whisker pole selection

[sandycohen]

Does anyone have recommendations on pole for use on a 32' masthead sloop with a 155% genoa? Specifically a pearson 32

The J is 13' - forespar's website tells me that a 6-12' pole with 1 1/4" diameter is only suitable for a boat up to 22' - this seems sort of ridiculous. They suggest a 10-18 pole, which would limit my ability to go below 10' as well.

Suggestions?

[tommays]

For the pole to work well on a 150 it has to be a good bit longer than a standard spinaker pole

The load is substantial on a 32' boat and to light a pole will fold up in a somewhat dangerous way

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by sandycohen

Does anyone have recommendations on pole for use on a 32' masthead sloop with a 155% genoa? Specifically a pearson 32

The J is 13' - forespar's website tells me that a 6-12' pole with 1 1/4" diameter is only suitable for a boat up to 22' - this seems sort of ridiculous. They suggest a 10-18 pole, which would limit my ability to go below 10' as well.

Suggestions?

Why would you need a pole of less than 10'? I could see the need for a reaching strut but that would be a separate pole of fixed length, rather than a retracted whisker pole. A 6-12 Pole would be of little value for a 155 on a 13' J.

[blt2ski]

If you race, and do the NFS or white sails, ie Non Flying Sails/ spinnakers. You can have a whisker pole that is up to 80% of the LP of the sail.

So assuming your 150 is 150% of 13', that would be 19.5' times .8 = 15.6' of potential max length pole. You could go smaller than your J which would be a pole of 13', but reality is, most will stick with a pole no less unless they really have to. So a 10-18 pole would work fine for your useage.

I use a 10-18 with a 12'J. I also have marks on the sliding pole, and the line we use to extend the pole for ea of my head sails, a mark for the 130, which is the J value, a mark for the 140 and 155. For my 110, I use the J value mark, or get out the actual spin pole.

Marty

[allene222]

My J is 13.5 and I love my 12-22 pole. I had a smaller pole but decided to get a bigger one when the smaller one bent completely into a C where both ends were pointing in the same direction just before it snapped. I use the pole at 20 feet for my 155 jib. Works great. The rules around here do not limit the pole length.

[GeorgeB]

The rough rules of thumb on whisker poles are: 1) 90% of the LP of your genoa (in feet) and 2) the length of the foot of your genoa. If I understand your dimensions correctly with a “J” of 13’, you are looking at a whisker pole with a max extension of 18’ (20’ if you go 100% of LP). A spinnaker pole will work well with a 110% lapper. My boat has a similar “J” as yours. I do use mine in pretty high wind conditions and out here, smaller diameter poles get broken all the time. My pole is 3˝ to 3” diameter.

[MarkSF]

George,

How do you get on handling that pole? Do you do it manually, or use the topping lift? I saw on the Forespar web site a system with a vertical track on the mast for the inner end of the whisker pole. Seems a bit over the top for my purposes.

The Bristol has a 155% Jib but I usually have it at about 100% for bay sailing.

Can I use a smaller pole if I keep the jib to 100% when it's in use?

[GeorgeB]

Although the compression forces aren’t as great as a spinnaker, you do want to align up the pole perpendicular to the mast and clew of the genoa. If the clews on all of your current (and future) genoas were at the same height, then you could get away with a single fixed ring on the mast. Most of us with multiple headsails, having at least a little track for adjustments is a good thing. On my boat, I opted for a long track as I also wanted to be able to fly spinnakers (dip pole gybing). I also went a little longer so I could store the pole on the mast rather than on deck. This added all sorts of extra rigging like a topping lift and a line adjustable track car. The topper is important as it really helps manage a heavy pole and it keeps the pole tip from dropping and causing a sag in the headsail especially in light winds.

So, I store the pole on the mast. To deploy, I attach and adjust the topping lift. Then drop the butt-end down to a preset mark for the headsail, clipping onto the sheet as I move the car. Once set, trim in the sheet and it is off to the races! Mark, your 155 and a whisker pole is a “killer” combination, perfect for the run home down the Estuary. You will want it at full extension just for that. Being able to adjust is nice as your clew geometry will rise as you furl in and shorten the sail.

[allene222]

The only problem with storing on the mast is that you need the jaw down and if you need to release the pole with the sail out, you need the jaw up. Most of the documentation online is aimed a furling jibs and rolling the jib up while you do any adjustments or setting of the pole. We race with a whisker pole and hanked on sails and have found the vendor documentation on how to do things useless. Our class is no spinnaker.