Spinnaker Sheets Advice

[Lakesailor]

I've inherited a spinnaker with my latest boat. I haven't used one before and need to rig it. I have the pole and uphaul/downhaul but I need some sheets/guys. What size line do I need?
It's an 18ft boat and the spinnaker is 210sq ft.
I'm guessing they need to be fairly light.

 

[AIDY]

this may help

 

[Gin]

I would suggest no smaller than 8mm as when hands are cold and wet anything smaller under load becomes difficult to grip.

For light airs however you might consider, at a cost, one size smaller in Dyneema.

Each sheet/guy approx. of no less than 1.25 x boat length

 

[FullCircle]

Phil,
8mm is easy to handle when it blows a bit, doesn't cut in. 6mm cheaper of course, but not much.
Would suggest at least one light line of 4mm with a plastic snap shackle for ghosting under 5 knots of breeze, to stop the line sagging the sail.
All 1.5 to 1.75 times length of boat. Longer assists getting it down and through the hatch without disconnecting.
Have fun!

 

[Krusty]

Hi. To enjoy spinnaker sailing in light airs, the sheets need to be the lightest practicable: I suggest you look for a plaited polypropylene in the smallest diameter you can comfortably hold. It floats too, so is less likely finish up round your keel! Have fun!

 

[Aeolus_IV]

I would imagine that at this size you're not going to use both sheets and guys, so whatever you use should be capable of taking the loads assocated with a guy when reaching under spinnaker. This can be quite significant, and the guy should (ideally) not have any stretch under this load, or you'll end up with the pole putting sideways load on the forestay - which is bad /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Regards, Jeff.

 

[SilverBreeze]

edited: double post, dunno why

 

[SilverBreeze]

Take care with the sheet lengths, too short can be a right PITA.

Consider: spinnaker is recovered on port side and stuffed down into companionway. The starboard sheet needs to be long enough to come back up the compainionway, along the portside up to the forestay, around the front, back down the starboard side to aft quarter turning block, back to winch or midships block and a bit left over to hold onto. That generally works out to about twice the lenght of the boat.

Likewise length for port sheet/guy.

Marstron (polyprop) is good in six or eight mm, floats.

And, never ever ever tie a stopper knot in the end of a spinnaaker sheet or guy.
Kites are great fun!

 

[bbg]

If you can afford two sets of sheets/guys, I would recommend getting an ultra-light set for light air. We used some high-tech (spectra?) 4 mm line on a J-36 that I used to race on, in anything up to about 8 knots true. It made a huge difference to sail shape.

 

[Lakesailor]

As my sailing is fundamentally single-handed, even when crewed, it will be in light airs, so I'll go with light polyprop and see how it goes.
I'll be mainly downwind North or South as a worthwhile reach on this lake would be a Westerly or an Easterly and Easterlies are very, very gusty. As one of the class boat sailors told me "It'll break your boat"

 

[William_H]

high Phil On my 21fter I have always used endless sheet on my spin. I use bowlines on the spin clews. I have 2 blocks on the sheet which snap shackle onto saddles near the stern. I imagine your experiment with spin may be a bit short lived so you don't want to spend to much to get it tested.
We mostly launch from the main cabin hatch and always retrieve there.
So before departing mooring for a race and after fitting jib sheets the spin sheet is dumped in a bag under the tiller. The turning blocks are snapped on and one sheet runs through the pushpit around the mainsheet and into the cabin. The other sheet runs up the side of the boat around the forestay and into the cabin. The spin halyard is then pulled out around the stays and into the cabin. Here the spin is attached to the sheets and halyard.
The side through which the sheets come into the cabin is determined by the tack you expect to launch on. The sheets come in on the leeward side.
Come time to fly it. The pole is connected onto the sheet where it goes past before going around the forestay. The sheet runs freely through the pole fitting. The pole is held up by the topping lift and down haul. We do not use barber haulers on the sheets. The halyard is pulled while at the same time the brace is pulled and the spin emerges from the cabin and goes under the boom to rise on the leeward side. It is important to pull the brace so the spin comes around toward the front of the boat before filling with wind. The friction on the pole fitting tends to pull the pole back. It is better if it stays near the forestay and may have to be pushed back.
Mostly this is all done from the cockpit.
More importantly when retrieving in some wind the spin is retrieved by having someone grab the sheet as it passes the cabin hatch. The halyard and brace are both freed and the helper pulls the spin back into he cabin.
The pole is then stowed at leasure.
If you want, especially if you are unsure of the tack, you will launch from the bow. The spin is put in a bag which has a ring around the opening of wire to hold it open. This is lashed to the pullpit. Tuck the ends tight inside so it doesn't launch itself unexpectedly.
You can launch on a dead run but it is always easier with a quartering wind.
We have happily flown a small spin in 30 knots. Actually I lie, the crew loved it, while I trembled a little. It is a light boat and very prone to broach under these conditions but it sure skips along.
Remember if you are on a reach to lift the pole so freeing the luff. Don't pull it down tight. That is for running. If the boat starts to lean too much you must turn down wind. (before it rounds up into the wind out of control) That is of course after dumping all main sheet and vang.
We can run the spin happily with wind round to the beam. With a speed benefit in up to medium winds.
PS it took at least 10 years of racing with excellent crew to begin master the spin in strong winds. Yes we run a large and a small spin depending on wind.
On my boat being light you can not send someone up to the bow to pull a spin down in a wind. The stern must be kept down with weight aft. Weight forward digs the bow in and encourages the broach. Hence the retrieve into the cabin. good luck olewill

 

[Lakesailor]

Your usual comprehensive instructions. Thanks.
The spin does have some rather short 8mm sheets on it as it came so I may try it downwind in a light breeze, probably under bare poles, just to get the hang of launching it and playing with it. I notice some other boats trying that approach.
I reckon 6mm line will be better, and your endless sheet sounds a good scheme to avoid losing the sheet ends. I take it you include a good amount of extra length.
Our use for it is mainly downwind ghosting on hot days. I usually spend all my time trying to keep both sails gullwinged. Now I have a spinnaker pole I've used it as a whicker pole, but it's not elegant.
On a long narrow lake some days are either upwind or downwind. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[William_H]

thanks Phil just a sad ole sailor with boat at home for winter and a case of verbal diarhoea. Actuallyt it sworse than that as weather has been beautiful since I pulled boat home 25 max today. 6mm rope will be OK for really light winds but heavier is easier to handle. Yes the total length should be about 3 times boat length.
We visited Lakes district last summer and it really is pretty. But I did notice sail boats going no where. Good luck with the hot summer. olewill

 

[Lakesailor]

Yes. we do get people "airing their sails" a lot. But when it blows it's very gusty so - swings and roundabouts.

I took this the other day when we had Easterlies (which are the most unpredictable) Most of the day it was 8-12 mph, but we kept getting gusts ( a huge tree was broken off and fell in the field next door) and little pockets of wind drop on the lake like this.

You should have dropped in.