Whisker Pole / Spinnaker Pole ?
 

We have a Hans Christian 'Christina' 43' sail boat.
We coastal cruise and we are planning on going off shore sailing for about two years
departing from the PNW in fall of 2008.
We currently do not have any kind of Whisker pole or Spinnaker pole set up.

Is it possible to get a pole set up so we can use it on both the Genoa and the Asymmetrical Cruising Spinnaker that we have?
Or do we need to get two poles?
What do you think about adjustable poles?
What do you think about carbon fibre poles?
I would like to be able to single handle the boat if necessary.

If we were to only get one pole which one is best for blue water cruising?

Thank you for your time.
Paul

Hi Paul,
The pole will work adequately for both the Genoa jib and the asym spinnaker. (Both are reaching sails, so downwind you are not looking for maximium efficiency.)
You will not need two different poles.
Why bother with an adjustable pole? You will not be "tweaking" for maximum speed. (For offshore cruising think.. maximum comfort.)
Carbon pole is nice if you can afford it, but it might be a few months o' cruising budget and not worth the price.
The best pole is one equipped with enough strings & gear to "lock" it (and the clew) in place. You will be amazed at the motion your sailing gear goes through. If you minimize the motion, you minimize chafe. That will become your goal.
Cheers, Russ L

Adjustable to great
 

An adjustable is nice, not for tweaking, but to get a pole long enough to support your genoa, yet short enough to store on your boat.

If you get an adjustable, the collapsed length should be close to J and the extended the foot length of your largest genoa.

A carbon pole is nice and light, but pricey. A 50/50 is nice compromise. Aluminum is tried and true, but you'll need to wrestle it.

Bob

A bit more
 

Hello,
I agree with Bob that the extendo-pole is handy for on-mast stowage. I'll just add that the biggest problem we see is people getting a pole that is too light in section for their boat. The lighter poles are cheaper, and folks figure that they really don't need the scantlings that Forespar recommends; inevitably they end up bending their too-light pole, rendering it no longer adjustable.
Be sure to get the H-shaped car jaw fitting (not the ring, and not the tenon), for vertical stowage. The little trailer car with the C-shaped clamp on it is a very good thing to keep the pole from rattling when stored.
And my marketing manager reminds me that these and other tips are built in to every order we make when selling a pole. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should buy from us, but whoever you get a pole, or any other piece of rigging gear from, should be able to provide you with design information.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

For cruising I don't understand how a fixed length pole will work. As you change the wind angle the proper sheeting will make the clew either closer or further away from the mast and, therefore, the pole length must change in order to keep the sail from collapsing with the wave action in winds that are not strong, especially when the waves are big and you are being shadowed by them near the foot of the sail.

Obviously the cruising spinnaker or jenniker down wind will need the longest pole length. I have had both the push-button adjustable Forespar as well as the continuously adjustable line controlled length versions. The line-controlled version is much easier to change than the other.

I also use the pole adjusted as a strut to keep my Sea-Cure anti-roll device deployed well away from the hull when at anchor in rolly places. The pole lift hoists up at to bisect the angle that the spare halyard forms from the mast head to the pole end. A line from the pole end extends to below the water to the anti-roll device and another line stays the pole fore and aft from stem to stern. The resulting geometry is very stable and strong.