DIY whisker pole

[davefromoregon]

A whisker pole costs about $900 for my boat. A buddy and I are discussing creating one with PVC pipe and appropriate end pieces. It should cost less than $300. Is this a reasonable idea?

Has anyone else done this?

This is a cruising boat. I don't race.


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[Orion Jim]

If there was a dead simple, cost efficient, and safe method of creating a whisker pole I'd be willing to bet an investment cast headsail shackle that most of the cruisers would be equipped with one rather than keeping Forespar in business.
I'd never wish to hamper innovation so give it a try and keep us informed. Sometimes you luck out. Whisker poles were constructed of Douglas fir long before aluminum and now are available in carbon fiber but I'm sure further innovations will present themselves.

[Snowpetrel]

No, dont use pvc unless it is a very small boat, the loads are significant in any sort of wind/sea, and when they buckle they can do a lot of damage.

I have made my own from 6061 t6 alloy tube (not pipe). Worked fine and cheap enough. Its the end fittings that cost the big money, not the tube. Bamboo or strong clear wood can also work on smaller boats.

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[fgd3]

Of course you can make your own whisker pole. It isn't rocket science. PVC isn't a very good material for the purpose. It's heavy and not strong compared to other materials. Aluminum tubing would probably work better. Fill it with a hard polyurethane foam or a dowel wrapped in fiberglass (to make a tight fit) to improve its rigidity. If you have to buy end fittings made for whisker poles that may offset some of your cost savings but I don't think it would be too difficult to fabricate something suitable. Even if you had a machine shop fabricate the ends from stainless steel I think you could bring the project in for less than $900.

Fabbian

[msponer]

Check with your local metal supplier. 4" aluminum tubing is way stronger than PVC and should cost around ~$6/foot. As others have said, the end fittings are the expensive parts-- to me it'd be worth it to check sailing swap meets or used boat part places like Minnie's in Los Angeles.

[Celestialsailor]

Geeez...the simple answer is to buy a used one. I bought my first one for $200. In La Paz, a neighbor got tired of having two and gave me one. I sold it later at a swap meet for $200.

[Don C L]

I am guessing you are thinking of schedule 80? I still wouldn't bet on it. This is for the Beneteau right? How long does it need to be? My first thought was, believe it or not, a heavy duty aluminum Carlisle oar shaft that you attach fittings onto. They are really strong and maybe you could buy the blade too and it could double as a sweep if you were so inclined. I am experimenting with the oars on my boat, and I too need a whisker pole so I have been pondering it.
https://www.amazon.com/Carlisle-Exhd...oar&th=1&psc=1
blue or yellow plastic covering
BE SURE YOU CONFIRM the length of the shaft before you buy

[paul winn]

Hi Snowpetrel,

I know this is an old post but hopefully, you're still around.

I'm planning to build a 6.5m whisker pole for 15m steel cutter and looking to use 100mm aluminum. The only 6061 t6 tube I can find is 1.6mm wall. Do you reckon this would be strong enough? The alternative is 6060 T5 with 3mm wall.

Warm regards

Paul

[GrowleyMonster]

PVC? No, flexes too much and not UV resistant enough. A nice wood spar would work. But I would just get a purpose made one, maybe used. Alloy and thickness and geometry will already be optimized for you.

[Sparx]

A quick look on the web suggests 6060 has a similar Youngs modulus as 6061, 68 to 70 Gpa. This would suggest going with the thicker wall of the 6060 tube would be the sure bet for any given tube diameter.

That is not to say the 6061 at 1.6mm wall is not strong enough. Keep in mind that the stiffness increases with diameter to the fourth power, so getting the diameter big enough is the most important thing.

[RaymondR]

I have installed double whisker poles on my IP40 made from 60 mm OD X 3 mm wall thickness alluminium tube, don't know what the grade is. I did the same on my previous boat using 2.5 mm wall thickness and found it worked ok but I did manage to bend one. I don't use the beak fittings as they are troublesome to get on and off, I use outhauls through the centre of the poles.

I recently cut the 60 mm poles off and am installing 50 mm X 3mm telescoping sections to make them easier to stow. I have fitted them on a hinge system which allows them to be stowed vertically on the front of the mast. The hinge fitting clamps into grooves on the front of the Isomat mast.

Since I mainly sail downwind I find that I pretty well always have the foresail poled out to stop the spilling and filling the rolling causes. With both outhauls on I can tack the foresail without leaving the cockpit which is very handy for an ancient single hander (That's me being ancient, not the boat)

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by paul winn

Hi Snowpetrel,

I know this is an old post but hopefully, you're still around.

I'm planning to build a 6.5m whisker pole for 15m steel cutter and looking to use 100mm aluminum. The only 6061 t6 tube I can find is 1.6mm wall. Do you reckon this would be strong enough? The alternative is 6060 T5 with 3mm wall.

Warm regards

Paul

https://www.deckhardware.com.au/Fore...-13-24-UXP-UXP

https://www.forespar.com/products/li...aluminum.shtml

https://www.deckhardware.com.au/Fore...C-15-27-TS-UXP

Looks like the 55 foot version is 4 inch diameter and the 46 foot vessel version is 3-3.5 inch.

I'd be going for the 100mm 1.6 t6. T6 is much stronger (higher yeild and tensile load) than t5, and it will be much lighter. But then again it's not massively strong like a spinnaker pole. So any pole like this needs a bit of care when using it. Good angles for the brace and foreguy and no shock loads, so keep the topper tight. And the sail flat.

[psk125]

People seem to be spending wild amounts on end fittings. If the pole is guyed forward & aft, would a wooden or metal point (similar to a boathook) fitted to the outboard end just stuck through the clew grommet work? Or a snatch block could be lashed to the end and the jib sheet could be run through that. A low-friction ring might do in a pinch. The inboard end might need something fancier, but even there, could you get by with a hefty bolt through the end of the pole, sticking down, and drop the bolt into the eye of the spinnaker pole mast ring? Mousing it with some shock cord would keep it on the ring and still enable it to be unshipped when necessary.

[Jim Cate]

Back in the 80's some folkks use spinnaker poles with a bell on the outer end, running a pair of lines out through the pole and the bell. The lines had snap shackles on the outboard end and cam cleats on the inner end. looked neat and meant that you never had a completely free flying kite whilst gybing. Looked so good that I built one! And it worked a treat for light airs with a kite. Then tried it in stronger winds as a whisker pole with a biggish genoa. Came time to strike it and the loads were so high that I couldn't uncleat the inboard end. Quite a mess ensued (this was a hanked on sail).

Point is that when the wind gets up the loads on the whisker pose get quite high. Any mickey mouse fittings, like a bolt through a spinnaker eye on the mast are gonna bite you... maybe badly. IMO, not a good place to deviate from proven fittings... having a loose pole thrashing about the foredeck is really discouraging!

Looking for used fittings at swap meets or boat bits shops will eventually turn up suitable gear for reasonable dollars.

Jim

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I am guessing you are thinking of schedule 80? I still wouldn't bet on it. This is for the Beneteau right? How long does it need to be? My first thought was, believe it or not, a heavy duty aluminum Carlisle oar shaft that you attach fittings onto. They are really strong and maybe you could buy the blade too and it could double as a sweep if you were so inclined. I am experimenting with the oars on my boat, and I too need a whisker pole so I have been pondering it.
https://www.amazon.com/Carlisle-Exhd...oar&th=1&psc=1
blue or yellow plastic covering
BE SURE YOU CONFIRM the length of the shaft before you buy

don if you are still in the market I have a spinnaker pole cheap if you come get it.
Best part I know its right for your boat:-)