Spinnaker or cruising Chute

[flaming]

This has been done to death in the past and I'm sure Flaming will come and shoot me but......
it's simple to use a snuffer behind a headsail, you just let that sail collapse the kite then pull on the downhaul. Retrieval from under the jib is easy. A broad reach is fine.
I am impressed with your courage, snuffing a shy kite bare headed on a 50 footer is heroic.

Puts gun down....

Intrigued as to how, as I've never made it work. Tried a number of times, but the snuffer line lead under the jib just doesn't seem to want to go, and if you come aft and try to get a straight pull to the snuffer from behind the jib it just seems to bring the spreaders into play, which I thought would be a bad idea. In the end I've given up using the jib, and whenever I sail my dad's boat go with bareheaded snuffs and unsnuffs. Key then is to be sailing almost DDW.

 

[TimBennet]

Not all spinnaker snuffers are created equal. I had a Hood one that was always a struggle. So much so that we ditched it and when back to doing without, even though only double handed.
But Etienne Giroire lent me one of his and it was a vast improvement. Any sailmaker can knock one of these things up, but it takes a lot of time and miles of experience to really refine one into a product that works reliably.

 

[Racecruiser]

This has been done to death in the past and I'm sure Flaming will come and shoot me but......
it's simple to use a snuffer behind a headsail, you just let that sail collapse the kite then pull on the downhaul. Retrieval from under the jib is easy. A broad reach is fine.
I am impressed with your courage, snuffing a shy kite bare headed on a 50 footer is heroic.

We probably were broad reach-ish but should have gone to DDW as Flaming Sambuca has said! The owner came to assist leaving the boat on auto-pilot and it can't have been too heroic as the two ladies on board managed to remain on the sun cushions in the cockpit with books in hand - well it was the Med!

Still not sure about pulling a snuffing line under a jib .............

 

[geem]

Not all spinnaker snuffers are created equal. I had a Hood one that was always a struggle. So much so that we ditched it and when back to doing without, even though only double handed.
But Etienne Giroire lent me one of his and it was a vast improvement. Any sailmaker can knock one of these things up, but it takes a lot of time and miles of experience to really refine one into a product that works reliably.

+1. My new snuffer is worlds apart from the old snuffer

 

[doris]

Puts gun down....

Intrigued as to how, as I've never made it work. Tried a number of times, but the snuffer line lead under the jib just doesn't seem to want to go, and if you come aft and try to get a straight pull to the snuffer from behind the jib it just seems to bring the spreaders into play, which I thought would be a bad idea. In the end I've given up using the jib, and whenever I sail my dad's boat go with bareheaded snuffs and unsnuffs. Key then is to be sailing almost DDW.

We only snuf bare headed in very light winds, and if we are racing it will be the unsnuffed lightweight anyway.
Have never had a problem sitting on the foredeck pulling the downhaul under the sail. Once it's about two thirds down might move further aft if dropping into the main hatch but usually bung it straight down the fore hatch.

I can see why it might be different if you had a very low cut big genoa but with my 105% jib that is cut for a furler, no problem. Solo I don't even contemplate unsnuffed kites.

 

[Sailfree]

Very limited experience but did have a GRP toilet type snuffer on our old 36.

When dropping the spinnaker I let the pole forwards so shielding the spinnaker behind the main and pulled the snuffer down while crew easied the sheet so collapsing the sail. White sails set up the snuffer and IIRC it had a pulley that I connected to the front rail and the line just ran through this and another pulley at the head. Once its fully snuffed pull spinnaker down as a sausage.

Hence I don't understand comments about retrieving it from under the jib. Do I need to go back to school?

 

[doris]

Hence I don't understand comments about retrieving it from under the jib. Do I need to go back to school?

Always fun going back to school......remember the back of the bike shed!!

The reason we snuf behind the head sail is that it gives max protection from a reinflated sail. Then just pull the sausage down under the sail into the fore peak. Maybe I am being a big girls blouse but if it's gusty there is lots of scope for a big pull. If fully crewed there would be someone on the string back in the cockpit but if solo or two up I feel more exposed.

 

[flaming]

Always fun going back to school......remember the back of the bike shed!!

The reason we snuf behind the head sail is that it gives max protection from a reinflated sail. Then just pull the sausage down under the sail into the fore peak. Maybe I am being a big girls blouse but if it's gusty there is lots of scope for a big pull. If fully crewed there would be someone on the string back in the cockpit but if solo or two up I feel more exposed.

I totally agree with wanting to have the jib out, but I've never made it work when using a snuffer.

 

[jdjp]

A bit surprised by the many assertions above that you can't run cruising chutes dead downwind. Mine sets goosewinged just fine, and with a good gybe preventer on the main it's very stable up to say 10 degrees either side of DDW. It's probably set like this a good third of the time I'm flying it...

A chute suits me better than a spinnaker mainly because I'm often single handed or with inexperienced passengers as crew, and a spin needs just a bit too much faffing around on the foredeck without someone I trust as the helm.

 

[BelleSerene]

Re snuffers - I've only ever been involved with a snuffer once and didn't enjoy the experience much. 50 footer with a big asymetric cruisy chute. I was told 'All you do is pull the retrieval line and the sock comes down the sail'. Except with a bit of flogging/half filling the frigging thing was a real fight and nearly launched me off the foredeck a few times. With hindsight we should have born away onto a run so that some of it was behind the main but even then you could still get a sudden part fill.

So that put me off them - or panel was I doing something wrong? So I would go for a conventional take-down when you would have a headsail up to blanket the kite but I can't imagine that being possible with a snuffer.

Funnily enough when I've raced 2-handed we've sometimes done better spinnaker drops than with a full crew - must be about taking time and preparing, eg with the halyard locked at two thirds drop.

Oval sniffer (so each leach/ luff & leach of chute each stick to a defined corner) - and ease the sheet as you're snuffing it, so the snuffer's not trying to pull against the force of the sheet. IMHO. Does work smoothly for me.