Whisker Pole Rigging

[TheJoe]

Anyone running a Whisker Pole for their genoa?

I got a pole as an x-mas gift.

I'm not sure what additional rigging I'll need to use it effectively.
A lot of images and videos online are for 30'-40' boats with pole tracks, uphauls, downhauls, and generlly more complex setups that I'd like to avoid.

I'd like to get the additonal/necessary rigging and hardware installed before I put the boat in the water for the season.

I have the Forspare 406100: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/forespar- ... -l--112110

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Joe

[Chinook]

All you need to do is install a pad eye on the front of your mast with a pair of self tapping screws. I think the pad eye for our whisker pole is about 4 feet up, on the mast. The spring clip at one end of the pole attaches to the ring at the clew of the genoa, and the other clips to the pad eye, after being adjusted out to proper extension. It's also handy to tie short nylon lines to the eyes on the clips at each end of the pole. This makes it easier to unsnap the pole when it's time to take it down.

[Wind Chime]

We installed a 4 foot 1" T-Track with rings. I though if I was going to install two screws for one ring I might as well install a few more screws to install the track and give me options.

We also have a topping lift and a down haul to use if wind is up - this keeps the pole level.

If you are just going to install one ring, the height should be about the same as your clew, when the jib/genoa is furled. also, the opening of the pole clamps jaw faces down when using a headsail, but up when using a spinnaker.

Tip: if you're poled out on the headsail, chances are you are sailing wing-on-wing so always a good idea to rig a preventer on the mainsail. Some other tips: http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Projects/Whi ... ctions.pdf

(the genoa sheet is caught on the ring in this photo, only downside I have found)

[Tomfoolery]

I don't have one on this boat, but I had one on my last, which was 34 ft. It had a fractional rig and only a working jib. I found a line-control whisker pole for sale cheap (lots of $$ for those big ones), and added the ring to the mast. Since I only had the one head sail, there was no need to change its height. But I messed with it a bit to find the right height for the ring, which is generally whatever makes the pole parallel to the water. You can do this on land if you want - just level the boat's slime line and raise the genoa on a calm day.

I clipped my whisker pole to the sheet itself, so it could slide through the hook. That way, I could pre-assemble the whisker pole to the jib and sheet, extend it all the way, then unfurl the sail. It would walk to the clew on its own.

I also use the spinnaker halyard to take some of the weight off the pole. I had the halyard marked for the right elevation to support the pole, as I recall, though that's not critical. I would think you'd be ok without a topping lift to the pole, though, at least to start out. You may find you have no need for one, but if you wanted one, it's not hard to add another hound above the jib/forestay hound.

I also used a preventer sometimes, to tension against the sheet so it didn't flop with light winds and a bit of wave or wake action. Also not required, but very easy to make if you wanted one, even with permanent hardware on each end so it just snaps on quickly.

But to start out, all you really need is the ring on the mast, set to the right height. Anything else is a nice-to-have, or not necessary and a-pain-to-use.

Oh, and get thee some mounts to hold it on your lifeline stanchions for ready access. It's a pain storing stuff like that below decks.

[Chinook]

Tip: if you're poled out on the headsail, chances are you are sailing wing-on-wing so always a good idea to rig a preventer on the mainsail.

Ditto regarding the preventer. I have a pair of 50 lines set up on our boat, one for each side. I've rigged loops on one end of the lines, which is secured to stern railings. The lines then go forward, along the outside edge of the deck, and go through blocks which are connected to the bow pulpit rail uprights. The lines then run back to the stern railings. I've attached snap shackles to the ends of these lines, and I have a pad eye mounted on the underside of the boom, out near the end. Whenever I'm sailing downwind, with the main payed out, I simply free up the end of this preventer line, reach out and snap the shackle onto the padeye, and then pull in the slack until the boom is held tight, and then cleat off the line. Having preventer lines always in place means that it's easy to rig up every time, without having to go forward with a line. Also, it's occasionally handy to have that 50 foot line available up on deck.

[kadet]

For a quick easy preventer just unhook the vang from the base of the mast and attach it to the either side stanchion and snug up.

[TheJoe]

Thanks for all the replies.

The pole came with an eye to attach to the mast, but it's plastic and I'd rather put holes in the mast for something I know will last. I bought a 3/8" stainless lift eye to replace the nut to the bolt that holds the gooseneck to the mast. From the replies you guys posted and photo's I've seen online, this might be a bit low. It's easy enough to add something later once I see how it's all going to work.

I've been wanting to install a topping lift, could I simply bowline it to the clew or sheet to uphaul the pole?

My 222 came to me pretty bare bones except for haylards run aft and evidence that it might have had a furler at some time.

[Tomfoolery]

Buy a hound kit from BWY. Mount it about 18" above the forestay hound, and put a small block on it. Mount a cleat to the mast, large enough for the 5/16" line you'll probably use for the halyard/topping lift. Now you're half set for a spinnaker, and you can use the spin halyard for a topping lift for the whisker pole.

Alternatively, you can just add another block to the existing hound. Or, if you have a furler that doesn't use the jib halyard, use the jib halyard.

Hard to make suggestions without seeing the boat and rigging, though.

[TheJoe]

It's a masthead rig. No furler. I'll try and get some pics up.

[RobertB]

The plastic eye sold with the pole works fine and was designed for that pole. You do not need any other rigging for the pole - but a way to hold the main out previously mentioned using the vang sounds good (I use a snap shackle at the base of my vang so this is easy). The pole stores easily inside the boat. Bigger poles often are mounted to store on the mast but IMO this would expose the pole to too much salt - important due to the fact this is not a fixed length pole.
The topping lift is very useful - a simple metal fairlead at the top of the mast to one at the end of the boom. Install two eye snaps at the line at the boom end - one that holds the boom above the bimini when not sailing and one a bit longer when sailing.

[kadet]

The plastic eye sold with the pole works fine and was designed for that pole

Till it breaks like mine did Replaced it with a stainless steel ring on a track now and is much better, track helps set at different heights for Jib, Genoa and Spinnaker.

[Catigale]

A lot of us have used the Forespar 6/12 on these boats, because it's cheap.

If you clip the pole up onto the ring it works better than clipping from the top. Harder to explain in words than this is.

[Cougar]

Is the Forespar 6/12 really up to the job? I see it's recommended for boats up to 22', and then for light use only.

[RobertB]

I considered the following that led to choosing the 6-12 Forespar.
Functional reach - a bit short for a 150 Genoa but can either furl the sail a bit or just have a fuller sail. Reality, nothing about this boat is optimum, accept tradeoffs.
Storage issues - the next larger pole on the market is much heavier. Harder to handle on the boat and more of an issue to store. I chose to store inside since salt spray on the tubes if left there will damage the tubes and make hard to extend and retract.
Cost - There is a real large cost break between this one and the next up.

[kadet]

Is the Forespar 6/12 really up to the job? I see it's recommended for boats up to 22', and then for light use only.

Yes cause a 26 carries the rig of a regular 20" sailboat