- This topic has 11 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
I am installing a whisker pole and plan to install a track on the leading edge of the masts both for using the pole and for pole storage by hoisting the pole up the mast on the track when not in use.
Boat is a cutter rig and I think a true cutter as the mast is stepped several feet further aft than the sloop or sloop/cutter.
The longest track I have found is 10′. The pole I have is 14′ not extended so the bottom of the track will have to be just a little higher than 4′ off the top of the cabin for me to hoist the end of the pole up the mast.
My concern, this means the lowest I can set the pole will be about 4 1/2′ over the cabin top. Is this low enough that the pole will be horizontal when poling out a 135 genoa? I think it will be more than adequate but would love to see some input from others before I start buying parts and making holes in things.
-
Skipmac,
I mounted my whisker pole on the front of the mast. My pole is 13 ft, collapsed, and I typically set the inboard end about 5 to 5.5 ft off the deck when I have the jib deployed on the pole. So four feet should not be a problem for you. That being said, my track bottom is only 33 inches from the deck and I think you should be able to find a longer track than 10 feet, if so desired. I believe mine is a Harken, though I cannot swear to it.
David
Blue Moon -
-
Skipmac
Not sure what you have planned for inboard pole end fitting and tack car for that inboard end, but you might want to check track car availability for 1″ track. There are limited car choices when storing the pole up the mast and I think none will fit 1″ track, with forespar having cornered the market. The issue seems to be range of motion without binding between the pole and and mast attachment.
http://www.forespar.com/products/sail-mast-car.shtml
http://search.defender.com/search.aspx?expression=Forespar+Sai180F
http://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/category/1-Forespar-Mast-Cars.html -
Hello Skipmac
My track is one inch, secured to the mast with screws in tapped holes every 4 inches. The track is Harken, as is the car. The car has shackles top and bottom to secure the car control lines. The inboard pole attach point (on the car) is a standard ring, not one of the fancy U-joint things. It works just fine, as long as you occasionally lube the plastic bearings with a drop of the appropriate stuff, McLube I think. You also need to generally watch alignment as it goes up and down the track. Hasn’t been a problem as long as the car bearings are lubed. I purchased this setup about two years ago from West Marine.
I’ve used the pole to pole out the jib, but have also used it for my heeling bag. I need to heel the boat to get under some bridges around here. I hang about 600 lbs of water from the end of the pole, about 20 or so feet from the center line of the boat. This hasn’t appeared to damage anything, and I am sure there is a lot of inboard pressure on the car and track.
David
-
-
Related question. I’m looking for a whisker pole for my 424 cutter. What is a reasonably safe diameter and length?
Roger
Forespar, on their web site recommends a LC 13-24 for light to moderate air or LC 15-27 for heavy air. The 13-24 uses 3″ and 3.5″ Al tubing, the 15-27 3.5″ and 4″ tubing. The numbers are the lengths, closed and extended.
-
Hello Skipmac
My track is one inch, secured to the mast with screws in tapped holes every 4 inches. The track is Harken, as is the car. The car has shackles top and bottom to secure the car control lines. The inboard pole attach point (on the car) is a standard ring, not one of the fancy U-joint things. It works just fine, as long as you occasionally lube the plastic bearings with a drop of the appropriate stuff, McLube I think. You also need to generally watch alignment as it goes up and down the track. Hasn’t been a problem as long as the car bearings are lubed. I purchased this setup about two years ago from West Marine.
I’ve used the pole to pole out the jib, but have also used it for my heeling bag. I need to heel the boat to get under some bridges around here. I hang about 600 lbs of water from the end of the pole, about 20 or so feet from the center line of the boat. This hasn’t appeared to damage anything, and I am sure there is a lot of inboard pressure on the car and track.
David
Thanks again. I was starting to wonder if the 1″ track was enough but for my needs and based on your experience I think it should do the trick.
So how low is the bridge you get under when heeled? Do you have the standard mast, 52′ if I recall? There’s a 45′ bridge blocking my way to a more cheaper and more secure berth upriver that I have been eyeballing.
-
Standard air draft according to my data is 48 feet 10 inches, on the ketch. Several of our bridges are published as 50 footers, though tide and weather affects that greatly. I canât trust the footage markings at the base of the bridges, but just use them as reference for past experience at the same bridge, and keep âbridge notesâ for each bridge so I can judge whether or not I need to lean. I can lean with my current setup up to 16 degrees, which gives me about a two foot advantage. You can do the trig, or there are some online tools that do the math for you to determine how much you need to lean to get a certain amount of advantage. You only get a few inches for 5 degrees of heal, but the advantage increases dramatically the further you heal.
David
-
Hi David,
I have to look at my log but I thought my cutter air draft was 52′ but I included masthead lights and antenna. Didn’t worry about fine tuning that too much on the ICW since bridges are almost all 65′ more or less but will probably get an exact measure now I’m back in the water so I’ll know.
I did do the math and theoretically I could clear a 47′ bridge if I heeled the boat 30 degrees which seemed a bit extreme. Have you tried to heel that far?
-
I canât get to 30 degrees. My bag holds about 80 gallons, or about 800 lbs. Iâve filled it to near the top and got about 16 degrees, plenty for me and my situation. To get to 30, youâd obviously need more weight, and youâd have to hang the bag much higher so it wouldnât contact the water as you heel. My bag is about 5.5 ft long and about 2 ft in diameter, and if I donât hang it high enough at the outset, as the boat heels (is it heal or heel?) the bottom of the bag contacts the water, and of course at that point you are doing no goodâ¦
-
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.