Whisker Pole

[sailorboy1]

What the heck is a whisker pole? Is it different from a spinnaker pole?

[Dockhead]

Yes. A whisker pole is for poling out a sail which does have a luff (a jib, a genoa, etc.), from the leeward side. It's much longer and lighter than a spinnaker pole for the same size boat, and often adjustable. A spinnaker pole I think you know. It is for a sail set flying; that is a sail without a luff -- a spinnaker. It is set on the windward side.

[sailorboy1]

Dang, I've been using the same pole for both. Now I wouldn't be able to get in the club anymore.

[bewitched]

Terminology - it'll drive you nuts

What I call a whisker pole is a short pole that poles out the Guy (the Brace to you Aussies & Kiwis - not sure what it's called in US) - its just a bit longer than the distance from the mast to the outside of the rigging. It moves the guy / brace off the rig when running shy on the kite.

[delmarrey]

And here I thought a whisker pole was one that is adjustable.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Terminology - it'll drive you nuts

What I call a whisker pole is a short pole that poles out the Guy (the Brace to you Aussies & Kiwis - not sure what it's called in US) - its just a bit longer than the distance from the mast to the outside of the rigging. It moves the guy / brace off the rig when running shy on the kite.

Hey Bewitched,

That's odd... most folks there in the US call that a reaching strut. A whisker pole is indeed a spar used to hold the clew of a foresail out when running deep downwind. Many people, including ourselves, use our real spinnaker pole for this purpose. It isn't really the optimal length for a genoa, but what the hell, it's paid for and there to use for whatever we want !!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Church Point NSW OZ

[bewitched]

I too use my spinnaker pole for poling out the headsail.

So in the US a whisker pole is a spinnaker pole that's longer than the J measurement?

Or it's an adjustable pole?

[Jim Cate]

G'DAy again Bewitched,
I reckon that anything that you use to hold out the clew of the headdy qualifies as a whisker pole... I seem to remember using a boat brush on my first dinghy! Somewhat undignified, but I was much younger then and didn't care!

For us cruisers, the J measurement is a non-player. I cut our spinny pole to the max length that I could store vertically on the mast, and never even considered the racing rules... again, I seem to remember that they were once important to me, but cruzeheimers has eliminated that worry.

So, call it whatever works for you, and we'll call it quits!

Cheers,
Jim

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

So, call it whatever works for you, and we'll call it quits!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Dang, I've been using the same pole for both. Now I wouldn't be able to get in the club anymore.

Something made as a spinny pole will kind of work for poling out the clew of a jib to windward. It will be plenty strong but might not be long enough for an overlapping genoa. Spinny pole can't be much longer than J if you expect to be able to jibe it and is never (as far as I know) adjustable because of all the load on it. That will be short for most genoas but might work fine on a non-overlapping jib.

Something made as a whisker pole might be too long if it's not adjustable and might not be strong enough for a spinnaker if it is adjustable. There's a much greater load on the windward side.

Very good information here: Forespar: About Whisker Poles



Hell, you can use a boathook if it works for you (it used to work for me on daysailer once upon a time). That's all we have on board our new boat at the moment; she came with no downwind sails or gear for downwind sailing at all. Will be one of this year's spendier projects (ouch).

[sailorboy1]

And I thought I was asking a qustion that everryone knew rhe answer to! And now I know what that other shorter pole I have and have never uaed (reaching pole).

[sck5]

I have a whisker pole and thought all of them were telescoping and spin poles never were. I know I am never supposed to try to use the whisker pole as a spin pole or it will bend. Great thing for sailing wing and wing or just deep downwind.

[sailorboy1]

Well I guess I don't know what I have anymore. It's a 3" diameter non-adjustable alum pole and I've used with both my spinnaker and genny. It's too long to jibe over unless I push it WAY up th mast track (So I don't and take the pole down and then do it as I'm not in that much of a hurry).

I really only asked the orginal question as I keep seeing in boat listing specs "whisker pole" and always assumed it met a spinnaker pole. Would it be a whisker pole if it is for a asym spinnaker/cruising chute?

[agennai]

someone have a whisker pole to sell????

[svHyLyte]

The term "Whisker Pole" comes from the idea that a cat's whisker is so sensative, it can feel even the lightest whisper of wind. The concept of a Whisker Pole was a light-weight spar to hold a headsail out so that what little power there is in the lightest zephers can be felt (and used to drive the yacht and not wasted having to lift the weight of the sail and it's sheets). In that function, ideally, the Whisker pole should be angled somewhat upward from the mast to the sail's clew (or supported by a topping lift) to carry some of that weight. Whisker poles are normally extendable simply because they are normally used with overlapping head sails having foot dimensions greater than the yacht's J measurement.

A "Reaching Strut" is used with the sheet of a spinnaker. When reaching with a spinnaker, the pole is very far forward hence the sheet loading must be very great to generate the component of force necessary to control the sail. The Reaching Strut holds the sheet outboard, increasing the angle between the pole end and the sheet, reducing the amount of force, and load, that must be appied to the sheet. The Reaching Strut is to a Spinnaker Pole what a Spreader is to a Mast.

FWIW...