I'm ordering an asymmetric spinnaker from Kemps and I need to specify the length of the luff ("from fully hoisted halyard to tack"). I have done some measurements with the mast down and arrived at 10m (10.03 to be precise).

Whilst I obviously have the utmost confidence in all my measuring and calculating I was just wondering if anyone else had done the same and if so what the answer was ?

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Hi Mike,

Just took delivery a Cruising Chute/Asymmetrical Spinnaker, Luff is approx 9.5m including snuffer,

Hope this helps


Richard
235/59 Silkkin

Thanks Richard. Where did you buy it from ?

Mike

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Hi again Mike,

I live near Norwich (although boat is moored on the Blackwater in Essex) so I had the sail made by local sailmaker Jeckells of Wroxham.

Everything seems ok but I have yet to try it but hopefully will do this coming weekend !

Richard

235/59 Silkkin

Hello Mike,

I got the same result as you, both from calculating based on measurements with the mast down and from hoisting a tape measure once the mast was up. The dimension surprised the sailmaker but it proved to be correct. It will be affected by mast rake and pre-bend, though, which might well differ on your boat from mine.

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Just for interest I have what is effectively a large nylon genoa on a 'magic furl' from Crusader sails (a code 0?) and have been very happy with it such that asymmetric has hardly been out of the bag since. It sheets to light snatch blocks tied to the midships cleats then through the spinnaker blocks at the stern to the winches. I find it easier to set when going down wind (with the mainsail set), sails closer to the wind than an asymmetric, and it is very easy to get rid of. Jim Hamilton (Sandy Lady)

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Any idea how much a new Kite would cost? We have the pole and all the riggind, but not the Spinnaker itself on the Parker 235 we bought a few months ago. Thanks, Dan

I just paid £685 for a cruising chute / asymmetric and £250 for a snuffer.

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By the way, going back to my original post, distance from halyard top to end of pole measured with mast up....10m exactly !

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Thanks for this Mike

We’ve now got the spinnaker pole and having taken Lili out the water in Thornham Marina we are a little confused. It’s definitely an asymmetric right? Does the pole clip onto the ring just behind the anchor-holder (in front of the bow hold window)?

Can’t really work out how the snuffler might work - does anyone have a link to a photo?! (Nothing in the manual)

The front of the pole passes through a stainless steel hoop on the port side of the forestay fitting and the rear clips onto a u-bolt on the front of the cabin top. Thus configured it forms a short bowsprit onto which the tack of the asymetric is attached.

The snuffer should have a continuous uphaul/downhaul. The head of the spinnaker is attached to the a loop insde the top of the snuffer. The halyard is attached to the top of the snuffer.

Hope that helps.

Mike

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Hi all, we’ve finally had our spinnaker made and a snuffler from DS Sails

There is a heap of rigging on the boat and also the spinnaker pole. Any chance someone could give me a quick guide on what to use where and where to run the sheets?

Many thanks

Happy to help but not sure what the mechanism might be. Phone / Skype ?

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Thanks Mike

It would be great to talk through it. The boat was originally rigged for a spinnaker but the previous (and the only other) owner never got one.

We've got the pole, which I believe clips on to the hook just in front of the fore-cabin window and then goes out through the hole in the metalwork in the bow to act like a bow-sprit? If so I think we just use some kind of rope to connect the front of the pole to the Tack of the spinnaker

We found the rope marked Asy Halyard which helps (!)

What we're getting confused about is the sheets. From the manual it says that we should use two separate 13m long, 6mm ropes. We didn't know how/where to attach them to the boat or whether we cleat them off in the cockpit?

We've also found an (approx) 30m length of 6mm rope which might be a continuous spinnaker line, but it's got two braided marks (one third, and two thirds along) which we can't get our heads around. Might be nothing to do with the spinnaker of course!

Finally, the manual refers to having a swivel snap-shackle on the spinnaker sheets - where is that to be put?

Happy to send photos, or as you kindly suggested a phone call (or perhaps Skype from the boat)

Many thanks again

I assume you have a spinnaker halyard running through a sheave on the front of the mast above where the forestay attaches and down though a hoop slighthly below the sheave. If your halyard attaches with a snap shackle I recommend you have a large plastic bobble above it as I found the shackle will pass through the hoop and undo itself on the way with embarrassing consequences.

I just use a simple rope loop about 8 inches long to attach the tack to the front of the pole. Nice and simple. Others like to adjust the the tack line but I have yet to try it.

If you don't already have sheets the best thing to do is buy a couple of Laser main sheets off eBay. They are the right length and diameter. You can just tie them onto the clew with bowlines or invest in a couple of snap shackles which make rigging much easier.

The sheets must go outside everything (every stanchion and every shroud and of course the forestay) but inside the halyard. Its easy to visualise this when the spinnaker is hoisted but not so easy when it's on deck in its bag (i.e. when you have to tie all the ropes on !). If you get it wrong you won't be able to gybe.

The sheets lead back to a couple of ratchet blocks at the back of the boat and then forwards onto a winch. On Juicy Blue the blocks are attached to loops welded onto the forward most part of the pushpit. My previous boat had eyes bolted through the deck just forward of the pushpit.

I snuff and un-snuff from the mast. Nice and simple and you can see what you are doing. But you are not in the cockpit. There are cleats on the mast to which you can tie off the snuffer line.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you want to skype or something.

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Thanks Mike for your help
I’m a co-owner with Dan. I think we have enough info to get the kite up.
We should be able next weekend if light winds. Rob

We do have this 30m long rope which is marked into thirds. We wondered if it was a continuous sheet for the spinnaker, although can see that using a continuous sheet might be asking for trouble!

Thanks again for all the help