Spin Lauch from cockpit?

[Joe Pasciak]

Just wondering if anyone has experimented with launching the spin from
a bag in the cockpit (instead of from the retrieval bag).   I have done
this for over a decade on a U20 and it is a lot easier on the sail and the
crew...   Maybe it is not class legal but should be ok for local phrf sailing.

Cheers,

Joe (#101).

[Jeff Jones]

Joe - keep working on the launcher.. once you get use to it you'll never consider going back. 

I had trouble with the launcher when we started on the vipe... now, i can get the kite up or down in a matter of seconds.

[David Guggenheim]

Not legal for class racing .A few things to do when taking the kite up and down.

Prep; 1.Holmekol the kite it takes 70% of the fiction away.
          2. polish the spinnaker hole entrance with PTFE polish.
          3.Put line from the top of the turnbuckle down to the hull deck          joint to stop the kite from hanging up on the turnbuckle on the port side.


Setting Kite: 1. make sure both sheet can run free , not cleated, not under  someones feet , no Bum cleats, pull like your life depends on it, mark halyard so know it is max hoist, pull pole out when 65% up , sheet in and go.

Take downs; Banjo the take down line most important!!!!!!!! have another person break the spin halyard  so the person taking it down intensely pulling it in ,very important!!!!! and does not touch the halyard as it runs free, make sure sheets are free to go down the spin hole no bum and foot cleats,pop the pole.

Note on weather strip take downs pull the clew around to the port side ,makes easier take down and better set next time.

Practice Practice it only get easier .

David Guggenheim #109 Black Mamba

[Pai]

Not legal for class racing .A few things to do when taking the kite up and down.

Prep; 1.Holmekol the kite it takes 70% of the fiction away.
          2. polish the spinnaker hole entrance with PTFE polish.
          3.Put line from the top of the turnbuckle down to the hull deck          joint to stop the kite from hanging up on the turnbuckle on the port side.


Setting Kite: 1. make sure both sheet can run free , not cleated, not under  someones feet , no Bum cleats, pull like your life depends on it, mark halyard so know it is max hoist, pull pole out when 65% up , sheet in and go.

Take downs; Banjo the take down line most important!!!!!!!! have another person break the spin halyard  so the person taking it down intensely pulling it in ,very important!!!!! and does not touch the halyard as it runs free, make sure sheets are free to go down the spin hole no bum and foot cleats,pop the pole.

Note on weather strip take downs pull the clew around to the port side ,makes easier take down and better set next time.

Practice Practice it only get easier .

David Guggenheim #109 Black Mamba

The take down is probably the maneuver that newbie Viper sailors have the most difficulty with. We only do windward and mexican take downs.

To add to what Guggs says on the take down, as forward crew I trip the spinnaker halyard and when one looks forward you could declare a disastrous drop as the kite is completely collapsed and plastered around the bow. Do not fret. As long as you WAIT until the majority of the kite is getting sucked in to release the tack line will everything come out okay. I usually wait until there is the huge bottleneck of spinnaker material, the "douser" gives it one good pull, and then release the rest for them.

Believe me, practice this enough and one can come screaming into the mark and drop with three boatlengths to go no sweat, pending on how good the driver is on the bear away! :P

[Drew Harper]

Gotta Chime in here... we use millionaires tape (3m) on the kite fairlead (big stainless bar) and around the mouth of the launch tube. This helps immensely. 

I just spray both sides of the kite around the dousing patches with some McLube and the kite flies down the tube.

We too only run windwards or Latin/Americans (LOL) unless there's just no way to get around Gugg/Pai, then we'll do a leeward on starboard tack =p

With practice, a 3 boat boat length drop is easy...2 is doable. Latin/Americans are doused at the mark.

I raced U20's this weekend...everyone has to douse WAY too early IMHO.

[Justin Scott]

Three boat lengths?????

Wimps!

Try Zimster in the middle. When I turn the helm up to round the mark, he douses the chute.

Okay..I confess, it scared the beejesus out of me.....I would say "Dowse" at Lake Norman and he would reply "Shut up and drive". It was fun.

