Hi Daniel, I frequentl flew a spinnaker single handed when cruising and new I had a long down wind run. I never formally set the boat up for a spinnaker and jury rigged things each time. The spinnaker is so small and since I only use it in light air a topping lift is not required. I do have a well place mast ring that has the spinnaker pole parallel to the water when the windward twinger is snug. Jury rig was as follows: - twingers were set up by using the small harken snatch blocks, and long thin line. With the block outside the shroud channel plate I would run the thin line through the gap between the chain plate and the channel and up to the jib cleats. - I have several running blocks on pigtails that I use for sheet/guy leads tied on to the stern cleats. - I use brummel hooks ( I think they call them sister hooks now ) on the tack corners of the spinnaker and on the sheets. The sheets hook together with the brummel hooks forward of the shroud you expect to launch from and run through the twinger blocks and the running blocks on the transom back to the cabin. - when ready to launch it bring the halyard around the forestay if neccessary. It may already be on the correct side. If it is not on the correct side you can pull the sheets to the windward side, the brummel hooks will slide around the forstay, attach the halyard forward of the hooks and pull it back around the forstay. - run your hands along the luff or leech to make sure the sail is not twisted. - attach the sheet, guy and halyard to the sail ( all of this is in the lee of the main on the lee side of the boat) - set the pole in the guy and the mast ring and then push the pole as far forward as you can. To the forstay is perfect. The pole may drop down to the deck but this is fine. - hoist away - pull on the guy to get the spinnaker to swing around a fill. Push the pole forward, it will be raised by the sail. Then adjust the pole twinger to the desired setting and cleat it off. All of this works single handed because I have a remote steering line that runs from the tiller through a running block on the starboard side(on a pigtail attached to an extra cleat on the coaming) all the way up to the bow though another running block attached to the deck cleat, back to another block on the port coaming and to the tiller. Make the line snug. I use an old mainsheet for this and it runs right next to the cabin entry so that you can stand in the cabin and steer, and manipulate all of the spinnaker gear. It doubles or triples the boat speed on a light wind day and adds a lot of pleasure to those of us who like fooling with lots of lines :-) Thanks Doug Kelch M15G #310 "Seas the Day" ________________________________ From: Daniel Rich <danielgrich@gmail.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Mon, July 4, 2011 10:22:48 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Drifter Can't wait to try this when I have light winds. But I don't have light winds where I sail! Still no takers on the spinnaker setup? C'mon, somebody must have flown a spinnaker on an M15... Daniel On Jul 4, 2011, at 9:40 AM, Tom Smith wrote:
I don't have a furler, Joe, but I know you can use a drifter anyway. As Don says below, use the old jib halyard to hoist. I have a second hank installed a foot or so down from the head of the sail so I can use my downhaul. I've found that if I try to use the topmost hank, the sail jams when I need to douse it most. I imagine one of those bead loop thingees would work fine over the furled headsail. I just attach the tack of the sail to the bow fitting.
My M15 had track installed on the toe rail, so I sheeted aft some distance. Don't remember exactly where, but I can dig up a pic of the setup and send it to you if you wish. And Don's right, you can easily sheet to the stern mooring cleat. You won't get and adjustment on the sheeting angle, but that's not a big deal.
My M17 has track on the toe rail, of course, so I sheet it back pretty far as well.
I said something about poling the sail out in my previous post on this subject. Probably not necessary, or even that good an idea because even a light pole will drag the drifter down--hand controlling the sail is more fun anyway.
Like Don says, the drifter can be a handful. I looked a lot like a circus performer Saturday putting the sail up, and in front of a 40 foot Beneteau, to boot. I had the last laugh of course as I caught and passed the guy in very light air...
t
On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 7:43 AM, Don <sailmonty15@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like after I bought the drifter for my M15, Jerry or someone else provided the following technique for sail controls. Looked through the archives but didn't find anything.
I have a CDI furler so I hoist the drifter on the old jib halyard. Sail controls are 1/8" line routed outside the shrouds to the back of the boat. I didn't add any special blocks or cleats, just looped the line around the stern mooring cleat. In the light, flukely air on the lake I kept them in hand to try to keep the sail full. When I questioned the size of the control line, whoever it was said "if you can't control the sail comfortably with the 1/8" line its time to drop the sail."
I experimented attaching the tack to the bow fitting, both inside and outside the pulpit and even on top of the pulpit. Occasionally tried running with two head sails. Interesting, but lots of work.
Don M15-248 On 7/4/2011 6:55 AM, Joe Murphy wrote:
Subject: Re: M_Boats: Drifter
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