GP14 Sailing Forums Forum Spinnaker Pole Length

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    • #16740
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Grovelling apologies:    this string from about 2 months ago was “spammed” about half an hour ago by an intruder trying to advertise a commercial paper writing service.   I happened to be online and saw the intrusion,  so I attempted to mark the single offending post as spam,  but the result seems to have been to delete the entire string.

      We answered the original enquiry at the time,  and I hope that the member concerned has long since picked up the response.    But if anyone still needs answers to this question please post again.

       

      Oliver

    • #16750
      Chris Hearn
      Keymaster

      No problem Oliver, I have retrieved the original information which is now showing again below.

      • This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by Chris Hearn.
    • #6430
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Hi. I’ve just picked up a spinnaker pole which I intent to cut down for my GP14. It’s a 38mm diameter pole which is currently about 8 1/2 feet long. Will this work and, if so, what length should I cut it down to?

      Thanks, Owen

      Th

    • #6436
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Check the Class Rules (on this site,  Members’ Area)  but from memory all aspects of the design of the pole apart from the length are optional,  and  –  again from memory  –  I am fairly sure that the maximum permitted length is six feet   That length will of course have long since been metricated,  so what appears in the Class Rules will be the metric equivalent,  which is why this dimension (and indeed all the others) are awkward numbers of millimetres.

       

      As to your question “Will it work”,  the crucial considerations are weight and strength,  and if you are cutting down a larger pole it may be unduly heavy.    If too heavy,  it may tend to unduly pull the sail downwards in lighter winds if the uphaul permits it to droop;    using an all-rope uphaul with no elastic in it should help to address this issue.   If not strong enough,  which is less likely to be an issue if you are cutting down a larger pole,  there is a risk of buckling in stronger winds.

       

      In the absence of information I presume that this is aluminium alloy,  and designed as a spinnaker pole,  so both the material and the wall thickness are likely to be suitable.   But early GP14 spinnaker poles were quite commonly made of wood,  and I have also known (older) alloy ones that were too light for the maximum loads they can carry.   The modern GP14 spinnaker p0le is a well engineered tapered alloy pole,  which combines adequate strength with the avoidance of undue weight.

       

      But since you have already picked up this larger one,  the best advice may be to shorten it to the required length and then try it and see.    There is a good likelihood that it will work,  although it may well be heavier than needed.

       

       

      Oliver

    • #6447
      Jon Close
      Participant

      Hi Owen,
      The spinnaker pole including fittings must not exceed 1829mm.
      Regards
      Jon
      Chief Measurer

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