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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
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 What is the diff between a Spinnaker		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts
Initially Posted - 01/06/2006 :  17:48:57  Show Profile
, a Drifter and a reacher. I am being offered a spinnaker for a great price but I want to make sure I am getting the right thing. Cheers.
Dennis
No Boat
S.E. Michigan
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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts
Response Posted - 01/06/2006 :  20:45:29  Show Profile  Visit Frank Hopper's Homepage
In my experience, a drifter is cut like a genoa, it uses the sail handling lines of a genoa, is usually 170%-180% heavy nylon (1.5oz) and can be a work of art but seldom is. A reacher points higher than a symmetrical spinnaker and uses all of the sail handling lines of a spinnaker. The Asym was invented to blend the running of the reacher and the pointing of the drifter and ends up using any number of combinations of the sail handling lines of both the genoa and the spinnaker.
Spinnakers for our boats are a dime a dozen, you can get a good used spinnaker from a J-24 and do the spinnaker thing, $250 buys good ones. It will be a bit small but if anyone cared they would be buying a new one anyway. You can't use a real spinnaker without being rigged for it which costs several hundred dollars. Unless you can run for hours on end you probably will never learn to fly it alone.
spinnakers from dingies are great fun to hook to a halyard, take forward and then let your kids fly off the boat while hanging onto the clews.
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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts
Response Posted - 01/07/2006 :  09:47:35  Show Profile
Thanks Frank. I just talked to the sail maker and he corrected me. It is an asym spinnaker not a normal spinnaker. Bottom (tack I think) attaches to the bow with a two foot SS line, then a strap goes around the furling jib. I really do not have much experience with an Asym Spinnaker but they sure do look good. How is your hand? Cheers.
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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts
Response Posted - 01/07/2006 :  14:16:35  Show Profile  Visit aeckhart's Homepage
Dennis,

I have used an asymetrical cruising spinnaker for about 6 years. It works well as long as you remember that it is an off-wind, not a down wind sail. It will not fly when sailing directly downwind. This means that although you are not sailing the shortest route (point-to-point)downwind, you are in fact tacking downwind, each course faster than the point-to-point downwind course. An added advantage in my opinion, is that it is much easier to launch, fly, and retrieve single-handed than a true downwind spinnaker. Finally, as Frank has already pointed out, you will need to invest in several hundred dollars worth of equipment to use a true downwind spinnaker, including a spinnaker pole. A pole is not necessary to fly the cruising chute, although I use a wisker pole with mine on long runs (several miles long).
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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts
Response Posted - 01/07/2006 :  16:50:01  Show Profile
Hi Al, could you fly it down wind if you had a whisker pole out, like you would on a jib? Cheers.
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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts
Response Posted - 01/07/2006 :  19:36:58  Show Profile  Visit aeckhart's Homepage
Dennis,

I have not tried this technique. I have sailed the cruising chute wing-on-wing for a very brief time, but have not been able to do it since. You will find that the more you try to sail the cruising chute directly downwind, the more frustrated you will get. Tacking off wind is the way to go with this sail. It is very fast and easy to handle once you get the hang of it.

By the way, sail adjustment is exactly the same as a downwind spinnaker - keep the lee shoulder of the sail just barely luffing. Also, the closer to windward you sail, the tighter the tack line is adjusted. Keep in mind though that, just as it will not sail directly downwind, it will not reach either.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.