Which whisker pole

[Ben4195]

Hi folks,

I've never learned the proper, legal way to use a whisker pole. On my old Catalina 25 and my friend's Ranger 26-2 I simply used a converted telescoping painter's pole and extended it out to what "felt" right. It's my understanding, however, that if the pole is extended too far, I'm no longer legal if racing.

I've never used a whisker pole on my current boat, a Beneteau 361, but I'm thinking of getting one this year. Am I correct in saying that the whisker pole I select should extend as far as the length of the foot of my headsail? In my case, the foot of my headsail is just over 19 feet. That seems REALLY long for a whisker pole. Am I misunderstanding the racing rules? My boat actually came with a whisker pole (that I've never used), but it's only about 9 feet long.

If I do indeed need a pole that goes out to 19 feet, I'm thinking this would be a good option:
Forespar Tri-Reacher, 8'8" to 20'8"
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/forespar--tri-reacher-whisker-pole-uxp-uxp-ends--14473789?recordNum=2

Or should I go with this:
Forespar Line Control Telescoping Whisker Pole 12'-22'
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|2358541|2692579&id=104011

Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[markwbird]

That is correct. The whisker pole should be the length of the foot of the headsail. Big boat. Big pole.

 

[Ben4195]

Thanks so much for the clarification, Mark.

Does anyone have thoughts on either whisker pole? It would seem to me the tri-reacher would be the better choice because of the shorter length when collapsed.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

There is a racing rule for the length of spinnaker pole. Or you can also accept a "penalty" for using a spinnaker pole longer than the J dimension with a larger spinnaker. Is there really a rule for a whisker pole? I suspect it would be moot ... as most racers that use a pole with a head sail would be using a spinnaker instead. I would guess that the tri-reacher would be heavier and maybe more complicated to use because it would have 3 poles instead of 2. For that reason, I would probably select the telescoping whisker pole. But there may be other compelling reasons to select the tri-reacher instead of the telescoping pole.

 

[Ben4195]

Thanks for the thoughts, Scott. I, unfortunately, do not have a spinnaker. And when I race (Wednesday beer can) on my friend's Ranger, I race JAM anyway. All the other JAM racers use a whisker pole, which is why my team made one out of a painter's pole. I raced my B361 in one race last year, and went from 1st place to 3rd place, largely due to the long down wind run with no whisker pole.

 

[joker460]

@Ben4195
Have you seen this vid?

It's the same set up I have on my B352

 

[Ben4195]

Joker, just watched it; very informative. I hadn't thought of looking on Youtube. Thanks for that. I like the idea of having it stowed on the mast and deployed using a topping lift. I don't have that hardware though. I supposed I have some decisions to make.

 

[Jumpstart]

Ben 4195. Check these guys out. https://whiskerpole.net/ Way cheaper way to get a whisker pole. PHRF_LE rules limit extension of pole to J length. With your J of 13.94 I'd guess that you would need the 12' one that telescopes.

 

[Ben4195]

Wednightracer, maybe I'm confused; the J length is the length of the foot of the sail, isn't it? If so, my foot is 19+ feet in length. Thanks for the tip on the alternative source for a whisker pole. They certainly are expensive, so finding a more economical solution is definitely a win.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

I have a Forespar line control pole - the 10-18' model which is smaller and cheaper than the one you listed. Honestly, the tri reacher would probably work as well. On my boat (36' C&C 110), with a 135 headsail, I never extend the pole the all of the way. I usually try to extend the pole at 90 degrees to the boat (straight out) and I pull the clew of the sail back to the boat. So the pole is most of the way extended, but not all of the way.

I use these chocks for storage:
Forespar Stanchion Mounted Pole Chock

And they are great.

In previous years I used the spinnaker halyard as a topping lift. This year I had a proper whisker pole lift installed and I hope that makes it easier to gybe.

Lastly, that video is fine for cruising but no one will be rolling up the sail if they are racing.

Have fun and buy the pole while it's on sale. Be careful about shipping. The first pole i received got damaged in shipping. The end of the box was crushed and when I pulled the pole out the jaws were damaged. I refused delivery. Defender shipped a new one immediately (at their coast) and that one arrived in perfect condition.

Good luck,
Barry

 

[Hayden Watson]

Wednightracer, maybe I'm confused; the J length is the length of the foot of the sail, isn't it? If so, my foot is 19+ feet in length. Thanks for the tip on the alternative source for a whisker pole. They certainly are expensive, so finding a more economical solution is definitely a win.

You will need to check your local racing rules but in the Pacific Northwest PHRF the rules limit the length of the whisker pole and spinnaker pole to J which is the distance from the tack of the jib to the mast (measured at 90º to mast). on my C30, J = 13.16' but the LP of my 135% I = 17.7' and my 150% = 19.7'. When racing PHRF I cannot extend the pole beyond 13.16 and am required to paint a black band on the pole showing that length. When cruising I extend it out to LP.
I have a 12-22 aluminum and store it on the mast like the video above and it is really handy. I have used the technique of furling the genoa while still on the pole when caught by a squall line. Wind line come in, furl. Wind passes, run it back out. never leave the cockpit.
When I jibe, I furl with pole on, mast-man runs the mast end of the pole up high enough for the bowman to move the pole to the other side of the forestay, clips in the new sheet and the mast man drops the pole back down. Then the cockpit crew trims in the new sheet, deploying the genoa. If they are practiced, it is done in the time it takes to turn the boat to the new jibe angle.

 

[Joe]

The "J" is the length of the foredeck from mast to stem head.

 

[Jumpstart]

Ben4195. The above posts are right about the J dimension which is in your case 13.94. You would paint a black band at that dimension on an adjustable pole for racing under the PHRF-LE rules. I assume you are racing with the HBYC folks on Sandusky Bay. Good luck and beat Waypoint while your at it.

 

[Ben4195]

Thanks everyone for the clarification. And thanks for the Good Luck wishes, Wednightracer! Waypoint is definitely a tough boat, but I have brand new tri-radial main and genoa, so with a proper whisker pole, I'm hoping I can give them a challenge.