How do you use a Spinnaker/Cruising chute snuffer?

[Ben998]

Hi All,
The boat came with a spinnaker/crusing chute ( not sure of the difference ) in what I can only assume is a snuffer? Its a long bag with a plastic funnel at one end, similar in shape to the thing you put round a dogs neck when its had an operation.
We got the spinnaker flying on saturday on our way to poole for the first time ( followed the instructions I printed out from one of the sailmakers sites) which was great ( apart from the slight fact that it was flying with one of the sheets attached the spinnaker uphaul and the whole thing was therefore 120 degrees out /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif - if you saw it west of Hurst Point, it was me, I confess!). There werent any markings to know which 'corner' went where... there are now!!
Anyway, it flew briefly, but then I had to put it away. Im sure there is a proper technique for getting it in and out of the snuffer. Any advice gratefully received.

cheers,
Ben

 

[ex-Gladys]

Principle is the same for all, despite tech detail differences. Basically your funnel points down (^) and the sock/set of rings or whatever is above it. Chute goes into this in a long sausage.... Hoist whole lot up, some have an "unstuff" line which when pulled hoists the funnel and sock up to the top, and hey presto spinnaker is exposed to fill. As Haynes manuals say, recovery is the reverse... Pull the line that pulls the funnel down, and it snuffs your chute. Lower whole shebang at your leisure

 

[Swagman]

You should find the snuffer neck (that plastic dog collar bit) has a continuous line attached to it. If it's missing the last owner possible never used the snauffer - but found another use for the line!
The continual line goes from the neck, normally inside a sleeve sewn up the snuffer, to the head. There the line will go around a small block and back down to the bottom again.

The head of your spinnaker is normally fixed also into the top of the snuffer somewhere close to this block. They often sew in a ring or a wire strop to help facilitate fitting the sail and the halyeard.

So if the sail is not in the snuffer at the moment, you'll need to lay out the sail and then bunch up the snuffer almost condom like - feeding the snuffer over the sail from the top. It's best done on a clean jetty - or grass.
So as you draw down the neck of the snuffer over the sail - you'll eventually leave the two clews, plus the bottom end of the continual line, sticking out the neck at the bottom.

When you wish to use it - simply connect the top (again near that block ) to the spinnaker halyard - and hoist the whole lot up in the sky.

Fix the sheet and brace to the two clews, and as one person winds back the pole and then trims the sheet, you haul on the continual line to hoist the neck up the sail.

As the sail begins to fill, the neck may well take over and move upward of its own accord - but you do wish to keep a hand on the continual line as once it is all flying - you'll wish to tie that off loosely somewhere on deck.

To dowse - all you do is ease the pole forward and down slightly (to harden up the luff of the sail), and releasing the sheet to ease the pressure, you get under that hardened luff and haul on the continual line to bring the neck down and over the sail.

That's the theory.

The practice is usually filled in with swear words as the snuffer refuses to go up, refuses to come down. Or the sail fills fully with it half way up and stuck fast - and then you really do look like a wonker as it all carts you off downwind.

Enjoy

JOHN

 

[LORDNELSON]

1. A spinnaker is symetrical, a cruising chute is not.
2. The snuffer is made up with the spinnaker/chute inside it with the head of the sail at the top end of the snuffer (the end without the plastic funnel). The top end of the snuffer is hoisted to the top of the mast by means of the Spinnaker halyard with the sail inside it. The snuffer should be provided with a baling line which runs on an endless basis up inside the snuffer to the top and then down outside to the deck. The baling line is attached to the lower end of the snuffer and when you have attached the sheets/tack to the boat you haul on the baling line and this raises the plastic funnel to the mast head and, simultaneously, the sail fills from its foot upwards. To lower the sail you slacken the sheets and haul down on the baling line, this pulls down the plastic funnel and, dowses the sail. This is a very brief account. There were some good articles on this subject in the PBO about two years ago which would be worth reading before putting the above into practice!

