Shortening a Line Control Whisker Pole

[vadrian]

Hi. I have a forespar 3-3.5" diameter line control whisker pole that's about one foot too long. I am thinking of removing the fatter (mast) end, cutting a foot off the tubing, and then replacing the end.

Has anyone done this? I'm interested to hear from folks who have to learn from their experience.

Adrian in NC

[Ziggy]

I don't understand... If you want it shorter, just don't extend it all the way.

[vadrian]

I need it a foot shorter when contracted to fit it on my mast. That will be easier than extending or replacing the t track that's already there

[Ziggy]

I think you'll need to cut off sections of both tubes. There's also a rod inside, which you'll need to shorten. There used to be a diagram of the internals on the forespar web site, but it might be gone now. I have a copy if you can't find it, but the Forespar folks are very helpful if you ask nicely. I had to shorten mine by an inch or two because of corrosion. You might need need some stainless or monel pop rivets and a Big Daddy rivet gun to reassemble the pieces.

[vadrian]

Hi Ziggy. A diagram would be excellent at your convenience. I was unable to find one.

I was really hoping to not have to touch the inner tube as that will of course shorten the extended length that much more and the pole is already barely long enough for my Yankee. But still. A somewhat short pole I actually use is far better than a long enough pole that I won't because it will be the cause of my untimely demise.

Adrian

[mrohr]

ziggy; am reading your posts here with interest ; if you remember I'm the other guy here in the N.E. U.S. with the Brit. Contessa 32 ( I recall yours as Canadian).

I,m looking for a line control whisker pole for Houdini and would like to hear your recommendations as to best diameter, min length,stowage etc.etc.. I have a good size asym but but am not expert enough to fly my spinnakers single-handing.
Hope you can help, thanks Mike

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by vadrian

Hi. I have a forespar 3-3.5" diameter line control whisker pole that's about one foot too long. I am thinking of removing the fatter (mast) end, cutting a foot off the tubing, and then replacing the end.

Has anyone done this? I'm interested to hear from folks who have to learn from their experience.

Adrian in NC

Here is the standard shortening procedure :

Sell whisker pole
Buy shorter whisker pole
Job done.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by mrohr

ziggy; am reading your posts here with interest ; if you remember I'm the other guy here in the N.E. U.S. with the Brit. Contessa 32 ( I recall yours as Canadian).

I,m looking for a line control whisker pole for Houdini and would like to hear your recommendations as to best diameter, min length,stowage etc.etc.. I have a good size asym but but am not expert enough to fly my spinnakers single-handing.
Hope you can help, thanks Mike

Go to the Forespar website, they have lots of info on whisker pole selections.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by vadrian

Hi Ziggy. A diagram would be excellent at your convenience. I was unable to find one.

I was really hoping to not have to touch the inner tube as that will of course shorten the extended length that much more and the pole is already barely long enough for my Yankee. But still. A somewhat short pole I actually use is far better than a long enough pole that I won't because it will be the cause of my untimely demise.

Adrian

Adrian,
Here's a diagram:



I think if you want to shorten the retracted length, the only way to do it is to reduce the lengths of the inner tube, the outer tube, and the stinger tube by the same amount. You might contact Forespar technical support before you start cutting. I found Randy Risvold (949-858-8820, randyr@forespar.com) very helpful. At the very least they might be able to send you a more detailed diagram.

Good luck,
Z.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by mrohr

ziggy; am reading your posts here with interest ; if you remember I'm the other guy here in the N.E. U.S. with the Brit. Contessa 32 ( I recall yours as Canadian).

I,m looking for a line control whisker pole for Houdini and would like to hear your recommendations as to best diameter, min length,stowage etc.etc.. I have a good size asym but but am not expert enough to fly my spinnakers single-handing.
Hope you can help, thanks Mike

Mike,

I'm not positive, but I think mine is LC 10-18, 2" & 2.5" tubes. I only use it in light air with my 135% genoa--for stronger breeze I would go one size larger, but I find the lighter weight easier to handle. By the way, my sail area is a little bigger than yours since the mast on the Canadian CO32s is 3' taller than on the Jeremy Rogers version.

I store mine on the side deck in stainless deck chocks. I have a dedicated topping lift for the pole, which is a great help in setting it up and keeps it from drooping in light air. I only fly it when I'm with someone else (I am too chicken to do it while singlehanding.) If I were to fly it solo, I would also add a foreguy and an afterguy to completely fix and stabilize the pole. With a topping lift, a foreguy, and an afterguy the pole would be completely fixed with respect to the boat and you should be able to furl your genoa in an emergency without touching the pole.

Cheers,
Z.

[vadrian]

Thanks, Ziggy. That helps. I did take one of the ends off, and think I can manage the modification fine; however, as you suspected, I will have to also shorten the stinger and the inner tubes. The inner tube is only about 5 inches from the end fitting. So, while my contracted length will be shorter by a foot, the extended length will be shorter by two.

The construction also explains why one would not wish to use a whisker pole as a spinnaker pole (which I confess had been crossing my mind). The line control makes the stinger come under a compression load, and the stinger is held to the end fitting using blind rivets. All the force of holding a sail out comes to bear on those rivets. If they miraculously hold, then the pulley on the other end of the stinger could really ruin your day if it came apart and the thing suddenly collapsed.

Adrian

[Ziggy]

Adrian,
I don't think these pop rivets actually take any load--they just keep the stinger in place so the end can bear against the end fitting. But you're right, the stinger is a small diameter light weight aluminum tube that could easily buckle. I agree, a fixed length pole is much more appropriate for really large loads like a spinnaker in a fresh breeze. But even if a whisker pole did fail due to a buckled stinger, I think it would be unlikely to cause collateral damage or serious injury.
Z.