Wisker pole

[26Xsam]

I was given a pole that the end.s were frozen. Now that I have a pole all I need to do is 1st install it. I use a 130 Gen. The pole seems real long mabe made for a larger boat?

Any one out there using one where do you mount it?

How long should it be?

Most important how to use it without going over board?

Thanks in advance
Sam

[Timm Miller]

What brand?...what length? Most of the smaller ones mount on the mast at one end. Some have lines that extend the pole in or out for adjustment. Some operate with supporting lines and really connect to nothing.

[26Xsam]

I have no idea who made it. It's 10' long about 1-1/2" around. Has a clip on each end & a small cord that connects the releace pins. There are two eyes about in the middle one has a small block.

I thought it would mount to the mast. Don't know where it should go. Was thinking about using a rope & moving it around. Wanted some place I could start.

Thanks
Sam

[Timm Miller]

Sounds a little more than you need for a 130... Try going to www.forespar.com and look at the different ones on their site and misc. hardware and see what they recommend for your setup. They are always for sale on ebay. The smallest, telescoping model they have works great for the Mac X and the 150. I use mine on very broad reaches and runs.....helps me sail deeper with the asymetrical.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

As long as it's adjustable yours should be fine. The correct length for a pole is the length of the sails foot. I have a 134" twist lock one (ADJ6-12) which I use with my 150. Technically it is to short, but I find it works fine and the next size up was way expensive. One end attaches to the ring at the sail clew and the other goes to a fitting in the mast. I mounted my mast fitting about halfway up between the halyard cleats and the baby stay attchment point. You want to end up with a level pole.

You can see it in action here, click for a bigger picture.




The fitting is just a plastic ring that screws to the face of the mast. You can but a replacement if your's is missing.

The middle eyes may be there because the pole was used with a symetrical spinaker. There are lines that hold the pole up in that application when gybing. You don't use them when you use the pole as a whisker pole with a genoa.

[26Xsam]

Thanks all

A wisker pole that's the correct name for what I want to make it into. I am all ways trying to make something work.

If the correct length is the sails foot then it's not far off. All I have to do is mount the eye in the mast & give it a try. The idea is to keep it level. Bummer that it don't adjust. Don't know where I'm going to put it.

At least I'll have a better idea of what I want now.

Sam

[TonyHouk]

26xSam,
To make it adjustable you can mount a track and movable car on the mast. That way you can move it up and down at ease. Check out some of the catalogs for setups. Happy sails, Tony

[bubba]

We have a spinnaker pole for our down wind spinnaker and for sailing wing and wing I use our boat hook with wisker pole attachments on each end. The attachment hardwear on the mast for the wisker pole is 44 inches off the deck and for our spinnaker we have hardwear about 6 ft off the deck but really should have it on a track.

[David Mellon]

I thought we decided they are called Whiskey Poles

[Wind Chime]

Here is my 2-bits.

We have 3 spinnakers. Asymmetrical/Symmetrical/Gennaker.

We use the same pole for all three sails (four counting when we pole-out the 150% genoa). We use a Forespar spinnaker pole twist type extendable 6-12' (with the same hardware on both ends). We attach it to the mast on a 4' long vertical T-track, with s.s. car.

When using the Symmetrical spinnaker, I use the Asymmetrical tack-line (line run around a block on the bow and run aft) to stop the pole from lifting, and a topping lift from the mast that holds the pole up, horizontal to the foot/deck.

*to my knowledge;
The difference between a spinnaker pole and whisker pole, is the outboard hardware (end that attaches to the clew).
- A "Spinnaker Pole" attaches TO the sheet via a clip-type near the clew.
- A "Whisker Pole" has a point that goes THROUGH the sails clew-eye.

*note:
- There are also 2 differnt mast mounting harware options.
- A symmetrical spinnaker pole length should be approximately the length of the distance from base of mast to bow. On a , that is about 10 feet.
- To pole-out (whisker) other sails (Asymmetrical/Gennaker/Genoa) I agree that length of the sails foot is correct.

Darry

[Terry]

26xSam,
To make it adjustable you can mount a track and movable car on the mast. That way you can move it up and down at ease. Check out some of the catalogs for setups. Happy sails, Tony

Nice suggestion Tony,
I did a google search on it and really did not turn up anything complete, a few different cars, some tips and a track somewhere, but since you piqued my interest I will look further. The whisker pole is not all that strong so one might assume that if something was to break it should be a cheap replaceable part. I was thinking a plastic padeye on the car or the plastic connector on the whisker pole. I suppose a decent aluminum track with tips would be in order and perhaps a metal or plastic car but the the padeye or something else would have to be set up as the weak point to break otherwise the pole might get snapped or bent. Has anyone added a forespar track for a whisker pole? I only have a plastic padeye on the mast for my pole and if it breaks it is cheap to replace but I mounted it where it would work for both genny & jib therefore it is not optimum for either so a track sounds like a good solution and perhaps not all that expensive.

[Wind Chime]

Here is a photo of our T-track on the mast with an adjustable SS car.

Darry