Cruising chute - am I missing the point?

[DJE]

If I tried to do that the pole would be just above the guard rail because I have a fairly big roach in the luff. I assume that you have a fairly straight luff or it is fairly short to start with. Mine is set with the tack just below the pulpit & I can ease it off about 3 feet. But then the luff is very round.

This is the same sail set conventionally and sailing deep, with the tack line eased we could get the luff to fly upwind of the forestay by careful trimming.
For closer reaching we would pull the tack down to just about the top of the pulpit.

 

[Daydream believer]

If I tried to fly it as high as that in any sort of sea it would become unstable & difficult to set.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Having had both cruising chutes and spinakers, I found the spinaker more stable due downwind. I intended to try flying the cruising chute as a spinaker or with a poled out tack to see if that worked but sold it and that boat before I got round to it.

Present boat now has a 140% genoa which is much less bother but still thinking of second hand kite for very light airs.

Some useful tips in this discusion

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Having had both cruising chutes and spinakers, I found the spinaker more stable due downwind. I intended to try flying the cruising chute as a spinaker or with a poled out tack to see if that worked but sold it and that boat before I got round to it

I'm not very experienced with downwind sails but I always use a pole going down hill with a cruising chute. I like chutes lots, surprising how close to the wind you can get. Close reach no bother. Adjustable tack and "flag" gybes work for me. Snatch blocks on toe rail help too. As a singlehander, I would not fly one without a snuffer.

 

[Daydream believer]

As a singlehander, I would not fly one without a snuffer.

As a single hander that was the first thing that had to go. Could not take the risk

 

[Mudisox]

An interesting set of views and discussion. When I had one [with a snuffler] albeit on a Catamaran, I found that I could achieve success by using the windward bow for deeper angles, or from the central point for reaching. Or Goosewinged, dead down wind using the leeward bow. Only tried it in lighter winds though. If is too floppy to use, ............................................turn the engine on.

 

[Daydream believer]

I spoke to a Belgian friend who has the same sort of boat as me but with a short bowsprit. He has bought a code zero on a furler. I wish that I had known about this when I first had the boat as I would not have bothered with a cruising chute. He can use it much closer to the wind. He can pole it out to windward & it furls very easily. He races a lot & it has improved his results.
As a single handed sailor I would prefer it to a furling cruising chute as it would set much easier & have that edge upwind where it would be so much easier to set.
Of course it would cost a lot more. But in the grand scheme of things a sail one can use is better than one that stays in the locker