[Joe Pasciak]

I need to :

A.  Apply Homekol (a snowboard wax) to my spin.
B.  Apply PTFE (a teflon polish) to the spin hole.
C.  Apply PTFE tape (a teflon tape) around the retreival hole.
D.  Apply Mclube to the area around the retrieval patches.

Hopefully, the spinnaker should then flow like water both in and out of
the retrieval hole.   (Of course, it goes without saying that all lines need to
be kept to be running free).   

My concern up to now was that even if everything was running free, e.g. during a
set, pulling the spin out of the hole required significantly more effort than pulling a spin
out of a bag in the cockpit.  The harder you pull the more force/damage to the sail.   
Hopefully, with enough grease, practice and sail repair, I will get to appreciate this system.

Cheers,

Joe

[David Guggenheim]

homekol makes a product for sails easy to put on , mine lasted  a year.
PTFE polish maybe  5 mins to put on every once in a while.
Everything else you do is pretty much the same  ,you must not  stand on the halyard and sheets so they can run free either way you do it.

Good luck ,
David Guggenheim , Black Mamba #109

[Jeff Jones]

My halyard was much too long when i took delivery of the boat..  i trimmed it down but not too much.  Before a hoist or douse i toss what's gathered in the back of the boat out in the water.   I probably have a 4 or 5 foot tail behind the boat.  Seems to work very well, takes the kinks out and i've yet to get a foul (knock on wood). 

Our first shot out in the boat was at Charleston Race Week - Friday conditions were pretty heavy.  I would say that we had several holes to patch after the party but since, no worries.   

One of the best tips i've been given is the line going from under the pole house to a hank on your jib.   That keeps the kite off your turn-buckle. 

We started doing leward (stb tack) douses a few months ago and seem to have no problem with them.  Must be quick!

[Justin Scott]

I need to :

 
Hopefully, with enough grease, practice and sail repair, I will get to appreciate this system.

Cheers,

Joe

We've got one more super secret tip to give you......but we can't post it on the forum. We'll email it to you but you have to join the class association and get your contact info on the roster.

[Joe Pasciak]

Justin:

I already sent in my application (not that I expect any super secret ....)

Cheers,

Joe

[Eric Vigrass]

Make sure the FBG doesn't put the spin halyard back in the cleat during the take down. When this happens on our boat it's usually followed by heavy drinking on the dock and sometimes even a good old fashioned game of slap face.

[Drew Harper]

Make sure the FBG doesn't put the spin halyard back in the cleat during the take down. When this happens on our boat it's usually followed by heavy drinking on the dock and sometimes even a good old fashioned game of slap face.

Slap Face = Ouchie

I'd rather broach heavily :D

[Matt Sole]

I am going with Drew on the 3M millionaires tape.
I tried the line around the turnbuckle to the hull but I didn't like it.
I wrap the turnbuckle and toggle in the 3M tape and with quite a few wraps down low to bulk it out a bit and it all seems to run really smoothely now.

The bag idea seems the worst idea ever in a boat that is so weight sensitive.

Also chopping the halyard/retrieval line to the shortest length possible is key to keep kinks out and to stop the excess line being stepped on.

We also changed over to a continuous spin sheet which means that it is not such a big deal if the spin sheet is dropped on the hoist or douse. When I got the boat I had to long spin sheets and we used one of them as our continuous sheet, a bit short but works well. Could be interesting the next time we broach and the spin can't be eased fully but 'hey ho'.

[Lee Shuckerow]

We also changed over to a continuous spin sheet which means that it is not such a big deal if the spin sheet is dropped on the hoist or douse. When I got the boat I had to long spin sheets and we used one of them as our continuous sheet, a bit short but works well. Could be interesting the next time we broach and the spin can't be eased fully but 'hey ho'.

Good luck. When we raced the boat for the first time in Charleston we had our spin sheet, jib sheet and probably spin halyrd/take down line too short. It was nice while sailing normally but on even a partial wipeout we couldnt ease enough and couldnt right the boat. Since then we have cut our lines down too as close too minimum as possible but now when a sheet chafes we cant just cut we have too replace it :(