DIY Bowsprit - Jeanneau 35 ?

[pagoda]

I've sailed assorted racing dinghies for years, several with self-launching short bowsprits - and asymmetric kites. My current single hander has this system. Relatively easy to deal with.
I have a nice big asymmetric gennaker on my "big" boat, which I sail with the tack line attached to the anchor pinning fitting at the bow. It uses the conventional kite pole downhaul line to control the position of the tack and to be honest isn't bad. It is a little close to the forestay for gybing, so I 've considered the Selden Bowsprit on a few occasions. But sort of balked at the expense for something fairly simple.
However - going past the marina recycling bins, what did I find (and recover promptly!) but another spinnaker pole (standard) . It's unmarked, but far too long , but cut in half, with a fabricated U bracket and closed end, and maybe a support pad for the foredeck I could have something close to the Selden system. At minimal cost.
Has anybody else tried this?

Graeme

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I'll alert FullCircle to this post... He's got an SO35, and he made and fitted his own bowsprit very successfully.

 

[BAtoo]

Should work but I think I'd consider a strop from the pole end down to an eye bolt on the stem as I'm not sure how strong the tube will be. When used as a spinny pole the bending moment is resisted by the pole uphaul & downhaul.

 

[FullCircle]

I went all through the loop of doing it myself, added up the cost of the bits, inclusding brackets and clever snap fittings, and tack line through castings. Sketched it all up, took the measurements, worked out the maximum length of the pole unsupported, worked out a bobstay fitting.

Then I went and bought a Selden, because it actually works, and I still have 2 anchor rollers to use.
It is a joy to use and neatly stores in the pushpit fitting back to first stanchion.
Worse still, I bought the larger diameter, and now have more than a metre of pole out the front.

I went completely bonkers and bought a Crusader Magic Furl, but thats another story.