Spinnaker pole setup

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Oscarpop

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I am just in the process of buying a new spinnaker pole, and and I have a question about how to attach the up haul and down haul.
My present pole has rings riveted to the centre for attaching both lines. However it would appear as if larger poles use bridles attached to thhe pole ends.
As I am moving to a larger pole, (72mm X 380cm) are bridles the norm?
Cheers
 
Number of crew is as always an important factor.

If one small person is handling the pole a central lift or bridle will be helpful; dip poling is really for racing unless in very light winds, when cruising with one inexperienced chum I gybe end for end.

Better still if cruising, get a tri-radial chute !
 
Last edited:
neilf39 said:
My upper is a bridle and lower a fixed point in the middle. I swap ends. Bridle controls the rotation when both ends are free as it is hanging by both ends.
Click to expand...

To me this is the reverse of instinctive set up.
Generally the pole uphaul will never take more than the weight of the pole . The downhaul however will take huge loads when reaching in a good breeze. With a downhaul attached to the centre the pole is subjected to a terrific bending moment. Using a bridle the pole is in compression but not bending.
 
Unless you gybe by switching the pole end for end then the up haul and down haul should be at the outboard end of the pole.

Bridles create an enormous amount of unnecessary compression and individual points in the middle of the spar are just giving the outboard half an excuse to snap off when you wind the guy back.
 
As said generally bridles are best for taking the bending strain away from the middle of the pole.
Unlike johnphilip I find the uphaul does take quite aload. When running shy I need to raise the pole to free off the luff but sheets and tweaker provide a lot of down pull. I actually use just a centre attachment for up haul but the carbon fibre wind surfer mast bends alarmingly. No holes in the middle just a clamp.
I have tried many forms of downhaul but now like most local racing yachts I have settled on tweakers running from sheaves on the foredeck gunwhale up to sheave on the brace. Thus to get down haul the brace is pulled down to a point half way between mast and bow.
I found a down haul to cabin top centre to pole centre just did not have enough down haul power. I used 2 down hauls changed on gybing for a long time lots of power worked well but too tedious to change over in gybing.
Tweakers work well but pole will sky if the tweakers are not set before the gybe (wrecking the pole end fitting) and the location of the tweaker deck sheave is a compromise. Too far forward you can't get pole out square too far back not enough down power.
http://www.wayf.org.au/wji/wj_found36.asp and http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=7714
are local design boats used specifically for match racing and competition. There are 10 identical boats plus some privately owned. They use the tweaker method as a don haul. I have flown spin on them a bit very nice. good luck olewill
 
Mt pole had centre lift and downhaul points. Both have pulled their rivets out. (41 years old, aluminium)
Now use bridles both up and down, and attached at ends, but ropes tied round the pole but prevented from slipping up the pole from the ends by riveted rings. This means the rope load is not on the ring and its attaching rivets, but on the pole itself.
 
I use a bridle attached by shackles to each end of the pole for the downhaul. The uphaul is attached using a webbing loop that is strapped around the middle of the pole. I end for end when gybing and find the central uphaul easier to deal with single handed. Only an S26 though, so not a massive pole. Pole handling is the hardest part of single handed spinnaker work in my opinion.
David Morgan
 
Seajet said:
Number of crew is as always an important factor.

If one small person is handling the pole a central lift or bridle will be helpful; dip poling is really for racing unless in very light winds, when cruising with one inexperienced chum I gybe end for end.

Better still if cruising, get a tri-radial chute !
Click to expand...

Racing has nothing to do with the choice for dip-pole or end for end, that's all about size. Generally the crossover is about 35 feet. End for end is almost always faster if it's an option, and avoids putting weight on the bow (where you don't want it). Dip pole is only really used at a size where the pole would be too unwieldy to end for end.

So to answer the OP, if your boat is less than 34 feet go for a bridle arrangement, if over go for both up and downhaul lead to the outer end.
 
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