Cal 28-2 Spinnaker Rating

[JohnnyBall]

Does anyone know if a Cal 28-2 was designed to carry a symmetrical spinnaker with a pole. The forward lower shrouds prevent the pole from being positioned correctly for down wind, with a standard symetrical spinnaker.

We race using the Portsmouth handicap rating system. According to Portsmouth, a handicap adjustment is assigned to boats in a "Class normally witouth spinnaker, carrying one." Consequently, I need to determine weather the Cal 28-2 was designed to race with a standard symmetrical spinnaker and not an asymetrical genaker. Unfortunately, I do not know who to ask to find the asnwer.

A freind, who has a Catalina 27, had a similar problem. He has fore and aft lower shrouds, which prevented the pole from being aligned properly for downwind legs. He called Catalina Yachts and asked if they had a solution that would effectively allow him to carry and race with a symetrical spinnaker. Catalina told him the boat was not designed for a symetrical spinnaker only an asymetrical type genaker, since the boat was primairly desiged for cruising.

Anyone having any ideas or persons to contact on this issue would be appreciated.

Johnny

[Faster]

I wouldn't worry about the lower shroud interference with pole position. It's pretty rare to be sailing that square downwind, and in any case the few degrees the pole is from abeam will not make any significant difference.

If you've got the gear, just pull the pole back as far as it will go (if indeed you're going that deep) and trim to suit. Remember that as a rule of thumb the pole ought to be around 90 deg to the apparent wind angle.

[sailingfool]

Ditto Faster's advice, the CAl 28-2 will fly a symmetric spinnaker just fine, the presence to a lower forward shroud is immaterial. The Portsmouth comment just means that if you get a rating that don't allow for a spinnaker, it needs an adjustment if you want to fly one, which would be true whether you flew a symmetric or asym. I would say the Cal was not designed with a particular spinnaker in mind, the owner can add whatever the owner wishes, however, if it were designed for a symmetric, there'd be a sprit on the bow.

[angus99]

We don't have a spinnaker, but we've had the whisker pole trimmed pretty far aft when running wing and wing. It's possible to impinge on the shroud, but as others have said, probably no need to trim that close.