My task for this summer is restoring the gunmount spinnaker set-up and raising the chute for a proper downwind run.
So in no particular order:
Is the threaded rod welded to the gunmount tube a 1/2" coarse threaded item or some other size?
There exists on my F36 a pair (red and green) easy to handle lines in 1/2" polyeste double braid which terminate in large plastic Lewmar snap shackles. I think these are the spinnaker reins and should attach to the dinghy sized mast rings on the tapered ends of the gunmount pole. Are the plastic Lewmar shackles strong enough for this use?
I see some F36 owners are using carbon fiber poles. Does anybody know of anyone currently manufacturing carbon fiber gunmount poles? Should I be looking for a double tapered pole or would a constant diameter pole make more sense?
When I run the F36 spinnaker clrew lines through the sheaves built into the tapered gunmount pole and then to blocks located at the base of the port and starboard sides of pulpit tension in the clew lines causes the pole to rotate. On my F25 the clew lines went from the spinnaker clews to the end of the pole and then back to blocks attached to a welded loop on the gunmount tube before going to the pulpit base and then into the cockpit. Should I modify the gunmount tube on the F36 to be similar to the F25 set-up?
Rather than lining the gunmount tube with a sheet of PTFE (teflon) has anyone tried using the adhesive PTFE dots used to improve computer mice sliding action?
1. half inch sounds about right for the pivot bolt. Use a nyloc bolt to secure.
2. Spinnaker reins. These attach (port/starboard) to the gunmount ends as you have deduced. The Lewmar shackles are more than strong enough because the forces are being taken by the gunmount, not the reins. Hoyt’s Gunmount is so perfectly balanced that you do not need a winch to fine-tune the pole/reins because the forces are so low.
3. If you have a serviceable spinnaker pole, keep it and save the credit card for another purchase.
4. Follow the rigging system used on your F25 and you cannot go wrong although by the sound of it ou may nee to have additional eyes welded to the sleeve. One thing I would advise is to make sure that the clew lines have sufficient redundancy in their length eg from jammer to loose end have at least 3 to 4 feet spare line to allow you to wrap around the winch for (a) fine tuning e spinnaker (circa 12 to 18 inches above the pole) and (b) for lowering/ retrieval.
5. Not sure why you wish to use PTFE or similar. On both my F25 (it had a PTFE collar inside the gunmount tube) and now my F32, I have found it physically impossible to launch/recover the spinnaker pole from the cockpit. Consequently I pre-position the pole, and lock it in place (my spinnaker pole and gunmount sleeve have matching holes into which a large securing pin is placed) before I leave my mooring. Likewise recovery is left until I’m back on my mooring. Not ideal, or recommended, if you are doing a long passage as the projecting pole could be damaged if conditions deteriorated but then we must all adapt to our own sailing requirements.
Good luck.
PS: In very light conditions trying sailing backwards (hold the wheel) when the spinnaker is hoisted - then gybe the pole and sail off! Watch the F21 video on YouTube.