Hints on using a cruising chute

Most useful thing I've learned about a chute is that when snuffing it is important to de-power the sail by loosing the tack and allowing the luff to flag. That way the sock slides easily down the leech and snuffs the sail. If you try to de-power by loosing the sheet you'll find it not effective and you can't snuff a semi powered up sail. Need a snap shackle on the tack line. The other name for a chute is a divorce-maker!
 
My tip is to simplify things at first by rigging only one sheet. Find somewhere where you can go a decent distance with the wind on one quarter, and choose a day with a steady gentle breeze. First time at least you will just want to play with the sail and find out how to trim it so you won't want to gybe it and one sheet gives you one less rope to get tangled. You can actually gybe by walking the sheet forward and taking it around the forestay and back down the other side of the boat. I have used mine single handed that way, though snuffing it was hard due to the halyard being taken back to the cockpit. This year I plan to re-rig so that the halyard is handled at the mast.
 
Paul1972stevens said:
Never used one and just got one anyone used one much??? Any hints on how to get the best out of it. Whether and rigging etc
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They're just a form of assymetric spinnaker. Best for reaching or broad reaching. Generally very poor dead downwind (although better if you drop the main).

I guess if you've never used one, pick a calm day to experiment. I guess no bowsprit, so you'll probably have somewhere to attach the tack for'd of the forestay. There might be a tack line running through a block at the bow, but that's less likely on a cruiser.

Spinnaker halyards come out of the mast above the forestay. Check the halyard won't wrap around the forestay or any other halyard before attaching it to the head of the sail.

Run the sheet outside everything as far as the block for it somewhere on the quarter then on to the most suitable winch.

When rigging the lines think about where it is going to be when hoisted. Just try to mentally picture it up there, which should help you spot lines run the wrong way.

For lesson one, just use one sheet (means you can't gybe with it up).

Do you have a snuffer (a tube containing the chute)? If so hoist that then use the lines to raise the snuffer whilst hauling on the sheet. Sometimes you need to pull the clew out to start the process.

Without a snuffer, hoist from the bag (clip the bag on unless you want an excuse to buy a new one). Don't sheet on until the halyard is made (i.e. at the top of the mast) as otherwise someone could end up with scorched fingers.

Getting it down. (Best cover this now rather than in a subsequent thread :) )

With snuffer, pull line to bring snuffer down - easing sheet slowly as it is done. Once snuffed, lower gently.

Without snuffer, grab the sheet, blow the tack and pull in. Let the halyard down and grab the spinnaker as fast as you can and bundle it down the companionway - use the halyard to stop it dropping so fast it goes in the water.
 
Robih said:
Most useful thing I've learned about a chute is that when snuffing it is important to de-power the sail by loosing the tack and allowing the luff to flag. That way the sock slides easily down the leech and snuffs the sail. If you try to de-power by loosing the sheet you'll find it not effective and you can't snuff a semi powered up sail. Need a snap shackle on the tack line. The other name for a chute is a divorce-maker!
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Not my experience, I snuff while just easing the sheet.
 
Hadenough said:
In fact, (slight TD) my usual difficulty is getting the thing to deploy. The clew sometimes jams in the sock ring.
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I have always had my snuffers just shorter than the length of the leech, thus leaving the clew exposed so as to avoid that same problem. A further advantage of this is that I can make the sheet fast with the exposed clew as far aft as it can go while still in the sock and the tack pendant having a slight tension on it. Then, when I start to hoist the sock, the sail will billow out smoothly and drawing as fast as it is exposed. I need to do it this way as most times I am on my own.
 
I see that those two articles differ in their suggestions for gybing. Goode advocates gybing ahead of the luff, Kemps advocate gybing 'through the slot'. What do folks find the easiest, most reliable? Is one way easier than another if single/short handed?
 
alahol2 said:
I see that those two articles differ in their suggestions for gybing. Goode advocates gybing ahead of the luff, Kemps advocate gybing 'through the slot'. What do folks find the easiest, most reliable? Is one way easier than another if single/short handed?
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I think all of the boats I've raced on do an outside gybe of the assymetric most of the time. An inside gybe is just more likely to go wrong with friction slowing the gybe and the sail ending up around the forestay.
 
lpdsn said:
I think all of the boats I've raced on do an outside gybe of the assymetric most of the time. An inside gybe is just more likely to go wrong with friction slowing the gybe and the sail ending up around the forestay.
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Thinking about it some more, how do you keep the lazy sheet out of the water and keep from sailing over the top of it?
 
alahol2 said:
Thinking about it some more, how do you keep the lazy sheet out of the water and keep from sailing over the top of it?
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Using a single long sheet I just do a slow gybe by walking the sheet forward, passing it round the forestay and the tack line then taking it back on the other side of the boat. Short or single handed I turn dead downwind to let the sail collapse before going forward and turn fully onto the opposite gybe once I have re-secured the sheet.
 
Last edited:
I gave up on a sock, too difficult singlehanded.
I now use a top down furler. The asymetrix is stored on the furling rope, I hoist the furled sail from the cockpit and get the sheets sorted, then unfurl the sail.
To get it down I furl the sail from the cockpit, it can then stay where it is until I can lower the furled sail safely.
Getting rid of the sock has transformed the way I use the asymetrix, it's much easier and less stressful.
The only problem is that torque ropes and continuous line furling systems tend to be expensive.
 
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