Spinnaker sheets

[silverseal]

I have never rigged a boat for spinnaker use, as all the boats have had winches and blocks supplied. My 32 year old Kingfisher, came with a spinnaker which was aparently never used, and for the last two years we have used the genoa winches, with blocks tied to the foot of the pushpit stanchions. I have now two winches for use with the spinnaker, but would welcome advice as to where to site the blocks. My instingt, says at about the widest part of the boat, but what do others do?

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[alldownwind]

Where you've had the blocks is pretty much the right place.

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[Roberto]

the spinnaker guy (sheet that goes through tangon) is best led through a block a bid aft of midship, for ex toe rail

spinnaker sheet is best led at the aftest point (side of transom), otherwise the sail trailing edge risks being too tight



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[Clive]

For a yacht of your size, a single pair of sheets should be sufficient. If you put your turning block near the aft quarter. And then the tail can be turned around your normal jib winch. by fitting twinning lines (twinning line is a line with a small block on the end of it, through which the spinnaker guy is passed, the twinning line is then passed through a turning block on the toe rail about mid ships, then cleat back in the cotpit.) this gives you the effect of the previous writer, with out having to re-thread your sheets when gybing. Just pull the twinning line on the side the pole is on and release the other.

Make sure that the sheets are made of Sprectra as you do not want any stretch in the guy.

If you want to play the kite, then take the sheet from the leeward turning block to the winward coach roof winch. One can then stand on the wind ward deck and see the luff, and trim for max performance.

<hr width=100% size=1>Clive

 

[Vara]

Selden do quite a good guide <A target="_blank" HREF=http://seldenmast.com/download.cfm?download=7422&webnode_id=2099&filename=595-560.pdf>Here</A>
Quite a large pdf.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it can't be fixed with a lump hammer dont fit it!

 

[William_H]

Tend to disagree Clive on the Spectra spin sheets. Yes polyester does stretch but because you will be adjusting the guy often I don't think the stretch matters considering the cost of Spectra.
The sheets may be in the endless form one piece of rope which means you need less rope for the Spin. sheets however some say for safety sake 2 sheets means you can free the sheet and guy and halyard to abandon the spinacker in emergency. (losing halyard sheets and sail but cheap if you have a MOB) but you need sheets long enough to reach from spin stowage around the forstay to turning block at the stern and to winch. (about 1.5 boat lengths)
I would suggest you try using the genoa winches initially as it is fine to have spin winches but they take up room. I move the jib sheets of the winch to a cleat when hoisting spin, you are off the wind and jib sheet load should be light unless you have a huge jib.
Most boats of your size will hoist the spin from the forward hatch. This is left open or removed which leaves the boat succeptible to sinking if it is pressed under by the spin, waves etc. My boat is smaller 21ft and can not handle the weight of a crew forward when running spin so I always hoist and retrieve to the main entrance hatch (under the boom)it works well especially if you are pulling it down cos it is too scary.
I reckon the best way to become proficient with spin is to have a small spin preferably full height but narrower. A large spin in a breeze is a terible thing. regards will

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[silverseal]

My thanks for all your advice - specially Colmce, and his link to Seldenmasts, which gives a very good layout for most spinnaker installations.
Looks like blocks at the stern with Barber hauls about 1/4 way from stern.
Regretfully the Selden site poses other problems.. according to the sections as to how to fly the kite, it would appear that we are short of 3 crew members, and I am unsure as how to break it to SWMBO, that we are going to have to have another 3 kids...
We also like to use the genoa at the same time, hence the need to divorce the genoa winch from the spinnaker. My thanks for your input

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[flaming]

Why do you like to use the genoa at the same time? It's generally slower as the genoa blankets the kite.
As an addition to the above advice, if you have a loose footed main there's a technique known as a letterbox drop which entails the spinnaker being dropped through the gap between boom and main which really tames the kite as it comes down. When using twin sheets simply lead the lazy guy through the slot, blow the working guy at the pole, pull in on the lazy guy until you feel resistance, then blow the halyard and pull the rest of the sail in. With only two sheets you'd need to get a line round the sheet to pull it through the slot.
Using this technique we flew a masthead kite on a 48 footer with three on board no problems.

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[EdEssery]

The block for the spinnaker guys/twinning lines should be at the beamiest part of the boat wherever that is.

Why?

When reaching with the pole against the forestay (actually not against but a minimum of one/two inches off - see below) the loads on the guy are probably the highest you will have on any rope on the boat on any point of sail. There will come a time when you need to winch the pole back (because the wind is freeing, you are bearing away or you need to winch the pole off the forestay) - when you do this you want to have the widest possible angle between the pole and the guy - you get this by leading the guy to the widest part of the boat.

You should aim to keep the pole off the forestay - the sideways load it imposes can cause the forestay to carry away (and the mast with it) - I've seen it happen. If you do get in this position in breezy conditions, it can be almost impossible to winch it off with the guy alone. The trick is to use the pole uphaul - winching the pole up (having let a few inches off the downhaul) will naturally also bring the pole back.

Good luck.

Ed

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[silverseal]

With regard to EdEssery's post, I knew that a guy needed to come from the beamiest part of the boat, as indicated in the original post. I intend to use Barber hauls, which will allow me to use the genoa track to find the best place to site them.
In fact we have two kites, a tricut radial which was never used, and a Asymetric cut cruising chute, which we use as smaller chute, in heavier winds. I dont like cruising chutes because you cant easily gybe them like a spinnaker, and in light winds I like reaching... which my kites do quite well

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[Rick]

Agree with William about using polyester instead of spectra, but disagree about launching thru froehatch. On my older half tonner, we launch all kites from their bags, clipped on to leeward lifelines during hoist. If you're short handed, seriously look at putting the kite in a sock. I've got my MPS in a sock, and the crew revolt whenever I want a synmmetrical up, as the sock is so easy!

One last thing, especially if you gybe shorthanded, is to run a pair of lines either side instead of twings. Longer line to aft block, and shorter to mid point - use the long ones as sheets, and the short ones on the pole. When gybing, take up on the long sheet to east tension on the pole, gybe the pole onto the other "lazy" sheet, and then gybe over and swoop sheets as required - sounds complecated, but in reality makes things very easy.

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