Pole for poling out the genoa - how long?

[Coaster]

On a 30" boat I use a 10 foot aluminium pole for my 150% genoa. It's a TV aerial pole and was relatively cheap and very light. A couple of end fittings and you'll have a whisker pole. If it's a bit too long given your smaller sail, remove an end fitting and cut a bit off.

Where do you store a pole four times the length of the boat?

More seriously, thanks for the TV aerial pole suggestion. It's seems likely to be just what I'm looking for.

 

[Aeolus]

30'

 

[Lodesman77]

Not in my experience. In fact I use my spinnaker pole to boom out my 150% headsail on a run.

Like most people, I used to use my spinnaker pole and found it perfectly adequate. However, when I got the opportunity to pick up a telescopic whisker pole I found the extra length to be of value; it holds the sail in a better shape and further out from the mainsail shadow and greatly reduces the collapse/fill effect as a result. So not essential but worthwhile, on my boat at least.

 

[Poignard]

Many thanks for the advice and opinions.

 

[reeac]

When I wanted to make a whisker pole for my 1936 dayboat a few years ago I checked on the web and found a site which said that the length should be 1.1J. That sounded a bit long but I drew diagrams which supported that figure so I made a pole and it's proved to be exactly right. I actually made it by planing down a rather hefty spinnacker pole to an octagonal cross-section with a slight taper towards the outer end, retaining the original bronze mast fitting but shortening the pole and fitting a cut-down boathook end at the outer end. The knob on that boathook fits throught the jib clew.

 

[VicS]

Mine is made from a sturdy bamboo pole that was in the centre of a roll of carpet.

The cardboard tubes they use these days make lousy whisker poles.

 

[Poignard]

Mine is made from a sturdy bamboo pole that was in the centre of a roll of carpet.

The cardboard tubes they us these days make lousy whisker poles.