E25+ spinnaker pole ring location

[Mark Hallett]

Fellow E25+ sailors,
I am looking for advice on where to mount a spinnaker pole ring on the mast. My 1981 25+ has neither ring nor track to which to attach the spinnaker pole that I bought primarily for wing and winging for club racing. Obviously would have more flexibility with a track, but at this point looking to keep it simple with a ring. Which ring and how high off the deck you have found has worked best? Rivets vs. bolts?

Thanks in advance,
Mark aboard "Red Sky"

 

[Dwight]

I have a 25+ that we race non-spin and we use a whisker pole to sail wing & wing on a broad reach or downwind. I don’t think the whisker pole mast attachment height is super critical to how the foresail will perform wing & wing as long as the pole is close to level. The ring on my boat is mounted about 16” above the boom. This seems to keep my whisker pole fairly level in most conditions. I brought a little Lexan ring over from my Catalina 22 and it is too small for the fitting on the pole I use on the Ericson. I have to use a loop of line in the ring to hook the pole to. Ronstan makes a larger stainless ring that I should be using. I would drill and tap holes in the mast and use stainless sheet metal screws. The part I mention above that I need to switch to is at West Marine. See link: http://www.westmarine.com/spinnaker-pole-mast-cars/ronstan--spinnaker-pole-ring--584104

For me, the biggest consideration in wing & wing performance is not the height of the ring but the length of the pole. If the pole is not long enough you cannot move the pole forward when reaching and still keep the sail full. The pole should be adjustable and fully extended should be about 20% greater than the foot of the sail. As you reach higher and move from 180 degrees dead downwind to a reach the pole must rotate forward so that is stays perpendicular to the direction of the wind. If I am reaching with the wind at 135 degrees off the starboard stern quarter then I would fully extend the pole and let the jib sheet out until the pole slides forward to around 45 degrees off the bow. Hope this helps…