ok...so...spinnaker pole rigging on a L2

joe c

banned
what the consensus on the "trolley" rigging? i dont have a pole yet but the dims ive found say its 8 feet long! thats a lot of pole to be swinging around that cockpit. so i can see how the trolley would be helpful. just wondering if i should rig it. and does it make it a pain to stow. the more i think about it...the more it seems like a good idea. but i dont think ive seen a boat with one rigged.

ive never rigged for a spinnaker. so ill probbaly be peppering this joint for answers a bit over the winter.

tia
 
The max length of the Laser 2 spinnaker pole is 2500 mm. That is very long for a boat of that size, but it’s an Australian design after all :D Any shorter wouldn’t work with the spinnaker design and the other spinnaker equipment.

The pole has to be stowed along the boom (where else would you put it?), and the method and fittings are rather free. The European boats had a double-ended pole as standard, while the original Bethwaite design was a single-ended one. The latter was developed into the trolley system which was standard on North American boats.

I would personally prefer the trolley on my own boat (if I had one :( ). It’s a bit tricky to gybe (there are many methods), but otherwise nicer than the other options. I am more than happy to help with rigging one.

_
 
The max length of the Laser 2 spinnaker pole is 2500 mm. That is very long for a boat of that size, but it’s an Australian design after all :D Any shorter wouldn’t work with the spinnaker design and the other spinnaker equipment.

The pole has to be stowed along the boom (where else would you put it?), and the method and fittings are rather free. The European boats had a double-ended pole as standard, while the original Bethwaite design was a single-ended one. The latter was developed into the trolley system which was standard on North American boats.

I would personally prefer the trolley on my own boat (if I had one :( ). It’s a bit tricky to gybe (there are many methods), but otherwise nicer than the other options. I am more than happy to help with rigging one.

_
Once the pole is clipped onto the mast the trolly aspect doesn't really come into play. It seems. Guessing you'd just slide it forward partially, clip your sheet in while it dangles then pull it the rest of the way and clip it to the mast with the topping doing the rest. The trolly cord stays basically clear of the mainsail. Can the pole just hang by the cord while underway upwind? I'm guessing not which is why I see pipe attached to the boom.

Only other thing I can think of is doing it the traditional way and standing it up against the mast.. but I'm guessing the jib rigging is totally in the way.

I'm looking forward to learning and trying this. Wanna give those boys in thier thistles capris and flying Scott's a run for thier beer next season!
 
Can the pole just hang by the cord while underway upwind? I'm guessing not which is why I see pipe attached to the boom.
The aft end of the stowed pole does hang by the elastic, and isn't attached anywhere else. The elastic just has to be tight/fresh enough. The forward end is a little trickier... it's supposed to simply hang by the topping lift, but the standard turning block/fairlead up the mast sits a bit too low for that. The standard rigging included a short piece of elastic tied to the tack eye at the forward end of the boom (or around the boom through the eye) with a plastic ball, so you would hook the forward end of the pole there. Some may have used short pieces of plastic tube instead. You may have seen larger pipe/loops closer to the aft end of the boom, but those are used for non-trolley stowage.

_
 
The aft end of the stowed pole does hang by the elastic, and isn't attached anywhere else. The elastic just has to be tight/fresh enough. The forward end is a little trickier... it's supposed to simply hang by the topping lift, but the standard turning block/fairlead up the mast sits a bit too low for that. The standard rigging included a short piece of elastic tied to the tack eye at the forward end of the boom (or around the boom through the eye) with a plastic ball, so you would hook the forward end of the pole there. Some may have used short pieces of plastic tube instead. You may have seen larger pipe/loops closer to the aft end of the boom, but those are used for non-trolley stowage.

_
ooooohhh....thats the cord with the ball thats referenced. the topping would let it bounce up and swing around. which would be no bueno.
 
Did you check out the old Laser 2 Vids by Mike Croker on you tube? Good ones if a bit old now
 
Did you check out the old Laser 2 Vids by Mike Croker on you tube? Good ones if a bit old now
ill check it out. i think ive watched every laser2 vid on there! even some more recent ones! i need to get my gopro mounted, but ill search. i use them mostly for figuring out rigging stuff, locations for things, what i like and dont like.

thx though!

haha....ohhhh....that guy.
 
Croker's videos aren't bad, actually they're pretty much essential Laser 2 educational material now that practically nothing else exists. I have linked, and probably will link to them numerous times. I just wish he'd given some tuning numbers...

Oh, and his spinnaker pole system is a double-ended "keyhole" one. No trolley.

_
 
Croker's videos aren't bad, actually they're pretty much essential Laser 2 educational material now that practically nothing else exists. I have linked, and probably will link to them numerous times. I just wish he'd given some tuning numbers...

Oh, and his spinnaker pole system is a double-ended "keyhole" one. No trolley.

_
That's definitely unfortunate.. I feel like the awkwardness of watching him teach a bunch of children how to trapeze is barely overshadowed by the anxiety I feel watching his boat nearly blow off the trailer..I'm pretty sure I've watched them all.

I do like the Canadian guy who rigged a bow sprit to use an assym. I mean....he's clearly having fun with his boat. Lol.
 

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