Thanks, Pete. By your approximation then, an E38 with a 16.25' J length might get by with as little as a 15'-ish length pole. Not saying I'll target that but if I run across one at a yard sale price, maybe don't pass it up, just to gain the experience of playing around with it.Make sure whatever you get is something you can pick up and manipulate yourself. I used to have an expandable pole on my Tartan 37 that was so freakin heavy I would nearly fall overboard trying to set it. I bought a fixed carbon fiber pole that was less than half the weight I have been quite happy with. My Ericson came with a light fixed aluminum pole (with frozen ends I had to replace at cost of $200) that seems good too. Neither pole is full J length by a foot and I don't think that makes much difference. I am not sure I would go with an expanding pole again because of the added weight. I am able to fly a chute alone in light air and a fixed pole is a simpler set up to wing the jib out. Just an opinion based on working with different options.
Unless I was racing (and I am not sure if that would be a real issue even then) I would probably stay within a foot or so of J--but the shorter pole makes a dip pole gybe a bit easier when I am single handing. Long pole doesn't seem to matter as much with a chute as it does with winging out the jib. One factor is that I sail with only a 125% in Maine and a 95% in SF because of the winds in those places. But I think for most folks a shorter pole should be a consideration. They sell poles with boats with the longest legal poles figuring--maybe correctly--that folks who race would want that and it does not cost much more to do it. I just find that tad shorter makes things easier. I raced on a classic wooden boat where the wooden pole shattered and I was frightened by the sharp ends. Better to have a bent pole.Thanks, Pete. By your approximation then, an E38 with a 16.25' J length might get by with as little as a 15'-ish length pole. Not saying I'll target that but if I run across one at a yard sale price, maybe don't pass it up, just to gain the experience of playing around with it.
A friend had a wooden one on his classic Kettenburg 43 and nobody died, although he said it was not light.
My short poles can rest against the forestay when they are hoisted in place with the topping lift. J is measured at the base of the triangle--so the pole is long enough to rest against the headstay when it is hoisted. It just makes it easier to dip pole gype rather than doing an end for end gype. I had to add a couple feet of track on the mast as my Kenyon spar came with just a tiny strip and the pole could not go high enough for any real chute. Not sure what the Ericson riggers were thinking.Shorter is certainly easier, esp. if not planning long DDW legs.
One consideration: A pole length of "J" rests against the forestay when horizontal. You could go maybe a foot shorter and it still would.
If a rigged pole can rest against the forestay (most spinnaker poles don't) it stabilizes everything up there while sorting line or clearing fouls.
Thanks, Kiba. That fits with my limited experience crewing (not foredeck, yet) on a 43' (socket) and a 33' (jaw) boat. When a gybe goes awry on the 33', it's concerning but mostly irritating, when it happens on the 43', it's alarming and borders on terrifying. Anything that can make the 43' safer and more efficient is well worth it. Well, for their budgets.The "socket style end" is to perform dip pole jibes using two sheet and two guys. Larger boats usually don't jibe end-for-end.
I think the end you are showing is great and I have those on my Tartan and its carbon pole. If you can get those for $200 that is a deal. I think most of the pole stock (carbon and aluminum) is measured by ID, but i could be wrong. As far as tight fit? I would be satisfied with close fit. I chose some new old fashioned aluminum jaws for my Ericson from Nauta (a Brazilian company) and they work fine--old fashioned construction, but solid. I chose to put them together with SS sheet metal screws (I do not recommend those to most uses on sailboat) because they are slightly superior to rivets that tend to loosen with shock loads of the chute.Hi folks. I was able to purchase a used spinnaker pole but it has a socket on one end. It looks like changing my mast fittings to accommodate those would be expensive (only paid $200 for the pole).
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Ray (or anyone), you'd mentioned replacing ends for $200, were those like the Forespar UXP series composite ends?
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Last question, that end is shown on an aluminum pole and mine is apparently carbon. I'd assume the pole ID is probably a little smaller for an aluminum pole and my ends already fit a little loosely, should they be shimmed to fit snugly? I see Forespar makes adapting collars, although I haven't found any info or availability on them. In other arenas, loose fitment can generate non-engineered point loads that can break things, and y'all have already pointed out that the poles can break. Should I be concerned?
Thanks much.