Packing Spinnakers?

[Little Rascal]

Is there a 'best' way to pack a spinnaker to avoid creases when storing it?

And also how about packing it so as to hoist it from the sail bag?

Cheers
Jon

 

[Magaz97]

Creases...oh bummer...I just stuff mine into the sail bag with the Head, Tack and Clew sticking out the top!

 

[sarabande]

start at the head and with two people (for a large spinny) run down the luff tapes gathering each tape separately in folds of about 3ft till you come to the tacks/clews. Bundle all the belly of the sail into the turtle without knotting it, and carefully place the two luff tapes and foot tape into the bag. The head and tack swivels should now appear in close proximity with all three tapes being visually continuous. Close the bag carefully.

The best way to avoid creases is to repack it every few weeks, if you really want to. Or use it !

 

[prv]

...and make sure the cooker is turned off and cold before you fill the cabin with spinnaker (made that mistake on a longer race)

Pete

 

[jimi]

hook tacks clews head rings onto cabin hatch handles, stuff rest of sail into bag, then tidy up, job done ;-)

 

[flaming]

Is there a 'best' way to pack a spinnaker to avoid creases when storing it?

And also how about packing it so as to hoist it from the sail bag?

Cheers
Jon

One of the more bizare things I've ever seen on a racing boat was a spinnaker being ironed in the cockpit. It later transpired that this was the result of an offhand comment from another boat being taken rather too seriously! Seriously, creases are unimportant and will dissapear within a couple of minutes of it being hoisted.

When I pack a kite I simply hang the head up (Lewmar hatch handles are ideal for this) then follow the two tapes down to the two clews making sure they are not twisted, and on oposite sides of the head, and throw the clews away from the centre of the sail when I get to them. If I'm in a hurry this is enough, and it gets rammed into the bag belly first with the clews and head poking out of their respective slots.

If I've got a bit more time (i.e. between races or after racing) I'll apply belt and braces and run the foot as well, as this enables me to have this tape on the top as well, which helps when sneaking the guy before the hoist.

Did one cowes week on a much bigger boat, where we were wooling the kites and then hoisting out of one of the many available hatches. Enormous kites, we used to send 3 people to pack them - luckily I was the nav so escpaed that duty!

 

[Quandary]

Impressed that the boats you race with carry an iron and ironing board!

 

[Martin_J]

As the others have done.. I could go into methods of packing it.. I'd rather just say..

Use a bag that is big enough and pack it away dry. If it's not dry then save it until you can hang it to dry (or re-use it again) before packing...

 

[Little Rascal]

Thanks chaps.

It has a recovery patch/D-ring for a chute downhaul, so I may make up some kind of fabric chute for it when I get round to it.

 

[flaming]

Impressed that the boats you race with carry an iron and ironing board!

We were a little suprised.... Less suprised when said boat finished DFL in every race though...

The large boat I did Cowes on had 2 240v hoovers on board, which didn't exactly help to make us competitive - though we doubtless amused the fleet by hoovering the decks during a wait for wind. However, it also came with a well stocked drinks cabinet and an invitation to dinner with Prince Philip!

 

[snowleopard]

I was told by an old sailmaker that you should just stuff sails into the bags, not fold them, so you don't get creases in the same place with risk of chafe.

 

[flaming]

I was told by an old sailmaker that you should just stuff sails into the bags, not fold them, so you don't get creases in the same place with risk of chafe.

Works with spinnakers and dacron sails - but not laminates. Stuffing a laminate sail into a bag simply ensures it lasts less than a season. The advice with laminates is to try and flake the sail in a different place each time. In practice the best way of doing this is making sure it's not always the same person doing the flaking each time.

 

[Resolution]

Impressed that the boats you race with carry an iron and ironing board!

How else do you keep the sharp creases into your white trousers?

 

[awol]

How else do you keep the sharp creases into your white trousers?

I thought the hands wore white while the afterguard wore salmon trousers.

 

[sailorman]

Is there a 'best' way to pack a spinnaker to avoid creases when storing it?

And also how about packing it so as to hoist it from the sail bag?

Cheers
Jon

use a small bucket with the bottom cut out slide elastic bands over the bucket from the bottom pull the sail head through the rim towards the bucket bottom pulling the luff tapes together, drop off a band as req to hold sail, proceed untill the Spi is through the bucket.
launch through the fore hatch or a laundry basket or similar

 

[dunedin]

Is there a 'best' way to pack a spinnaker to avoid creases when storing it?

And also how about packing it so as to hoist it from the sail bag?

Cheers
Jon

As others have said, the best way to pack a nylon spinnaker for hoisting is to stuff into the bag from the centre, taking care to keep the three coners out and the edges untwisted.
If stowed dry this is fine for most cruising chutes

But in answer to the original question, if a more valuable racing kite and/or storing for a long period it can be worth folding flat - folding in half head then flaking. Many dinghy racers certainly do this, and makes smaller for stowage. The hassle is that it is near impossible to hoist in this state so needs repacked before use.

Ignore sailmakers who suggest stuffing "white" sails, even dacron, into a sailbag without folding. This will destroy the surface filler very quickly. Will make sailmaker rich by early replacement ;-)

 

[machurley22]

Impressed that the boats you race with carry an iron and ironing board!

Doesn't everyone?

(From an ancient thread which ancient posters may recollect.)

 

[sailorman]

He would be better employed putting that iron down & sweating up that halliard

 

[Racecruiser]

I packed two spinnakers just yesterday and found that doing it my daughter's bedroom now she's back at uni is the perfect answer - nice and dry, plenty of room and the floor doesn't tip!

What everyone has said about 3 corners at the top and tracing the tapes is key.

Next topic - hoist and recover from main hatch, forward hatch, lee side by stays or from the pulpit?

I like main hatch, keeps the bag dry usually unless the kite's been trawled, generally goes back in ready for the next hoist and if you clip the bag to lines running from cabin bulkhead to hatch opening you can shove it forward where it should swing back and forth from the cabin ceiling contentedly.

Of course sheets (and guys if you have a bigger boat) do need to be plenty long enough.

 

[flaming]

I packed two spinnakers just yesterday and found that doing it my daughter's bedroom now she's back at uni is the perfect answer - nice and dry, plenty of room and the floor doesn't tip!

What everyone has said about 3 corners at the top and tracing the tapes is key.

Next topic - hoist and recover from main hatch, forward hatch, lee side by stays or from the pulpit?

I like main hatch, keeps the bag dry usually unless the kite's been trawled, generally goes back in ready for the next hoist and if you clip the bag to lines running from cabin bulkhead to hatch opening you can shove it forward where it should swing back and forth from the cabin ceiling contentedly.

Of course sheets (and guys if you have a bigger boat) do need to be plenty long enough.

We switched to the forward hatch last season. Much better.

First hoist is out of the bag, then drop down the hatch and rehoist from there. Don't even need to repack unless it was a really messy drop. Plus keeps the hatch free for the pit to work the halyards without being covered in kite. This is more important in cruiser racers where the cockpit gets crowded with a full crew on board.

And with no repacking, and no running lines (unless you need to swing the gear, which you shouldn't have to with a bit of forward planning) you have more weight on the rail more of the time.

Now we only drop down the main hatch if we had the "do you think it should go up at all?" conversation before we hoisted!