Spinnaker sheet size?

[mikeG]

After a year getting to know our Bavaria 34 we now want to get the spinnaker flying and would like some advice on best size and type of line for use as sheets. I am not able to see what we have at the moment but think it is about 10 or 12 mm braid on braid. Is that OK or should I be looking at something else entirely? What we have definitely isn't long enough so I was looking at about 30 metres, does that sound enough? Any quick advice would be welcome as I would like to get it ordered and couriered today! Cheers. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[FullCircle]

10mm should be good enough, with 3-4mm lines for very light airs.
Length should be 1.75 to 2 x boat length, so 68 feet for you.....

 

[mikeG]

Thanks for that....I've also done a bit of back-tracking and found a recent forum on same subject that has been helpful. Now need to learn how to use the thing half decently!! Happy Days /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[vyv_cox]

The 1.75 x boat length is about right. We use 17 metre sheets on 10.6 metres, recently increased as 15 metres was just too short. In a sheet/lazy guy system the guys can be shorter and perhaps heavier, maybe 12 mm guys, 10 mm sheets.

 

[William_H]

Yes twice the length of the boat for each sheet should be enough.
I use one continuous sheet which is about 3 times the boat length.
I always fly the spin and retrieve to the cockpit or main hatch. This means there is a need for a lot of sheet (actually brace) to feed right arounnd the forestay.

You should try this retrieval at least as it is good for an emergency where the sheet is pulled into the cockpit pulling the spin with it. The brace is released to run free and the halyard dropped. You frantically pull it all in under the boom and into the cockpit with no one needing to go forward until it is down and then only to stow the pole.
The down side of continuous sheet is that you can not abandon the spin in an emergency by letting the halyard run out through the mast and all sheets run out of their blocks. No stop knots please.
This is a pretty drastic thing to do but I have wished it possible a few times (both in man overboard situations)(both enetually retrieved ok) where the spin has become unmanageable in a blow in a broach. The sheets and halyard were let go to their full extent (mistakenly) and the spin went skyward. Not pretty.

So good luck with the spin. Learn only in gentle breezes and if possible with a small spin. olewill

 

[vyv_cox]

I almost never retrieve the spinnaker into the cockpit. Not only does it run the risk of snagging and tearing on something on the boom, it then needs repacking down below, a tedious and time-consuming activity.

Under almost every condition I stuff it into the turtle that is placed adjacent to the shrouds where the spi is shielded by the main. Normally Jill allows the halyard to run slowly as I do it, but I learnt a trick when racing J24s that can work without human intervention. Throw the halyard over the side and let it trail in the water, with one turn around the winch. The drag almost exactly matches the downward pull required on the sail. And it doesn't tangle before going through the clutch.

I can then leave sheets and guys attached ready for the next time that I am fortunate enough to be able to fly it!

 

[William_H]

Hi Vyv It is all a matter of boat type. My little boat won't cope with anyone on the bow in a blow with spin up just prior to stuffing it into a bag on the pullpit. Like wise it won't cope with anyone on the lee deck pulling a spin down.
So the retrieval into the cockpit came after many years of struggling to stuff in a bag on the pulpit with resulatant broach/round up due to weight in the bow. The spin is usually launched in the same way. ie out under the boom. The boat has a 100kg lift keel and 150kg under the floor with a fairly large sail area. it is quite a treacherous little bugger if it is going to beat the bigger heavier boats.
(looking to the most fastest trophy again this year 3 years in a row for div 3) 18 wins then 12 wins and about 12 wins again this last year. But it is noit done with conservative sailing. olewill