Anyone Ever Use the ATN Tacker?

I've been singlehanding my E-29 for ten years, and began racing in singlehanded races last year. I'd like to use the symmetrical spinnakers that I have, but managing the pole while singlehanded is a tough task.
ATN makes a product called the Tacker, which wraps around a furled headsail and connects to the tack of the spinnaker - eliminating the need for a pole. I know some of the drawbacks, not being able to sail as low downwind, etc. but wonder if anyone out there have any actual experience with the product?
I'm looking for some feedback before shelling out the $$.

Thanks!

Hi,
It's my understanding and it has been my experience--I have owned an asym for 20+ years--that these sails are designed NOT to be used with a pole. I owned one of the first Flashers, which died after a lot of abuse over time. A year ago, I got Quantum asym. This sail is much different from the Flasher. It is bigger, has much larger shoulders and could be, if I wanted to, sailed very low, lower than the Flasher. On the other hand, it is my understanding that these sails are designed NOT to be sailed like a spinnaker. What you may lose in not being able to sail directly downwind you more than gain in additional speed.
That was not the answer to the question you asked, but I also wonder if an ATN gizmo is necessary. The last time I flew my asym I didn't have the tack attached to the headstay. We were on starboard tack and the wind was light, but I attached the tack--on a tack pendant--to the port bow cleat and flew it that way. The sail was out in clear air and was being run by a guy who had never been on a sailboat in his life. He was awfully good and we did about five miles in that configuration. Made very good time. I think the sail is faster flown somewhat away from the boat. Doing it "my" way would obviate a Tacker, but would require one person on the bow to move the tack during a gybe. Couldn't be done singlehanded.
Morgan Stinemetz

That's what it's for...

Hi J.B.,
I've heard good things about them when used in a symetrical setting (as Morgan said, they seem redundant with asymetrical chutes), and you should still be able to go deep with a wing on wing set up with a preventer on the main. Having them hooked to the downhaul would be a smart thing (it's on their website) so you have more control. I'd be a little nervous putting a lot of load (high winds reaching) on one spot on your furler, but otherwise it should be great. Maybe someone here can offer trimming tips with it?
Chris

Ps. I'd love to see pictures, I've seen a couple of really big sym chutes flying with them here on the bay and it takes me a minute to figure out that the guy trimmer isn't sleeping, he's not there!

I bought one for my E27 asym and have used it a few times. I was skeptical it would slide up and down the furled genny easily, but it did.

It's a bit pricey. I think a loop of line with beads on it (can't think of the name of this gizmo) would work just as well and be a lot cheaper.

Tracker

The PO of my E28+ provided one for use with my symetrical but I've yet to try it. My next door/slip neighbor (an E32 owner and pretty much a sailing purist) has sailed my boat with the PO using the Tacker and swears by it. You've inspired me to break it out and try it this season!

One downside of beads-on-a-line instead of the tacker, is that it could put a lot of load on a very small area of the furler foil. Not sure if there's a potential for damage there though.

I have one and have used it with the symmetrical spinnaker that came with my boat. I found that it works as advertised. If you are cruising and have a symmetical spinnaker and don't feel like fooling with the pole, it works very well on a reach and broad reach. Upwind , I use my gennie, dead downwind, I turn on the iron gennie. However, I don't know why a symmetrical wouldn't work as well as an A-sail downwind without a pole. At a boat show I expressed concern to Etienne, hence "ATN" (the inventor) that the lateral force could bend my headfoil. He said he had never heard of that happening.

A-sails, syms and tackers

All A-sails are more efficient when used WITH a pole once you are sailing deeper than a beam reach. Having said that, Cruising spinnakers (and most are of the "A" variety) are designed to function very well without a pole-to the point where it is assumed there will not be a pole when they are designed, but that does not mean they are not even better with a pole... but that is enough scoop on that topic.

The Tacker. IAs much as I like Etienne, I share the popular feeling that they offer very little help, and in some conditions or points of sail, are actually slower-this is all in the context of their designed use: with A-sails. They were not really designed for use with sym kites-

Of course I understand that if you don't have an A-sail, and don't have a pole, but do have a bag or 2 with sym kites down below, you would rather fly those than nothing, and they would be better than nothing as long as you are not too close to the wind, and mind the sheet angles so the leech is not choked off by having the lead too far forward. Being symetrical, they do not have a luff and leech-each shaped appropriately-as an A sail does. Without a pole, you really just have 2 leeches, so your leading edge is going to be pretty critical (like hoisting a genoa by putting the leech along the headstay and flying it backwards-not very efficient). The pole serves to "change" the shape of the luff in relation to the leech, so that you can get something that resembles a decent leading edge-raising and lowering, easing and squaring, are all methods to shape the luff properly for the angle and wind speed you are sailing-and allow the leech to have an open and clean exit (instead of being hooked inwards, backwinding the main, and tipping you over).

So much for the lesson. If you must use the sym kite this way, you can use the same techniques as you would with the A-sail-they just won't be as efficient. Slightly tighter tack line when sailing close to the wind, and ease it off the deeper you go. The tacker will prevent the sail from getting out away from the boat and into cleaner air where it can "breathe" better-especially as you sail deeper. In flat water, as one of you already mentioned, you can often sail ddw with the main on one side and the kite on the other-just remeber the kite will not be very stable without a pole, and it will be more stable with the tackline eased off and letting the sail get out and away from the boat about 5 feet or so (again, the tacker won't help here). If not, the luff will become very unstable and the sail will want to collapse at the slightest encouragement-there as many designs for sym kites (reachers, runners, AP sails, etc) as there are for A-sails, and how well it does for you will depend on what type of sym sail you have and what angle you are sailing.


Good night, and good luck!

S

What's the distinction between a cruising spinnaker and an A-sail?

Nate,
No difference. It's just a matter of symantics. The A-sail stands for "asymetrical" sail which sends most of us to the dictionary anyway. A cruising spinnaker is another name for the same thing. Words like chute and kite get used, also. Those of us who have dealt with a spinnaker wrap or other ungainly configurations that are not in the book have used a lot of other words that probably wouldn't pass muster in a family forum such as this. Sometimes people use the propritery name of a certain manufactuer's product. "Flasher" is one of those names. Ulmer was the first to come out with this type of sail. Now everyone has one.
Morgan Stinemetz

What Morgan sez

Cruising Spinnaker. AKA Flasher, APC, Gennaker, etc. Are all nylon sails which are assymetric in shape and construction-as opposed to a symetrical spinnaker, which has even(symetrical) shape distribution out from the center to each leech/luff, and the leech/luffs are the same length. The sails (the ones with those names) are called cruising spinnakers (as opposed to racing spinnakers) because they tend to be slightly smaller than the max allowed by the racing rules, and are often built of heavier nylon than a racing sail-beyond that, ther is no real difference between a cruising A-sail or a racing A-sail.

They are are "assymetric" in that the luff is longer than the leech and the shape distribution is similar to that found in a genoa. It is these qualities that make them more suitable for use without a pole, and as a result, as easier to handle than the sym variety.

S

Necklass ?

I think it's called a necklass.

rgoff said:

I bought one for my E27 asym and have used it a few times. I was skeptical it would slide up and down the furled genny easily, but it did.

It's a bit pricey. I think a loop of line with beads on it (can't think of the name of this gizmo) would work just as well and be a lot cheaper.

Click to expand...

Parrel Beads

Those necklaces of beads are also fairly common on gaffers. They are called parrel beads. Here are a couple of websites with a diagram. http://www.neilprydesails.com/catalog/products/bead.htm
http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/gaffgaff.htm