[Rhodes22-list] 12' Boat/ Whisker Pole

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Hi All,

S/V Dynamic Equilibrium has a whisker pole and a spinnaker pole.  Both poles are rigged with double bridles for a topping lift and a vang.  In light air, the weight of the pole tends to collapse the headsail.  You need the topping lift to support the weight of the pole and allow the headsail to inflate.  Conversely, in heavy air, the clew of the headsail tends to rise up and cause an inefficient, unstable, too full sail shape.  You need the vang to hold the clew of the headsail down.

Using a double bridle for the topping lift and the vang keeps the snap shackles over the foredeck vs out at the end of the pole.  This enables an end for end pole swap when gibing the headsail, which is safer on this size boat, especially in heavy air.

When sailing, I stow the whisker pole and spinnaker pole in chocks mounted on the cabin roof and foredeck.  This keeps the windage and weight down low and won’t catch a sheet or the genoa clew when tacking.  At a dock or at anchor, I can store my poles vertically up against the front of the mast.  This clears the foredeck of tripping hazards when you want to lounge up there.  I wind the double bridles around the poles and secure them with Velcro straps to secure them for storage.  It’s a racing setup; but, it works very well for cruising.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

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From: Jeff Smith Photo<mailto:jeffsmithphoto at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2022 7:02 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] 12' Boat/ Whisker Pole

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jeffsmithphoto.net%2FBoats%2FWhisker-Boat-Pole%2Fn-WnpmmF%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C449f7f4f10cd4823067008d9e1a6003b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637788925365228609%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=Vibs8hBDBLqcchyh%2B6HNO6jGefDNKc6WDQv4LFjTUWs%3D&reserved=0
I have cropped into the shot of the pole on the mast.  it should give an
idea of the 2 bales.  Maybe best viewed on a computer for detail. So far I
have just used the sheets for control, but may add a downhaul. In the shots
shown it was blowing 15-18 knots and there was not too much spill from the
top of the jib.
I should have said "epoxied" instead of "fiberglassed" in the original
post. More closeups of the 2 ends of the pole were added.

Best regards,
Jeff
JeffSmithPhoto.Net
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