Whisker pole

[David Irvine]

I want to get a whisker pole to pole out the genoa (not for spinnaker use).What do other owners recommend? A telescopic or fixed length pole? How should it be rigged? Do you need uphaul and downhaul lines? Where do others stow it? On the mast or on the deck? Any information welcome.

 

[Normand Fontaine]

Whisker poles

If you go to sailnet.com and do a search on whisker pole they have 12 articles on them that give you a lot of info on which type, rigging etc.

 

[Paul Walchenbach]

Forspar

I have a Forspar pole. It is approx. 10 to 12 feet long but telescopes to nearly double that length. I use it primarily to pole out my 135 when sailing down wind. The pole is stored vertically against the mast. One jaw end is clipped to a car which then is pulled up the mast on a track. The bottom jaw end is then strapped to the base of the mast. You could get a second car for the bottom end but the results in the pole rattling.Some of my best sailing has been with the 135 poled out to windward, the boom and full main pushed all the way out to leward (with a preventer holding it there) with a steady 25+ knot wind blowing me north from Seattle to Canada. Get one. You won't be sorry.