Whisker poles

Topcat47

Topcat47

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I've sailed on a couple of boats with lightweight whisker poles. My spinney pole is too long to act as one and a brief scour round the web suggests that proprietary poles are of similar stuff.

I'd like to get a lightweight extendable aluminium pole like those supplied with extendable boat hooks, but longer so I can put end fittings on and use them. I only need a whisker pole in light airs so there's no huge stress inolved.

Any ideas?
 
I've tinkered around with my carbon fibre windsurfer mast and some lashings to some success. I would need to cut up the mast to perfect it - it's a bit of a way down my to do list at the moment.
 
I'd like one too but haven't been able to track one down. I'm going to measure the required length when next on a run and make up a fixed length pole. The chandlers in Maldon sells ali tube by the foot (about £8.50 a metre) and spinnaker poles ends to fit.

I'd like an extendable so will watch this with interest.
 
B & Q stock an extending aluminium pole which is designed to take a roller for painting. I think it extends to 5 metres. Costs about 14 quid I think. I'm going to experiment with one of those. I'll report back the results.
 
I have made up a number over the years using broken Laser masts which can usually be picked up in and around your local dingy sailing club. To stiffen them up a bit, I use another length of the same (approx 50% of the pole length) and reduce the the diameter by cuttting out a strip over the length of it. Push it inside the pole so it straddles the mid point and pop rivet it. You can also use this method to join two shorter lengths if you cant find a broken bit long enough.Then you need to find the end fittings! Great if you can get them, however, dont be blinded by thinking you have to have the real thing, a bit of imagination and you will be surprised what you have amongst all your boat junk that will do the job just as well.
 
They used to do a glass fibre pole too ... ali insert I believe ... worked reasonably well in light winds!
 
By whisker pole I presume you mean to pole out the jibsheet.
Many people use spin pole hooked onto the snotter fitting for the spin pole. And as you say the spin pole is too long.
you don't have to use the snotter on the mast as the base attachent for the whisker pole. You can set it onto the base of a stanchion or even onto the stay wires. There should not be a lot of commpressive pressure so a light pole will do. It may need to be stayed by a rope to hold it up but usually the jib sheet itself will hold it in place.

Yes fittings are expensive. one idea is to cut a slot in the end of the pole into which a sheave (pulley) wheel is mounted for the sheet to run on. The sheet drops into the slot onto the sheave. If the slot is deep enough the sheet won't fall out or you can fit a pin through the pole across the slot to lock the sheet in. A similar slot and pin can attach it to the boat.

On my little boat I havee been fiddling with an alternative jib sheeting point on the gunwhale and forward of the usual sheeting point. I add additional light sheets which operate through the pulleys on the forward sheeting point. The additional sheets just float around the for deck when tacking on the wind. But when we go off the wind we pull on the alternative sheets and get an ideal sheet point for reaching and a sheeting point which will hold the jib out enough to make a whisker pole unecessary when running.
This is especially ideal for smaller heavy weather jibs in strong winds and of course no need for a trip up forward to set a pole.

olewill
 
Why not just buy a telescopic lighter spinny pole ...

The pole I bought for my boat extends from about 2.2m up to near 4m I think ... anyway - it serves both genny and spinnaker ... about 130 quid from Seateach .... they had lighter stuff as well ... or lengths of tubing and fittings you could sort yourself .......

I like the Windsurfer idea - but hardly ever see a mast left lieing around - gets nabbed by someone else moment it hits "bin" !!
 
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Its funny that a couple of people find a spinnaker pole too long. Our genoa foot is 16', compared to "J" of just under 11', so for our boat the spinnaker pole would be way too short.

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AND given that there are telescopic poles now ... why have a problem ? with fixed length .....
 
Agree, telescopic is the way to go, but I was quoted 250 quid plus VAT and postage for a Selden telescopic. Since then I've never got around to making up anything on the cheap, and another season's now starting.

Sounds like I need to give Seateach a call.
 
I picked my broken windsurfer mast up at grafham water wit £5 in the life boats box.

Sailspars of Brightlingsea made me up the pin to go through the clew holes and a plastic boss to mount it in the thin end of the pole. They then dressed the broken foot and made a sleeve to just go over the foot of the mast with their Spinnaker pole end fitted insside,.

I then assembled the lot together with a wooden plug inside the basewith lots of RTV to ensure the loads were well spreadand bolted it through at 90% with two dome headed bolts ans two dome nuts. Small top hats at the small end made uphaul/downhaul fittings and the lot cost about £70 - of which Sailspar charged me £62.50.

Ultra-light weight my - at the time - nine year old girl could easily manage it with one hand.
 
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Agree, telescopic is the way to go, but I was quoted 250 quid plus VAT and postage for a Selden telescopic. Since then I've never got around to making up anything on the cheap, and another season's now starting.

Sounds like I need to give Seateach a call.

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HOW MUCH ???????? Blimey your boats similar size to mine and I paid about 130 smacks !! Ready to go job.
Even if you went up a size ... I would expect change out of that amount you quote ....
 
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HOW MUCH ????????

[/ QUOTE ] Just checked the quote I got last year. "Selden 060-060-058 telescopic pole £256.66" (includes carriage but not VAT). That's the smallest Selden size, but it would be right for the Griffon - 2.6m extending to 4.5m. Compass 24 equivalent is £209.00.

I shall see what Seateach come up with, thanks for the suggestion because they don't advertise poles at all.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
HOW MUCH ????????

[/ QUOTE ] Just checked the quote I got last year. "Selden 060-060-058 telescopic pole £256.66" (includes carriage but not VAT). That's the smallest Selden size, but it would be right for the Griffon - 2.6m extending to 4.5m. Compass 24 equivalent is £209.00.

I shall see what Seateach come up with, thanks for the suggestion because they don't advertise poles at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have Compass cat in front of me .... page 144 ... item 7 .... 139.95 ... same as what I bought ex Seateach ... 2m - 3.8m ... you sure you need more than that on a Griffon ?
 
[ QUOTE ]
... 2m - 3.8m ... you sure you need more than that on a Griffon ?

[/ QUOTE ]I wouldn't want to get something then find it's too short. The genoa is 248 sq.ft with a foot of 16' so the normal rule of thumb would say I need a 16' whisker pole.

If it was easy to improvise something to try then I'd do that first (but then I'd probably keep using the improvised pole anyway).
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
... 2m - 3.8m ... you sure you need more than that on a Griffon ?

[/ QUOTE ]I wouldn't want to get something then find it's too short. The genoa is 248 sq.ft with a foot of 16' so the normal rule of thumb would say I need a 16' whisker pole.

If it was easy to improvise something to try then I'd do that first (but then I'd probably keep using the improvised pole anyway).

[/ QUOTE ]

Foot of 16ft .... so then you want to pole out a genny dead straight ? Reason I ask is that the 16ft is from forestay tack point to clew ... surely when you pole out your genny for downwind running you are going to have genny "full and curved" making distance required about 1/2 or slightly more ? = 8ft plus ... say 10 ft = 3.048m

To be quite honest a pole of that length on a griffon is going to one hell of a handling job ...

So it remains to be seen if anyone can quote what length pole / foot length genny they use ?
 
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