after reading this thread did a service on my boom and found all sorts of stuff, will post pics soon. I hope to make some upgrades like replace cable out haul with spectra. had some ?'s though:
I just uploaded my blog with pics of my boom service:
link:
http://freedom25yacht.blogspot.com/2011/07/freedom-25-boom-service-full-tear-down.html
still need to learn how to post pics,
cheers,
yarrow
From what I can see of the spinnaker sleeve, it appears to be made of sailcloth, and as a consequence is translucent and will pass some UV rays. This will destroy a nylon spinnaker in short order. Consider covering that sleeve with whatever acrylic fabric you can find to preserve the spinnaker.
The extend/retract function of the spinnaker pole had the same problems on my boat. I suppose one can spray the pole frequently with “McLube” to make it easier to move. The real problem is because it’s aluminum. Whitewater canoers prefer GRP or polyethylene canoes because they don’t get stuck on the rocks like aluminum canoes do, due to the material’s inherent coefficient of friction. There’s nothing wrong with leaving the pole partially retracted while sailing, and when not using the pole, stowing it with the aid of a “Forespar” rubber chock which conveniently attaches to the lifeline stanchion. I’ll betcha that a carbon fiber pole wouldn’t get stuck; it’s lighter and the epoxy resin is slippery.
When I had my 25, the retractor line/spinnaker halyard was attached to the rear of the spinnaker (and the other end to the spinnaker head, of course). Visualize retracting the spinnaker, which becomes a conical shape with the head and clews eventually ending at the pulpit end of the sleeve.
Your spinnaker sleeve looks like non-OEM, but as long as the spinnaker fits, and you develop a method and gear for mounting it, it doesn’t matter. Lastly, the OEM spinnaker sleeve attached to the bottom of a GRP molding that fit into the rectangular opening in the top of the pulpit, and directed the spinnaker rearward into the sleeve. Is this amongst the pile of stuff you got with the boat? I kept the spinnaker in the sleeve, and made an acrylic fabric cover for the top to restrain the lines as well as protecting the spinnaker from sunlight.
Here are some of my F25 rigging “lessons learned:”
Outhaul: sometimes you want to lead it to a winch to really flatten the sail. Since the line is coming at an angle from above (out of the boom), be absolutely sure you wrap it around the winch from top to bottom, rather than the usual bottom to top. You will get a nasty overwrap that is almost impossible to get free otherwise (and if you do mess this up, wedging your winch handle under the line to push the line over the top of the winch has been shown to work).
Outhaul: stuff some kind of “remove before flight” rag into the end of the boom when you leave the boat. Otherwise, it makes a wonderful home for nesting critters, and lots of fun for you cleaning out their mess.
Spinnaker pole: most of the time when it is stuck, it is because one of the lines is caught on something, or else one of the lines is not uncleated. If it’s all free, I find that if I extend it as far it wants to go while alongside the rail, then use the reins to swing it up near square to the centerline, then it is easier to extend the rest of the way. For retracting, use the opposite sequence. If all the lines are kept reasonably taught during the operation, it helps. Otherwise, the blocks on the ends of the pole can invert and otherwise get tangled, which also brings things to a halt.
Retrieval line: I’ve tried it both inside (behind) and outside (ahead of) the chute; I’ve found that outside (a) helps keep it out of the water a little better during retrieval, and (b) doesn’t tend to pucker in the center of the chute in light air as much, but on the downside since it is hanging down under the foot, it more easily fouls itself on other things. I’ve decided on inside for now. One other thing that is pretty handy: put a loop through the cringle, then tie the retriever to this loop. This lets you untie the retriever from other side, which is handy if you just want to reach into the aft end of the sock. The forespar chock is really handy too.
Chute bag: I had a sunbrella bag made up, and just leave it rigged all the time, hanging with sailties from the lifeline when not sailing to keep the sail drier. Wasn’t cheap, but cheaper than buying a new chute every few years. I attach the bottom of the front of the bag to the padeye on the deckplate at the foot of the pulpit.
I just finished a long weekend of working on the rigging of my F25, the upgrades and service I did for the out haul looks really good but won’t know until the boat is sailed how well it works. I do wish I had the funds to upgrade all the wire line for lazy jacks, and backstays to a Spectra line would solve a lot of potensional issues with wear on spar and sails. Unfornatly I don’t know how to post pics but my blog has been updated with pics.
www.freedom25yacht.blogspot.com
cheers,
yarrow
I know this post is 14 years old, but I have to comment!
I believe that the problem with extending and retracting the spinnaker pole is that when it’s retracted, the center of gravity is far from the gunmount, so is bearing at an angle. When it’s centered, retraction is easy. But if it falls off the safety cables, it’s jammed in place. I find it easier to extend it on the dock, but keep it pointing forward. When underway, I center it perpendicular to the centerline of the boat in preparation for hoisting the spinny.