri-radial chute.

BTW, an extendable sprit works well, but done right I doubt that you save much money... and a sprit either gets in the way on the foredeck or if mounted thru the topsides at the bow provides a way for water to get into the boat.

Meriachee · Nov 22, 2018

Two things stand out, the fact that there's less than a mm of material around the fitting is, and is not concerning, as part of the overall design, the load is not centered on that tiny area, but spread over the entire area, but at the same time, being so close to the fitting, if a fracture started there, it would spread rapidly. Doubling the material (not necessarily expressed as doubling the thickness) would certainly help with the inevitable shock loads that would contribute to the failure. The strength of carbon parts is not necessarily measured in thickness. I learned this with landing gear on the drones. Impart loads in the direction(s) of the construction, and the stuff is darn near impossible to break. Do the same laterally to the construction and they break quite easily. The stuff is just fibres and resin after all.

The thing that is really interesting in the warranty is the commentary about UV. Carbon gets hotter in the sun than untreated aluminium. If there's no uv covering, how long will this stuff last?

Jackdaw · Nov 23, 2018

It’s clever, but I’ve never liked the fact that it is held up by the load of the sail or a bungee. But that being said, it works well.

I love that boat in the video, a Beneteau First 300 Spirt... a cousin to the First 260. Like BlueJ, that boat the only example in the USA. Funny enough, when we bought the first 36.7, we had three boats in mind. The 367, that 300 AND BlueJ. We bought the 367, and a year later, sold our old First 235 and bought BlueJ. But I still miss the opportunity to get the 300.

Jackdaw · Nov 23, 2018

Gunni said:
I have seen a couple of these things rigged and in both cases the bobstay was an amsteel or similar line that unclips and there is a retaining strap or cradle to control downward movement. Paul Cronin details some of that in the second video. I think the appeal of this sprit is for cruisers who don’t want to ship their anchors for downwind work. But when you need it out of the way (like at anchor, or coming to dock) it comes up and clear of the ground tackle. You know, like when you find a nice anchorage in the Keys and need to deploy that 45lb Vulcan and it’s 60ft of BBB chain!

Agree with all of that. Plus it avoids the fixed prod issue of adding costly LOA to your boat!