Whisker poles are sized to match the size of the foot of the sail that they are working, while spinnaker poles are sized to match the distance from the mast to the bow, also known as the boat's "J" dimension. Because of this, Whisker Poles tend to be significantly longer than spinnaker poles for the same boat.
What is the difference between a spinnaker pole and a whisker pole?
Can you use a whisker pole for a spinnaker?
If you are flying a spinnaker you want a spinnaker pole. If you want to pole out a jib use a whisker pole. Whisker poles are smaller in diameter and lighter than spinnaker poles. You can have a whisker pole that is extendable or not.
What is a whisker pole used for?
Whisker poles are used to "wing out" the jib when sailing downwind. Sailors who have experienced downwind sailing without one can appreciate the value of being able to stabilize the jib, enabling the sail to work more efficiently and without the noise of the sail flopping in the wind and waves.
What is a spinnaker pole on a sailboat?
A spinnaker pole is a spar used in sailboats (both dinghys and yachts) to help support and control a variety of headsails, particularly the spinnaker. … There, one of the control lines of whichever sail it is to be used with is run through a fitting on the other end of the spinnaker pole.
Do you need a whisker pole?
Whisker poles are used for non-spinnaker class racing and short-handed cruising, or whenever downwind performance is desired without the use of conventional spinnakers. A properly sized and deployed whisker pole will allow the headsail to add considerable power and speed to downwind sailing.
How do you deploy a whisker pole?
1:084:42Using a Whisker Pole – YouTubeYouTube
How do you jibe a whisker pole?
Whisker poles are usually flown on cruising boats that have furling headsails. The safest and easiest way to jibe a whisker pole is to furl the headsail first, then retract the pole so you can swap sheets at the outboard end and reset the pole on the opposite side. Then unfurl the headsail on the new tack.
Where do you put the whisker pole?
2:034:42Using a Whisker Pole – YouTubeYouTube
What does a spinnaker look like?
The spinnaker is often called a kite, or a chute (as in cruising chute) because it somewhat resembles a parachute in both construction and appearance. This should not be confused with the spinnaker chute, which is a hull fitting sometimes used for launching and recovering the spinnaker.