Cruising chute snuffer - recommendations?

[Boeingdr]

I am wanting to purchase a snuffer for my cruising chute. My boat is 26ft seamaster, I often sail single or shorthanded so the idea is to ease the job of hoisting and recovering the chute. My local sail loft have recommended a snuffer called "Spare Hand" by suffolk sails, does anybody have one? do they work well?
Any other recommendations?
Thanks

 

[Twister_Ken]

Don't think there's any great science or art in building a snuffer. Usually, it's an option when buying a coloured sail. Would have thought that any sailmaker could run one up for you if you give them the dimensions of the chute.

 

[claymore]

Owen sails made one for me when I got my Grey spinnaker from them. Its brilliant.

 

[FullCircle]

Did you change your snuffer when you got the green spinnaker then? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Aja]

[ QUOTE ]
Owen sails made one for me when I got my Grey spinnaker from them. Its brilliant.

[/ QUOTE ]

Never seen brilliant grey before.....

.......A bit like light green is it?

Donald

 

[claymore]

The snuffer is white so brilliant fits it. (twice)
Brilliant to use
Brilliant white

The spinnaker is grey.
The spinnaker is not green.
GREY

 

[phatcat1]

No, its a sort of Karkhi (or is that Kakky!)

 

[Aja]

Don't remember saying your spinnaker was green. Getting a bit touchy again.

Donald

 

[pampas]

Have made two, from top 1/2 of a plastic bucket, length of that green/blue Debri used on scafolding site, and a load of small cable ties. who is going to see it when its 25Ft+ up a mast and 2 miles away, scrounge the debri from a building site or buy a 50 meter roll and go into production. ASDA buckets are good because they have a pouring lip in which you can hide the uphaul fittings. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Chrissie]

I dont have a 'Spare Hand' but I really like my snuffer, I have found that you need to stow it away carefully, so that you can retrieve it without a tangle,
But I can highly recomend them, I have to lash the tiller while I sort it out and wish it could be opperated from the cockpit, but at least I can use the cruising chute, which I couldnt without the snuffer. It saves a lot of time.

 

[Adonnante]

I have been using ATN snuffers for years they are robust and work well, not as cheap as Asda buckets however.

Peter.

 

[Boeingdr]

Ok thanks for all the replies, looks like the overall responce is that they are usefull and it doesnt really matter which make you buy (im too lazy to make my own from buckets) thanks for the replies!

 

[Santana379]

Wouldn't be without a snuffer.

Furthermore the Suffolk Sails ones are a cut above the ones I've owned, with excellent detailing such as a separate sleeve in the "sausage" for the downhaul to prevent it fouling the sail.

Little Knot

 

[jb2006]

Wouldnt sail short handed without one - reminds me ... that's something else I need to buy this year /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[geoffatstanpit]

Don't expect them to work in the rain. Think - putting your trousers on with wet feet!

 

[ditchcrawler]

I have used a snuffer for some years on various boats & they work well.As Little Knot says look for an integral pocket for the control lines to prevent chafe & a breathable mesh type material to allow air to escape as you dowse the sail(ie pull it down).I looked at several at the boat show & ordered one from Hyde Sails as it met my criteria

 

[DaveS]

Well, here's a counter view. When I got my cruising chute (made by Kent) I bought a snuffer too. After a few attempts at using it I gave up, and it now lives in the loft rather than on the boat. If I got my act together I would flog it.

The problem may lie with this particular make, however, rather than snuffers in general. Mine has a bell end (no comments, please /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) of GRP which is (a) quite heavy, and (b) quite small. This means it tends to bang about when aloft, and jam on the sail when snuffing. I have seen others with a lamp shade type plastic funnel (sort of thing a dog with fleas might wear) and perhaps they're better.

Of course there remains the issue of looking after and securing the extra string...

 

[sailorgirl]

I think there is some science behind it cos we have one snuffer that works well and one that if it can go wrong it will go wrong. The nicely behaved one is made of a light slinky grey knitted material with an oval "bucket" - slides down the kite nicely when snuffing.

The other is made of light-ish spinnaker material which doesn't scrunch up well when the kite is flying and has a round "bucket".

The major difference tho was in the price - the nice one was twice the price of the other one... very many beer vouchers!

 

[Sixpence]

.

 

[Robin]

Some years back PBO did a comparison test of snuffers and Crusader's version came out tops despite being one of the cheaper ones. We had one which we used for a spinnaker on our then W33 and it worked very well. We now have a bigger boat and a ginormous asymetric sail with a North snuffer which is one of the ones with an aerated sleeve and it too works very well. The North one came with the boat and probably a 2nd mortgage.