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Has anyone else been thinking about retrieval systems for their spins? I was curious about chutes like the 470's use, does anyone know if they'd work for our boats?

I gave a lot of thought to a launch-retrieval sock mounted on deck similar to the ones I've seen on several large cats. With the limited experience we got sailing last fall I have decided not to worry about it. Though the spinnaker is large for the boat it is still easy enough for the crew to handle without extra support. With that said I'm still planning on setting up a launch retrieval net or sock to try out on those single up medium wind days. I'm alwase thinking about how to make things easier. Haven't tried it yet, if it works or not I will let everyone know.

Jon - check this out, no need for a sock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2nXNqyT ... plpp_video

Rocky - check out this 'dry boat' set up, I've thought about doing it but I don't think this set up will work with an articulating pole.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iOZt-gsIIk

I've found getting the kite in under the boom has no particular dramas unless you want to sail one-up, two up is fine.

Awesome video! Makes it look easy, I wish they would have shown the hoist and douse. I'll figure it out, have to as I don't have crew for all the races planned this summer. Ideas are in the works.

Ya, me too! The sock on deck looks like it might be the way to go, as soon as Josh figures out how to get it to work with the articulating pole for us! (lol) That race out of Redondo Beach is just a few hours drive time from here. I'd love to race that next year!

the open 5.70's don't have a spin launcher. They use a bag on the port side of the pit area. And that spin is about 60% the size of mine so there's less material to deal with on a douse. They also have a furling jib which would make a single hand gybe easier. But there was one in the video that had all 3 up downwind. Jib effects flow more than creating lift itself. Just another sheet to blow and trim on the gybes. And they are rigged with continuous sheets as well. What the 570 has going for it is stability. It's got a wider waterline by 2 feet and triple the lead on the keel compared to an i550. They wobble but the don't fall down (easily).

I think a i550 could be single handed if you rigged it to do so. and you were smart about the sail plan you used on a given day. I'm going to start by double handing with my 13 year old daughter this summer. We'll see how that goes before I think about going solo.

Two-up is seriously good fun- Donna and I have gone up to 15 knots with big kite and that was at the comfortable limit. Its just about having a routine- you pull that while I do this etc. Donna is at the helm, she knows to run Shazza deep for the hoist and douse and to run with the puffs (doooo notttt let the bugger get loaded up on the chine/rudder or else!!!!).

Rocky, there is an option for the articulating pole set up to have a douse ring on the end of the pole. Look up (or maybe you already know it) F18 Nacra catamaran--forget the extra unnecessary hull and look at the spinnaker pole with the loop on the end of the pole and the spinnaker bag/sock on the underside. Well take that concept and put it on the front of an i550 and I think it will work will a few mods such as; make the bag longer (tip of pole to back of cabin--so it will fold in half when the pole is back) and fix it to the deck like the Seascape 18, put the douse ring on the top or side of the pole - not underneath as it wont allow the pole to come right back on deck, and stitch some retrieval patches x2 on you kite ;0

With me, I'd have to sew on a LOT of patches!!!

Another success story, we used our boom tent and I sailed one-up with the spinnaker (well sort of).

Donna was inside the cabin when I decided it was time to hoist the spinnaker with no help and see what would happen. The hoist went well as I was able to get forward for an instant to get to the halyard and tack line. I had already squared up Shazza and I was running pretty much dead down wind. I hoisted and then pulled the track, then sheeted on and then hotted up the able for some fun--all good.
Unfortunately the drop was not so pretty as the tack line did not want to run freely so I ended up with the kite (un-torn for once) in the cockpit but facing head to wind as I lost some control while trying to sort out the tack line mess--oh well I will try again soon. No damage done and I realised that nothing too fancy is need to be able to run one-up, we were doing 6-7 by the GPS so we were planing and must have had 8-10 knots breeze which was pretty comfortable for trying out one-up handling.
A chute would obviously make things a lot easier but less challenging

Jon is racing one up a lot, how are you handling the spin takedown Jon?

I launch from the cabin hatch, inside the spreaders. Placed a bungee cord on the lower stays to keep the kite from getting pinched. Hoist first then tack out. Retrieval is tack in behind the main and then drop. I found out the hard way the tack is always the last out and the first in, otherwise you get a very big sea anchor. It works well buy myself so far. Fashion some kind of lock for the tiller or the boat will go unwanted directions before you get forward. I lock it down extend the prod, come back readjust then go forward and launch. Retrieval is the same just the other way.

New system in the works for this season. Stay tuned! Will be testing it out as soon as I get the kites back from the loft and some more snow goes away. Hoping it will make one up sailing much easier.

Yay, can't wait to see this one!

Our new boat has a chute at the bow and a sock. Single pull on the halyard and the pole goes out and the kite goes up, reverse to pack it away. Works fantastic.

Very nice Chris, I'm doing something similar, adapting it to work with my cabin version. Trying to simplify everything more and limit my time forward leaving the helm. I'm working on making the prod control one line, deploy only. Have the tack feed out at the same time, using surgical tubing to pull it back in when the control line is released. How did you approach the prod retrieval issue?

The way it works is this. The spinaker halyard is a one piece rope which is attached to the kite at the top goes down the mast to the bottom, through a cheek block on the mast to go forward, then through a block[ [which is actually 2 blocks shacked together end for end] the other end of which is the pole launch rope.] then going aft agan to the cleat. There is a loose block about 500mm behind the cleat so for hoisting you pull aft of this block. Then the halyard goes aft to a loose block or two and into the end of the kite sock, forward out of the mouth of the sock and up to the retrieval eyes in the middle of the kite. To pull it down you simply pull the halyard between the cleat and the block behind it so that you are pulling it forward which pulls the sail into the sock. Does that make sense??
The pole launch and recovery is also very simple. The forward of the 2 shackled together block the kite halyard goes through on its journey is for the pole launch rope. This is a 2 part purchase reversed, the end is right up in the bow so as these 2 blocks are pulled aft by the halyard tightening it pulls via the end of the launch rope which is fastened to the aft end of the pole to pull the pole out forward. The pole is stopped at the right place by the bobstay which is attached to the bottom of the stem and goes through the front end of the pole via a block. This rope has a plastic ball tied to it which hits the top of the pole when it is right out, it is also tied to the tack of the kite so that on its way out it pulls the sail to the end of the pole. When the kite comes down the reverse happens, the halyard goes slack so there is nothing holding the pole out and as the sail goes down the chute the tack pulls the pole back in. Easy!!
You can see on the first photo the pole is half way out and is pulling the tack of the sail with it.
Cheers

Perhaps you could provide a sketch or schematic of the spinnaker retrieval system you described above .
Noemar

wow. yes, a sketch would be great.

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...^^....take a look at any 29er or 49er to see it 'live'

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Good photo layout on pages 5 - 10 of the Swift Solo rigging guide - Vol 1
http://www.single-handedskiffs.com/imag ... 1_2004.pdf

Jon,

In a recent post on waterlines in the Build forum there was a good picture of your launching sock. Is it working well?

Very happy with it. Diameter is about right as is the placement. Changes this year will be going to a nylon material for the sock. Less friction then the netting I was using last year. Also better attachment points for the sock to deck to keep it out of the water better when windward.