?Whisker or standard pole

georgeo

georgeo

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Hi, advice please. Just beginning to finalise specs for my new RM1050, and have to decide about downwind gear. I wont be racing the boat, nor can I envisage in cruising mode handling a symmetrical kite, although I might eventually go for asymmetric gear. A properly kitted out pole will be useful for poling out genoa, at extra cost and of course lots more strings. Could i get away with just a whisker pole?
 
Sorry, you'll have to pay the extra, a whisker pole can't cope with the compression loads from a spinnaker.

Treat yourself to a carbon pole, the ease of use makes the cost worthwhile.
 
I agree with Michael-W: a whisker-pole is OK for a dinghy or an inland-waters fair-weather day-boat. For a coastal/offshore cruiser it is an abomination.
Why? Because in squalls, unpredicted manoevres such as MOB, close-quarters collision-avoidance, etc, it is vital that the headsail can be let fly or tacked from the cockpit, leaving the pole to safely look after itself!
The fact that you have asked indicates that really, you know the right answer!
 
very prescient, Piota! looks like I will be reaching for the plastic again. Out of interest, and without having done any research into this, what is the price differential carbon v standard pole?
 
I was talking to Z-spars at SIBS who make the masts for the 880 and 1050. Apparently they say that until you get above 35feet the carbon pole does not save enough weight to make a real difference, maybe a kilo or 2. I went for the full spinnaker pole setup myself.
 
I got a tube and the end fittings from Z-Spars (don't know if they still do cosmetic seconds, which is what I got) and made a pole up myself, and saved about 30% IIRC.

I made it up longer than the J-length for poling out a 150% genoa. An unanticipated advantage was that because I stow it from the mast fitting down to the pulpit it provides a good secure handrail on the foredeck, and the genoa sheets come across easily without snagging as they were prone to do /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I was talking to Z-spars at SIBS who make the masts for the 880 and 1050. Apparently they say that until you get above 35feet the carbon pole does not save enough weight to make a real difference, maybe a kilo or 2. I went for the full spinnaker pole setup myself.

[/ QUOTE ]

I find that very difficult to believe. I've handled carbon and aluminium poles on racing boats bigger than 35 feet and the carbon poles were so much nicer and easier to handle.
 
I think we paid about A$800 for our alloy pole. A carbon pole was about A$2,500. The carbon pole felt about half the weight of the alloy pole.
 
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