Whisker Poles - How Often Do You Use Them?

[montenido]

Hi all. I am finally getting my boat squared away and I am looking at the whisker pole, mounted on the forward port deck. I have never used one and don't know if I will. If I don't use it, it is simply a trip hazard. So my question to you all is, do you use your whisker pole, and if so, how often and under what conditions?

Thanks in advance, I do value the experienced advice that I get here.

[sailaway21]

We're often confronted with light air here in the midwest and wish to run before the wind with something more than just our main but less than a spinnaker. With a whisker pole you can run wing and wing with a 150% genoa poled out to windward. If you don't encounter such situations you might want to remove it or stow it below decks.

[capttb]

Depends how much you sail downwind, Catalina Island to Dana Point and points south DDW all day, the island to King Harbor you might never sail downwind. If you decide to sell, I'm in the market.

[Plumper]

I use mine all the time. It is a telescoping pole so it works with all my heasdsails in all winds. I love it.

[LittleMissMagic]

I use mine all the time too. It can be a pain to set, especially if you are single handing, but if is usually worth the effort if you are sailing DDW for a reasonable distance. My boat has a hard time going wing on wing without it so the whisker pole just keeps me from having to constantly baby the sheets.

[Packrat]

Hi Guys, I know what they are used for but what other lines/rigging do I need to use one. The jib sheet goes thru the outbound end of the pole but is there a preventer? Other details you can share? Please clarify. Thanks

[tdw]

Ref the Telescopic pole, does that mean you have a spinnaker pole as well ?

I don't find them a pain to handle provided they are set up properly, effectively as if we are about to launch a spinnaker. Furl headsail, raise pole off deck with uphaul, attach pole to mast, controlling with uphaul/downhaul, end resting on pulpit, sheet run through the jaws, let her rip.

[sailingdog]

Don't really use one or need one. Having an 18' beam makes it really unnecessary.

[jimmalkin]

We use a rigid pole for wing/wing with our 130 Genoa and set it up as Mssr. Wombat advises. Be aware that a whisker poles effort pushes inboard to the mast (as opposed to pulling outboard from the mast as a spinnaker pole) so that you may want the inboard end run to pad eye type fittings on backing plates attached port and stb on the mast to absorb the inbound load. The ring fittings on the forward end of the mast will distort from being pushed by the force of the load - this was our experience.

We also will use the whisker pole on occasion when we want to set the assym spinn out to weather.

We store ours on the stanchions in rubber clips - keeps them up and away from toes and from seas breaking over the foredeck.

[speciald]

Try this web site:
Forespar: Marine Products that Perform