warwicksail
Well-Known Member
I Have a 22' westerly bilge keel cruiser and was wondering what the best way of getting more sail on her?
Crusing Chute or spinaker
- Thread starter warwicksail
- Start date
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
Definitely a Cruising chute...
Spinnakers are great sails, but can be troublesome creatures, and also require a healthy additional investment in a pole and control lines...
CC's are easier to handle and give just as much umphh.... but they will not work dead downwind though...
Spinnakers are great sails, but can be troublesome creatures, and also require a healthy additional investment in a pole and control lines...
CC's are easier to handle and give just as much umphh.... but they will not work dead downwind though...
doug748
Well-Known Member
Shorthanded I always find a cruising chute works well. I have never got on with launching socks as they require you to be at both ends of the boat ot once. Just lauch out of the bag, from the sidedeck, in front of the main. Bear in mind it is a reaching sail and downwind you will need a long pole, thus you may feel it is then not worth the effort and pole out the genoa instead; esp if you only have a pole designed for a spinnaker. If you intend to dabble in a bit of club racing nothing beats the spinnaker, but downwind, in brisk conditions, shorthanded, perhaps offshore a poled out genny has a lot of advantages. Fit a gybe protector on the main though.
bedouin
Well-Known Member
Go for the cruising chute (with sock IMHO).
When tacked down to the bow it is much easier to handle than a symmetric spinnaker.
It won't work downwind very well without a pole, but with a pole you have the choice of either setting it on the pole as you would with a symmetric or polling out the clew as you would with a poled out genoa.
A symmetric has only two advantages over a cruising chute - (a) It is larger and will work better downwind (b) gybing a cruising chute when set on the spinnaker pole is complicated.
I have both symmetric and asymmetric spinnakers but I can't remember the last time I bothered to use the symmetric.
When tacked down to the bow it is much easier to handle than a symmetric spinnaker.
It won't work downwind very well without a pole, but with a pole you have the choice of either setting it on the pole as you would with a symmetric or polling out the clew as you would with a poled out genoa.
A symmetric has only two advantages over a cruising chute - (a) It is larger and will work better downwind (b) gybing a cruising chute when set on the spinnaker pole is complicated.
I have both symmetric and asymmetric spinnakers but I can't remember the last time I bothered to use the symmetric.
lw395
Well-Known Member
For a bigger boat, I would say cruising chute, but for a 22 footer, a conventional chute should be fairly manageable, even two up. You might get a used from from a racing keel boat quite cheaply. Size isn't critical, so long as you can see under it!
Have fun.
Have fun.
WayneS
Well-Known Member
Is it the Westerly 22 from the 60's. if so, is it Gunter or Bermudan rigged?
I had a gunter rig W22 and we fitted a cruising chute. Due to the relatively large main and the fact that the chute only hoisted to the top of the standing mast, it was next to useless when more than 120deg off the wind (Unless we dropped the main)
While easier to fly a cruising chute, I would recommend a symmetrical spinny on a gunter rig.
If however you have a bermudan rig, then a cruising chute should see you through 160deg off the wind and I would go with that. You could, as we will shortly be doing, improve this further but using a pole to pull the tack of the chute to windward so you get the best of both worlds.
Good luck
Wayne
I had a gunter rig W22 and we fitted a cruising chute. Due to the relatively large main and the fact that the chute only hoisted to the top of the standing mast, it was next to useless when more than 120deg off the wind (Unless we dropped the main)
While easier to fly a cruising chute, I would recommend a symmetrical spinny on a gunter rig.
If however you have a bermudan rig, then a cruising chute should see you through 160deg off the wind and I would go with that. You could, as we will shortly be doing, improve this further but using a pole to pull the tack of the chute to windward so you get the best of both worlds.
Good luck
Wayne
Inselaffe
Well-Known Member
I have both on my 22 footer.
I find both very manageable, even on my own as its a small boat.
I used to use a snuffer, but the lines would get tangled, so I took it off, and they are both now much easier to get up and down without it
The pain with the cruising chute is that the wind always seems to shift round dead astern just as I finish getting it up & then I wish I had put up the spinaker as the chute dont work downwind.
I hadnt thought of poling out the chute, how does that work then? tack to the spinaker pole end with a guy to it?
A spinaker will need a pole and uphaul and downhaul, the chute wont.
Best trick I learnt when on my own was from here (of course) & that was to throw the end of the halyard overboard before uncleating it, then the drag on the halyard in the water means that the sail drops down nice and slowly as you pull it & the sail dont go into the water.
I find both very manageable, even on my own as its a small boat.
I used to use a snuffer, but the lines would get tangled, so I took it off, and they are both now much easier to get up and down without it
The pain with the cruising chute is that the wind always seems to shift round dead astern just as I finish getting it up & then I wish I had put up the spinaker as the chute dont work downwind.
I hadnt thought of poling out the chute, how does that work then? tack to the spinaker pole end with a guy to it?
A spinaker will need a pole and uphaul and downhaul, the chute wont.
Best trick I learnt when on my own was from here (of course) & that was to throw the end of the halyard overboard before uncleating it, then the drag on the halyard in the water means that the sail drops down nice and slowly as you pull it & the sail dont go into the water.
VicS
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Is it the Westerly 22 from the 60's
[/ QUOTE ] Warwicksail's user name is a pretty good clue to the Westerly model he sails.
His profile is even more informative:
Boat make/model Westerly Warwick /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Is it the Westerly 22 from the 60's
[/ QUOTE ] Warwicksail's user name is a pretty good clue to the Westerly model he sails.
His profile is even more informative:
Boat make/model Westerly Warwick /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
bbg
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I hadnt thought of poling out the chute, how does that work then? tack to the spinaker pole end with a guy to it?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, the tack has two lines attached: tack line and guy. Guy goes back through the pole and led like a normal guy. It takes a bit of coordination to ease off the tack line (you will need a long and adjustable one) while taking pressure on the guy, and vice versa.
Gybing an assymetric that is flown from a pole is really best done only with a well oiled race crew, but is a pleasure to watch when done well.
I hadnt thought of poling out the chute, how does that work then? tack to the spinaker pole end with a guy to it?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, the tack has two lines attached: tack line and guy. Guy goes back through the pole and led like a normal guy. It takes a bit of coordination to ease off the tack line (you will need a long and adjustable one) while taking pressure on the guy, and vice versa.
Gybing an assymetric that is flown from a pole is really best done only with a well oiled race crew, but is a pleasure to watch when done well.
dave_gibsea
Well-Known Member
Get a Spinnaker! don't waste your money on a cruisng chute. I bought a cruising chute a few years ago and it's useless on a broad reach or run unless poled out like a proper spinnaker, then being asymetric it can't be gybed like a symetrical spinnaker. I really wish we had bought a spinnaker from day one and I have just ordered one. They are easy to tame provided you remember to pull up and take down on a dead run and get the sail behind the main. A tri-radial or full radial will be good from a close reach to a dead run.
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