Spin/Whisker Pole

[T34C]

Does anyone have any experience building their own pole? I need a 14ft. (min) pole and having a hard time locating one short of buying new. I am considering buying the ends and then getting raw tubing to make-up a pole.

Anyone in the area know a yard that might have any used ones laying around?

[sailingdog]

I've found that it is often cheaper to buy a pre-made pole than to assemble your own from the parts.

[Faster]

...especially if you can find one in a marine consignment/used equipment store!

Hurricane areas should have lots of loose gear floating around somewhere!

[Hartley18]

Even if you can't find a complete pole, many boat yards, especially in racing areas, will have pole ends lying around someplace that you could fit to your own tube.

Many flash racers would rather buy a new pole than be bothered fixing a broken one.

Good luck!

[xort]

T
I was in Sailorman last week in ft L. I remember seeing spin pole ends. Didn't look closely but there was a selection.
I'm going to be in the consignment store in Ft. Pierce sometime between Sat & Tue. You could call them and I can confirm condition for you. I won't know much about the tech of a particular attachment tho.

There is a thread I made on this forum with a list of used & consignment shops. The one in Ft Pierce is on there.

[jjablonowski]

An article in the Fall 2007 issue of BoatWorks, entitled "An Inexpensive Whisker Pole," describes crafting an 8-ft. pole from an old boathook, using a Forespar spinnaker-pole hook (part # FP404002) and a bunch of 1-1/4-in. PVC pipe.
The whole affair is bolted together with dowels and mop handles for internal reinforcements. Used on a Precision 21. Author Clarence Jones contents total cost was "about $25, including the $16 mast ring (from Ronstan), but not including the boathook, which I already owned."

[papasailor]

I have a spinaker pole but will be racing in JAM this year and not sure about using the spin pole. The idea of a cheap (and no doubt) lighter whisker sounds good. Is there anyway to reference the article you mentioned on line or could you summarize how it was fabricated?

[T34C]

I agree with SD- and Fast-, could be a pain, and expensive, to assemble my own unless I can get a great deal on the ends.

x- I will check into that option. Thanks.

Does anyone know of a store/yard that might have used pole(s)?
I have a small pole (8-10 ft.) from an old boat of mine. It has 1 broken end currently. Anyone have a Macgeiver solution for extending this pole and attaching the end that is currently broke? (Can't hurt to ask right? )

[MIKEMCKEE]

Even though I hate to say it (west marine) has the end's of the pole you can buy and then attach them to the pole you have bought at the correct length.

Chief
s/v Blue Bayou

[T34C]

x- I tried Marine Connection Liquidators in Ft.Pierce. (Is that the one you were talking about?) They didn't have anything. They are liquidators of manufactures overstocks.