 

[mtettmar]

[ QUOTE ]
The practice is usually filled in with swear words as the snuffer refuses to go up, refuses to come down. Or the sail fills fully with it half way up and stuck fast - and then you really do look like a wonker as it all carts you off downwind.

[/ QUOTE ]

No idea what you mean!

 

[Rigger]

Worth bearing in mind the continuous line can very quickly get pulled upwards as the chute fills,so make sure you wear gloves when handling it. (I didnt this summer and still have the scars to prove it!!) Best to raise/lower snuffer in lee of the mainsail,whilst running downwind.

 

[Cobra25]

Try these

http://www.kempsails.com/da/12071

There are others too

http://www.ukhalsey.com/home.asp

BOL

 

[claymore]

I have a wee block which I can snap onto a point down at the bow and I feed the continuous line through it. This makes raising and lowering of the snuffer simple

 

[sailorman]

that my Scotish friend is a great idea. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
i was just waiting to see if someone would come up with it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[temptress]

North sails have a vary usefull DVD covering this. I picked one up free at a boat show last year but yo umay fing it on their website.

 

[William_H]

I would imagine a snuffer is most usefull on a larger spinnacker where hauling up the halyard can be very difficult if the wind starts to fill the spin before it is right up. You bio does not indcate how big your boat or spn are but for smaller spin it is perhaps simpler to pull spin up without snuffer.
Likewise to retrieve you grab the sheet and haul into the front or main hatch while releasing the brace and the halyard is lowered slowly. In this case the brace rope must be free to run in the spin pole end so that the whole spin is stowed before the pole is disconnected from the brace (rope) and pole is stowed, I am guessing that you hoisted the spin without the snuffer on your last try. So now try the snuffer and see which one you like.
PS spin put on sideways is not uncommon just very obvious to spectators therefor very embarassing. Being one who uses individual jibs I find myself more depending on a spin in strong winds while racing simply because on a fractional rig the jib is so tiny when on the wind that a spin is necessary when running to give any decent sail area. The answer here of course is a tiny narrow flat spin. This of course is ideal for training on. good luck olewill

 

[Ben998]

Thanks for all the info, I will have another go this weekend if the conditions are ok.

cheers,
Ben

 

[claymore]

Hmm
well it saves all that tiresome work with the boathook trying to unthread the blasted line from the spreaders and it certainly helps when the Spinnaker needs to be doused in a rush and there's only the 2 of us.

 

[P57]

Easiest way to get the snuffer back down again (and I'm talking from having used one on a 2,700 sq.ft cruising chute on a 40 ton 72 footer) is to let the tack (of a cruising chute) or guy (on a spinnaker) go altogether by releasing the snap shackle. The free corner blows back behind the main and it takes much more load out than letting go the sheet end/hardening down the luff could ever do. It worked in 25 knots...........

 

[pappaecho]

Dont believe everything this far with regard to snuffers. I bought a new/ old boat this time last year and it came with a home made snuffer, the plastic collar of which was a cut down part of a 5 gallon wine fermenting barrel - how do I know.. because they sell the same units in my local winemaking shop!

It worked perfectly every time we used it. I borrowed a "professional" snuffer from another boat which looked the part, but invariably jammed, because the material of the "sausage " was too thick and it ruffled up 3/4 way up to the head of the sail. If therefore you see an Evasion 32, with a multicoloured chute with a home made plastic snuffer made from a wine making barrel in the Solent, then yes it is me

 

[claymore]

That would be a bit of a handful for your average husband and wife team don't you think?
To Let the snap shackle go on the spinnaker guy would mean bringing in the adjustable pole or lowering the fixed one so that you can actually get at the shackle. There's normally pressure on that lot in anything of a blow and it takes a fair amount of strength to stow the pole with the pressure of a cleated guy on it.

If you ease the sheet, the snuffer comes down quite easily and then once rid of flailing lines and flogging sail you can stow the pole, tidy up the guy and finish off snuffing the spinnaker.