Telescoping whisker pole selection

[Mick Laver]

I would like to mount a whisker pole on my mast. I see too many sitting in stanchion chocks unused because of the effort required to deploy them, especially short-handed. Jon W was kind enough to show me his elegant setup for a fixed-length pole, but for a variety of reasons I think one of Forespar's LC poles (either the 10-18 or 12-22) would work better for me.

Here's the question: Forespar's spec states the 10-18 is for "boats up to 33 ft", but if you go to their selection page (http://www.forespar.com/whisker2011.shtml#C_LIST) the 10-18 is the recommended pole for our boats. Huh? I wrote to Forespar and the response I got from Randy Risvold was

"The 10-18 Line Control is the correct one for a Catalina 34. The 12-22 will be too heavy."

It would be nice to use the lighter pole since this will be on the mast. The cost savings helps too. However, I'm curious if other C34 owners have had issues with the 10-18, and perhaps the 12-22 is a better choice - in spite of Forespar's recommendation.

Thanks.

[Noah]

I'm shopping too, and heard 10-18 as well. Weight 17 lbs. Also considered their 50/50 carbon/aluminum (factory cut down) to correct size, but is 25+ lb. and costs over 2x as much. Mick, please let me know what you find out.

[J_Sail]

There is a nice "tips" pdf on the Forespar site that might be helpful. If you are not sailing in heavy winds then I suspect that the advice they gave to use the smaller pole should be fine. I called them once for info on a pole for my friend's boat and they seemed on the ball. Of course, it also depends on the length of the foot of the jib you will use it on.

http://www.forespar.com/pdf/techTips/F6-Whisker-Pole-Why-Checklist-Drawing-Jibing.pdf

Also, the brochure at:
https://www.forespar.com/pdf/F6.1-whisker-pole-brochure.pdf
lists the various weights. 
LC 10-18 is 17-18 lbs
LC 12-22 is 27-28 lbs (unless opting for the expensive carbon options, which are 24 lbs with carbon inner pole or 19 lbs for full carbon)

Jeremy

P.S. A rigging guy once told me that Harken makes a slimmer profile on-mast mounting system that has fewer issues with snagging jib sheets than the ForeSpar system.

[Noah]

Jon- was your track installed while mast was stepped or out of the boat? Mick, what is your plan regarding installing the track? In a bosun's chair?

[Jon W]

The track was installed when the mast was out of the boat. Lots of upgrades done at the same time while out of the boat.

[Jim Hardesty]

I would like to mount a whisker pole on my mast. I see too many sitting in stanchion chocks unused because of the effort required to deploy them, especially short-handed.

Mick,
I've thought about adding a whisker pole myself.  Decided that I would only do the expense and effort if I were to join a  JAM racing fleet.  For moderate downwind sailing I use an asymmetrical spinnaker with a sock.  I can do that single handed.  On my wishlist is a furling a-sail.  Do you have or have considered that alternative?  I'm not trying to start a discussion of the usefulness of whisker poles.  Only want to put my 2-cents in and help a fellow sailor spend his boat bucks where they would be most used.
Fair winds,
Jim

[Roc]

I have a top down furler for the a-sym sail.  Bamar is the one I purchased a few years ago.  It takes some learning but I like the advantages over the sock (other than cost).  I used to have a sock before I made the plunge and went for the top down furler.  It coils up in the bag (thin snake) and takes up way less room than a sail inside the bag with a sock.  I can set it ready to go at the dock before I leave.  I can furl and unfurl from the cockpit.   When changing direction, and I don't need it like heading upwind, I can furl it and use the genoa, keeping the furled a-sym ready to used on the next leg of the trip.  I can take it down when back at the dock, or anchored.

Since I purchased the Bamar, there are many suppliers that have come out with their own version of a top down furler.  At the time, I bought the Bamar because they've been making top down furlers for over a decade.  I like that they had the adjustable tack, but many new models from various suppliers now also have that option.

[Mick Laver]

Hi all.
Noah: Since I'm looking at a 10 ft 1 1/4" T-track that'll start about 2 ft off the deck, definitely a bosun's chair. Once the first hole is tapped and the bolt threaded in the rest should be gravy. I helped a friend do a short track (4 ft, I think) on his mast  with a while back, and it was more laborious than difficult. We tapped every hole in the track, but thanks to the recommendation of Jon W's rigger you really don't have to do *every* one. Since I'll probably need a rigger to help with the sheaves and cleats to adjust the spin car up and down the track I may just break down and ask him to do it all. The parts (LC 10-18 pole, FC125 car, mast chock, 10 ft track and end pieces) would run around $1700. Still would need a foreguy and aftguy and car control pieces, so I'd figure about 1 BU more. Ouch.

Jim/Roc: Yes an A-sail on a furler would be wonderful. The new-ish Harken Reflex 1 is pretty slick. You're not the first ones to recommend an asym over a whisker pole, and to tell the truth I'm not totally locked in to either. True, cost-wise it's definitely not a one-or-the-other choice; a new asym, Harken Reflex, associated jibsheets and fairleads would probably run closer to $4.5K. That said, does spending that kind of money on something you use all the time make more sense than spending less on something you use rarely? Or is this even the way to look at it?

I just got an email from my sailmaker. He's have a 10% off end-of-season sale on new sails. Oh no ...

[Noah]

Mick et al, how do you use a top down furler on our boats without installing a bow sprit or removing our standard roller furlers?

[Mick Laver]

Noah: On our boat there's a bale at the end of the anchor roller where the furler would attach. I'm not sure if this was a special order by the original owner.
- Mick

[Noah]

Mine too. However, not sure if there is room for another furler drum, especially with my Mason Supreme anchor in the bow roller?

[KWKloeber]

That would be a lot of darn strain on a the anchor roller, nest pas??

k

[Mick Laver]

Noah. The CQR in that picture has long since been replaced by a Rocna, so our situations are similar. I'll PM the sailmaker I've been talking to so maybe you can ask him directly.

[Noah]

Thx Mick!

[KWKloeber]

top down asym chute furler on a sprit.

retractable.adjustable downhaul and he has actually deployed it single-handed.