spinnaker barber hauler

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tyce

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i have just purchased a second hand spinny (bargain 75 quid of ebay) for my hunter horizon 272.
i have had a bit of a play with it and all seems well, but after reading pbos tips on spinnaker handling they say you should have barber haulers approx midships.
i have led guy and sheet back through my stern cleats and then onto my winches.
am i doing it wrong and would have more control with a barber hauler or is my set up somewhere near correct.
thanks in anticipation
 
The use of barbar haulers will enable you to stop excessive loads being put onto the guardrails by the guy when using the spinny on a reach. It all depends on what you want to do with it, worth getting an old block and trying it out for your self.

Yoda
 
Its not that you are doing it wrong - its just that adding blocks and lines for a barber hauler might make it easier to control sometimes. I assume that you are using single lines to the clews of the spinnaker with the sheet becoming the guy depending which gybe you are on.

Most boats set the spinnaker best when the sheet is lead as far aft as possible. However when the guy is this far aft, sometimes you lose control of the pole and it is allowed to move upwards or 'sky' as the sailing slang has it. By having a barber hauler on the line, you can gain a little control - especially on a shy spinnaker reach when the pole is far forward.

Years ago, we raced our SCOD very successfully without a Barber Hauler on the guy at all. It might be a case of seeing how it goes. If you are cruising you might take the attitude that who cares - so longs as it works and you have some control over it.
 
In my experiance it is more common to use a couple if snatch blocks on the toerail at the maximum beam, rather than barbour haulers. This is then clipped on to the appropriate guy (on the windward side).

They are VERY important in heavy weather.

It is equally important that they are removed by yourself when leaving the boat before someone else does it for you.

Iain
 
This is my experience too. When acting as a guy the line should go to a block on the toerail roughly level with the shrouds. If you are using only two lines (i.e. they double up as sheets and guys) then this needs to be a snatch block.

I don't see that a set up with a barbour hauler has any advantage over using separate sheets and guys.
 
But if you use snatch blocks fixed to the rail with single sheets you are stuffed when you Gybe - the ex sheet can't be got down to the rail as it is under tension - hence a barber haulers allow you to pull the now Guy down to the deck midships and stop the pole skying.

I agree that it is some easier to just bite the bullet and go for sheets and guys... however a as you can get away on something like a 272 with a pair of Barton size 2 or 3 blocks each side, clamcleats and some 6 mm line, you'll probably come in a lot cheaper than the two extra snapshackles
 
If you are using single lines then you will definitely need barber haulers for two reasons:

1. To ensure the guy is leading from the point of maximum beam and is forward enough to be pulling downwards &

2. So that when running square in a breeze or big sea you can barberhaul the sheet down, which lowers the clew and prevents rolling.

Good luck with your new kite, it brings a whole new dimension to sailing!
 
[ QUOTE ]
But if you use snatch blocks fixed to the rail with single sheets you are stuffed when you Gybe - the ex sheet can't be got down to the rail as it is under tension

[/ QUOTE ]
Never had a problem with this - but I've been trying to remember when I lead the new guy through the snatch block. I think it is at the same time as hooking it up to the pole.
 
I used to have a Hunter 26 which basically the same boat as yours. As it's a small spinaker (fractional rig) i never found the need to use a Barber hauler and could set the spinaker very well at all appropriate angles to the wind. The spinaker pole was controlled well enough by the up haul and down haul lines and everything worked well. If it's not necessary then it's one less thing to worry about.

regards.

Peter.
 
Why do you need the guy to stop the pole skying if you have a downhaul?
We infrequently but regularly fly the spinaker with single sheets/guys and have never felt the need for barber haulers. Surely if the guy is turned near the shrouds you would be using an inordinate amount of force to pull the pole back square for running?
 
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