But now I have a few questions for you all:
1) I will be using the pole with "jaws up", so in an emergency I can release the jib sheet and it will lift right out of the jaws. That said, the line you pull to open the jaws is... helpfully out at the end of a 15' pole, unreachable in an emergency. Frankly, I have no desire to go all the way to the bow to get at it offshore, even in fairly calm conditions.
I assume people either
- always bring the pole back to the bast by furling the jib, then stowing the pole with the sheet slack, so you can get at the jaws when they are near the mast as you stow the pole... but of course, that is the "everything going well" scenario...
or
- have an extra line tied to that trip-line loop that runs back to the mast end of the pole, that you can pull when things go bad.
--> How to people here deal with this? do you add a tripline running back to the inner end of the pole? Something else? Am I wrong about how you de-rig the pole from the sheet when you want it off?
Separately,
2) The pole comes with a dire warning label to never adjust it under load. Of course, I have no idea how you get the length right unless you look at the system and adjust it to suit (you can mark the places on the line for different jibs, but... if you use one partly furled, there is no way you'll know where the correct length would be.)
--> Do you adjust the pole length under load / when changing the furling state of the genoa? Any tricks to this?
3) Is it true that the clew of a job never changes height (if the jib is taught), no matter how far you've roller-furled it? I feel like this is true, even though it is not intuitive to me. If so, I assume I can set the height of the pole (or mark the lines or the mast for the proper placement) for either of my two jibs, and not need to figure that out or really ever adjust it on the fly?
And lastly,
When stowed vertically on the mast, the lower end of the pole clips to a ring via its jaws. One then has two opeions:
a) Lower pole so its weight rests on that lower ring, and line that controls the mast-car position for the top end is slightly slack, taking load off the block/connections at the top of the track... or
b) purposefully tension the line to pull the jaws up off the lower mast ring a bit, so the weight of the pole is hanging from the mast-track car/line controlling that is taught.
--> What do you do?
I am inclined to rest the pole on the lower ring during storage, just because, if anything, that seems easier to get at to repair if need be, vs. hardware 15' up the mast. But I am not sure those are the only considerations here... the track-top hardware is more flush with the mast, so less torque on them from hanging pole than would be trice for the lower ring, which is a couple of inches proud of the mast where the pole clips it (and so a few inch lever-arm on that weight.) Hoping for your expertise/advice.
1) I will be using the pole with "jaws up", so in an emergency I can release the jib sheet and it will lift right out of the jaws. That said, the line you pull to open the jaws is... helpfully out at the end of a 15' pole, unreachable in an emergency. Frankly, I have no desire to go all the way to the bow to get at it offshore, even in fairly calm conditions.
I assume people either
- always bring the pole back to the bast by furling the jib, then stowing the pole with the sheet slack, so you can get at the jaws when they are near the mast as you stow the pole... but of course, that is the "everything going well" scenario...
or
- have an extra line tied to that trip-line loop that runs back to the mast end of the pole, that you can pull when things go bad.
--> How to people here deal with this? do you add a tripline running back to the inner end of the pole? Something else? Am I wrong about how you de-rig the pole from the sheet when you want it off?
Separately,
2) The pole comes with a dire warning label to never adjust it under load. Of course, I have no idea how you get the length right unless you look at the system and adjust it to suit (you can mark the places on the line for different jibs, but... if you use one partly furled, there is no way you'll know where the correct length would be.)
--> Do you adjust the pole length under load / when changing the furling state of the genoa? Any tricks to this?
3) Is it true that the clew of a job never changes height (if the jib is taught), no matter how far you've roller-furled it? I feel like this is true, even though it is not intuitive to me. If so, I assume I can set the height of the pole (or mark the lines or the mast for the proper placement) for either of my two jibs, and not need to figure that out or really ever adjust it on the fly?
And lastly,
When stowed vertically on the mast, the lower end of the pole clips to a ring via its jaws. One then has two opeions:
a) Lower pole so its weight rests on that lower ring, and line that controls the mast-car position for the top end is slightly slack, taking load off the block/connections at the top of the track... or
b) purposefully tension the line to pull the jaws up off the lower mast ring a bit, so the weight of the pole is hanging from the mast-track car/line controlling that is taught.
--> What do you do?
I am inclined to rest the pole on the lower ring during storage, just because, if anything, that seems easier to get at to repair if need be, vs. hardware 15' up the mast. But I am not sure those are the only considerations here... the track-top hardware is more flush with the mast, so less torque on them from hanging pole than would be trice for the lower ring, which is a couple of inches proud of the mast where the pole clips it (and so a few inch lever-arm on that weight.) Hoping for your expertise/advice.
