Forespar Carbon Fiber Whisker Pole Repair

Forespar returned my repaired pole today. See new stainless line guide covering the former raw slot in the carbon fiber.



The control line that sets the length of the telescoping poles is under pressure at all times. The line chafed through where it formerly exited the raw hole. When that happens under sail, the pole collapses, breaks its stop, and jams. I was not the only boat that happened to last summer.

I think I could have done this modification myself, since the added stainless guide appears to be a stock piece of hardware.

It took Forespar six months to get around to sending the pole back, but they paid shipping both ways and were responsive.

Unrelated to the chafe issue: carbon fiber is very light but much less unbustable than aluminum. The pole shows wear against shrouds, which I will now cover with leather at the point of contact. CF must be painted, or kept covered at all times against UV: a luxury piece of kit for singlehanders, but one which needs babying.

That "before" picture almost looks like a "WTF were they thinking"? Of COURSE the line is going to chafe on the tiny little raw opening.

I own a couple of carbon fiber guitars, but so far I haven't had any issues with chafe. I'll have to keep a lookout for it though.

Christian,
Good morning. I am looking at getting a whisker pole and was wondering what you find the optimal length to be as I am considering a fixed length pole. Any help is appreciated.

As always, Thanks!

I think that a whisker pole, unlike a spinnaker pole, has to be adjustable.

Roller furling gives the option of many foresail sizes, and when winged out the pole length is different for each size.

Our "J" on the E38 is about 16', and with my high-clew 120 jib (420 square feet) max sail dead downwind requires a pole nearly 17 feet long. That's long. For a 150 overlap genoa, it needs to be even longer: 100 percent of the foot.

As you furl the genoa smaller, the pole length has to change too or it won't furl.

Also, sometimes it is desirable to position the pole so the jib clew is actually ahead of the bow. That requires a very long pole. Sailing with the foresail forward of normal can help prevent a broach in hairy conditions.

With a crew I wouldn't feel the need for a $2400 CF pole. But half the usual weight is a big deal when shorthanded.

I second Christian's recommendation for getting an adjustable pole. We often change the length plus it allows the pole to be more compact when stowed. We use a Forespar aluminum adjustable pole. It has been exceptional for the past 3.5 years of continuous cruising. We use it nearly every time we're sailing more than about 120 degrees (awa) off the wind, often without the main.

Christian Williams said:

I think that a whisker pole, unlike a spinnaker pole, has to be adjustable.

Roller furling gives the option of many foresail sizes, and when winged out the pole length is different for each size.

Our "J" on the E38 is about 16', and with my 120 jib (420 square feet) max sail dead downwind requires a pole nearly 20 feet long. It would be longer for a larger overlapping jib.

As you furl the genoa smaller, the pole length has to change too or it won't furl.

Also, sometimes it is desirable to position the pole so the jib clew is actually ahead of the bow. That requires a very long pole. Sailing with the foresail forward of normal can help prevent a broach in hairy conditions.

A fixed pole would work, it just reduces set options.

With a crew I wouldn't feel the need for a $2200 CF pole. But half the usual weight is a big deal when shorthanded.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply's. I had an opportunity to get a couple of fixed length poles for free. They were spinnaker poles from a smaller boats and were about 14' long. Guess I will decline the offer and wait to get the correct pole, that is adjustable.

Thanks for the advice