Do I Want a Cruising Chute?

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Cal 43

Summer Wind's asymmetrical at a fundraiser on the Columbia River.

Love the A-Sail! Puts the wind in our summer! No - it doesn't go dead down (we have two symmetricals & a 50lb dip pole for that). But it keeps two of us "older" folks moving along quite nicely against the current.

Do you have a close up of how your are rigged at the tack. I need to do a similar set up on my asym.

I understand there is a loop/band around the forestay/furler but I am curious row it is rigged to the bow fitting and how you launch it and douse it.

[Stephen Hicks]

Hello Ex-Calif, The tack point is a solid s/s rod welded into the extended anchor roller 1' ahead of the forestay. I attach a 3 part down haul to the tack point that leads back to the cockpit where it feeds through a lever action stopper and to a cabin top winch. The down haul is then able to be adjusted in length to accommodate wind angles as well as bringing it over the bow pulpit allowing easy attachment for hoisting. We band prior to lahnch and hoist out of the bag. Retrieval is accomplished by trimming in so the foot is flat and lowering the halyard putting the sail on deck. Sorry I do not a close up of the bow fitting but will send you one when I take a new set of Pics. Steve Hicks

[Ex-Calif]

Thanks for the reply - Regarding the loop around the forestay. Does this require you furl before the set?

I set mine up without the band and while usable it was a bit unstable.

[Stephen Hicks]

HI YOU CAN SET WITH OUT FURLING THE GENOA A SIMPLE RUBBER BAND GUN (PUT A BAND EVERY YARD OR SO) WILL ALLOW THE SAIL TO GO UP STABLE UNTIL YOU TRIM IN. YOU CAN UNFURL THE GENOA INSIDE THE ASYM. TO DEPOWER IT AND THEN RETRIEVE IT FROM BEHIND THE GENOA, THIS IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL IN BUILDING WINDS. Best of luck Steve

[Stephen Hicks]

I am not sure what you mean by a loop aground the fore stay I have a roller on the headstay and a tack point 1' out on my anchor roller with an adjustable 3 point downhaul that is all

[Cal 43]

Ex-Calif -

We use an ATN Tacker on the furled jib for Summer Wind's A-Sail. Handy gadget. Tack of A-sail on the Tacker. Sheets outside of forestay (gybes outside). Downhaul shackled to the Tacker (inside pulpit), run down to a block on deck and back to the cockpit. Douse with sock. Does that make sense? (Sorry - none of my pictures show enough of the detail.)

[Stephen Hicks]

I think your jibing and performance would improve if you tack a head of your headstay everything else sounds fine

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hicks

I am not sure what you mean by a loop aground the fore stay I have a roller on the headstay and a tack point 1' out on my anchor roller with an adjustable 3 point downhaul that is all

Originally Posted by Cal 43

Ex-Calif -

We use an ATN Tacker on the furled jib for Summer Wind's A-Sail. Handy gadget. Tack of A-sail on the Tacker. Sheets outside of forestay (gybes outside). Downhaul shackled to the Tacker (inside pulpit), run down to a block on deck and back to the cockpit. Douse with sock. Does that make sense? (Sorry - none of my pictures show enough of the detail.)

That's exactly the ticket. We need to fly the asym above the lifelines and pulpit and like in your photo and this on from the ATN site the tacker controls the tack with the spinnaker halyard made at the top and the foot flying above the pulpit.

We flew the asym without this and where we had the tack attached at the forestay fitting, inside the pulpit like yours it would foul the pulpit when the winds shifted around. We also ran a set of blocks led back to the coachroof.

From your photo I couldn't tell how the spinnaker was launched. It looks like you have to furl first and then your banding makes sense for an easy launch.

The tacker looks like what I need. Looks simple and elegant.

[Stephen Hicks]

With this system and the loop around your furled genoa I am sure it works well. If you move to a tack point 1' off the bow you will regain use of your genoa wile fling your asym that can be an advantage if the wind builds or shifts. Thank you for the picture I have not seen that configuration before.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hicks

With this system and the loop around your furled genoa I am sure it works well. If you move to a tack point 1' off the bow you will regain use of your genoa wile fling your asym that can be an advantage if the wind builds or shifts. Thank you for the picture I have not seen that configuration before.

I thought of that option with the concern that you would end up with the tack 1 foot up, the head not made and the spinnaker filled.

After you finish furling the genny you then have some halyad and tack adjustments with the spin powered up. I think a banded spinnaker launched and then inflated after being made could be a simpler launch.

Short handed in building conditions I might choose to stick with the genny and sail the angles.

If I fly the asym it's for tigher angles anyway and I wouldn't lose much sticking with the genny. If I am going deep and think I can handle the sail (enough crew etc) in building conditions I'd fly the symetrical kite and pole it.

[Stephen Hicks]

I am sorry I did not make my self clear I meant 1' forward of the bow I accomplished this by extending the anchor rollers it is sort of a short bow sprit

[Ex-Calif]

Ok got it. However the tacker goes around the furled genny so the genny furls first.

[Hud3]

Dan,

Using an ATN Tacker, if you attach a tack line to clew, and run it down through a block and then back to the cockpit using stanchion blocks, you can adjust the height of the asym's tack from the cockpit. That gives you additional control of the trim of the sail. You'd need to attach the first at an appropriate point at the foot of the furler so the tack line would run fair. Your photo in Post #53 shows the tack line.

[Bash]

...I really dislike the idea of running the tack inside the pulpit. On my boat I had a large bail welded to the end of the anchor roller. This moves the tack far enough forward not only to fly forward of the pulpit, but also lets me run another three or four degrees deeper before the main's windshadow becomes a factor.

My chute has a built-in tack strap, but I only use it on a beam reach. Otherwise, it doesn't allow the sail to move forward as much as it wants to in a deep broad reach. Also, the tack strap performs poorly in a gybe.

[Stephen Hicks]

Hi I have read numerous reply's to this post and it seams the majority of you place your tack inside the bow pulpit forcing you to roll up your genoa. Think about placing the tack point forward of the bow out side the pulpit and run a downhaul down the deck to a stopper block ahead of a winch do not use stanchion blocks as they may not be able to accomidate the load a straight run down the deck from a 3 point down haul will allow you infinitude adjustment and an adjustable tack point