Spinnaker pole bridle

[Zest]

I have recently bought an 18month old Beneteau First 211 and raced it for the first time last week.

I found that the rope bridle on the spinnaker pole (2.4m, 50mm diam) is rather long and very prone to snagging
- it was fitted by the previous owner who never raced the boat and only hoisted the kite once.

I am thinking about replacing the rope with s/s wire - is there an optimum length for the bridle in relation to
pole length ?

 

[Guest]

The shorter the bridle, the greater the stress. ie: the more acute the angle is the load is reduced accordingly. Don't bugger about with wire. Use Dyneema/Spectra etc. Much easier to retie knots if you've got the length wrong than get it respliced.

Have fun with your kite.

PS. ease the pole lift a bit before a gybe. makes life much easier.

 

[vyv_cox]

I found the bridle wires to be so much of a pain that decided to do away with them. I attached two beckets, one on top the other below, centre of the pole, with monel pop rivets, about five years ago. I use the pole as frequently as possible, both for the spinnaker and for poling out the genoa. No problems with the pole, which is much easier to handle without wires and loops attached. Sadler 34, big masthead spinnaker.

 

[42_South]

If your'e handy, you could try our racing setup......

This consists of 3mm bare spectra topping lift with a loop at each end about 100mm shorter in length than your spinnaker pole. Attach one end of the loop to the out-board beak (ie spinnaker end) and a stainless 30mm ring to the other.

At the in-board end of the pole (ie mast end), install some bungy cord via a small dinghy exit sheave on the upper side of the aluminium pole. This travels up and down the inside of the pole 3 times via small dinghy turning blocks affixed to the inside of the pole (you will need to remove and re-fit the pole ends to do this). One end of the bungy cord is fixed to the inside of the pole and the end coming out the exit sheave also has a 30mm ring which slides along the spectra topping lift.

When stored on the deck, the bungy cord retracts the topping lift against the pole so that it does not get tangled. When affixed to the mast, but not raised, it is connected to your topping lift, but self stores both the halyard and topping lift at the mast.

When in use, it lifts from the farthest outboard end of the pole, which makes adjustment far easier (and less weighty).