# fabricating a spinnaker pole..



## groundhog (Jun 27, 2006)

I have been thinking of fabricating my own spinnaker pole and have not had much luck finding info on the web..

I have been thinking of buying some carbon fiber tubing and then get some spinnaker pole ends and making my own. See.. http://www.carbonfibertubeshop.com/large tubing.html
You can get 5 foot of 2inch ID for $225.

Would this be easy?

I need to find some sketches of existing poles..

My J dimension is like 10 feet. But another guy with the same boat as me has a 9 foot pole.

Then I saw some that were adjustable in length. I think that might be nice, but are they strong enough to be a spinnaker pole?

thanks,
gh


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## artbyjody (Jan 4, 2008)

I would recommend checking out this thread for feasibility . Like anything however, it really depends upon the amount of effort and realizing that if it is the frist time you have done fiberglassing - multiple the cost of materials X 3, as it will be inevitable that you will have to try and try again. For some that is no object

However, case in point - when I painted my boat this summer - I never had rolled and tipped and thought since I am fairly good with a brush and paint (ha ha the joke on me) - that I ended up sanding my boat down three times and at the cost of the paint $1K because I had to keep doing it until I finally got the process right. Fiberglassing looks easy until it is very evident that it is about the right environment, right ratios, and right process for laying...

Not to be discouraging - it can be done, the link I sent you covers a few different ways others have done it... It may be cheaper though to just find a used pole though...


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You can probably buy an aluminum spinnaker pole for less than it would cost you to make one... there are economies of scale in producing thousands of them that you'll have a hard time matching. Also, one you make will likely not work as well as one you can buy, since they've already worked most of the bugs out of their design..

Re-inventing the wheel is usually very difficult to justify financially. You can get a 10' carbon fiber spinnaker pole for $608. Buying 10' of the carbon fiber tubing is going to cost you $450, and then you still need to purchase the hardware for the ends, as well as assemble the thing.


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## Quickstep192 (Jan 6, 2001)

My experience is in line with what Sailingdog said. I wanted top make a pole a few years back. By the time you buy the tubing (and that's not just any tubing) and the ends, you'll have overspent the cost of a new pole. If you just want the pride of having made it, go for it. I patiently shopped ebay for a while and found a deal.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

groundhog said:


> ....
> Then I saw some that were adjustable in length. I think that might be nice, but are they strong enough to be a spinnaker pole?
> gh


The adjustable poles you see are meant to be whisker poles, for poling out jibs or genoas (hence the adjustable part), not meant to be spinnaker poles per se, and I wouldn't expect them to hold up.

You should not have a spinn pole shorter than your J measurement, the sail will not be projected enough to fly properly (unless it's an undersized girth spinnaker too). In some cases boats carry poles slightly longer than the J, but the spinnakers are slightly oversized to match.

If racing, then your code and rating are adjusted for this scenario.

Agree that you can probably buy a pole for less money in the end. Check out a marine used/consignment goods stores if there are any near you.


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## groundhog (Jun 27, 2006)

Thanks for the advice. 

The only remaining question is ...

Should I get an adjustable pole? What are the pros/cons of this?

Because then I can use it to pole out my foresail (anything else?).

thx,
gh

ps. Thanks Faster, you must have posted your response while I was writing the above..


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## resdog (Mar 29, 2006)

groundhog said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> The only remaining question is ...
> 
> ...


As stated previously, a spinnaker pole and a whisker pole are two different things. A spin pole is usually too heavy and short to use as a whisker pole and a whisker pole isn't stout enough to use as a spin pole.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"Should I get an adjustable pole? What are the pros/cons of this?"
Weaker or heavier. More expensive. Jams and sometimes gets bent & stuck at the joint. It's all just a question of sizing and strength, you want as little weight up there as possible, but once you get it too light--it breaks.


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## bobmcgov (Jul 19, 2007)

You can buy Ronstan, Harken, or Forespar ends and som tubing and make your own 2" aluminum pole for around $275. Or you can buy a ready-made Forespar for about $350, plus shipping. Which is problematic: freight rates are high right now, even though the thing is light and takes up little space; and UPS or FedEx don't like to carry anything over 8 feet long. Might check DHL or smaller courier services.

You can also build one of wood, tho it will be heavy and you need perfectly straight-grained stock. Personally, I wouldn't -- nightmares of a splintered pole end plunging into the cockpit, An aluminum pole will kink but likely stay in on piece.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Check this out.

http://www.lmorocz.com/BoatBuilding/mast01.htm


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## groundhog (Jun 27, 2006)

That's pretty wild CapnHand...

Hey BobMcGov, do you have any sources for the aluminum? Any specific alloy for the tubing?
gh


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## bobmcgov (Jul 19, 2007)

groundhog said:


> Hey BobMcGov, do you have any sources for the aluminum? Any specific alloy for the tubing?


Mauri Pro has it in 9' lengths for $132 plus shipping. Looks like a basic aluminum 6063-T alloy. Can't find the right length on MSC direct, but I'm sure you can find a marine-grade 6061 or 6063 wholesaler on the web. Pole ends can be had for $70; add a couple pad eyes in the middle & yer ready to sail.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

bobmcgov said:


> .... Pole ends can be had for $70; add a couple pad eyes in the middle & yer ready to sail.


GH -

Strongly suggest that you use a bridle for the downhaul attachment at least... a single mid pole padeye will permit far too high a bending moment if things go wrong and your brand new pole could severely bend or even snap.

You can usually get away (on a smallish boat) with a single point pole lift as there is seldom more load on it than the pole weight itself. But the loads on a downhaul can be significant, even on a smaller boat, in a breeze.


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## groundhog (Jun 27, 2006)

Thanks Faster. Was wondering why I have seen pics of poles with pad-eyes and others with bridles.


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## obarut (Oct 23, 2008)

I am fabricating a new spinnaker pole. I bought aluminium pipe 60mm OD with 2 mm thickness. My J dimension is 12 feet. In order to be able to carry it easly I split it two parts. Then I bought stainless steel pipe having 60 mm inside diameter. I used some part of this pipe as demontable connecting piece in the middle. I fabricated two caps from the stainless steel pipe parts and closed their ends with stainles steel plates by welding. I also welded two stainless steel shackles to the two ends. All costs around 50 USD. So I have now a spinnaker pole which can be dissambled into two pieces. Since your J is 10 feet you can use 10 inch diameter aluminium pipe.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

obarut said:


> I am fabricating a new spinnaker pole. I bought aluminium pipe 60mm OD with 2 mm thickness. My J dimension is 12 feet. In order to be able to carry it easly I split it two parts. Then I bought stainless steel pipe having 60 mm inside diameter. I used some part of this pipe as demontable connecting piece in the middle. I fabricated two caps from the stainless steel pipe parts and closed their ends with stainles steel plates by welding. I also welded two stainless steel shackles to the two ends. All costs around 50 USD. So I have now a spinnaker pole which can be dissambled into two pieces. Since your J is 10 feet you can use 10 inch diameter aluminium pipe.


That's interesting...and very creative. But I gotta ask, why bother? Spinnaker poles fit very nicely on the foredeck, ready to use, or if you really want a clear deck, onto the front of the mast. Having a pair of long poles needing storage somewhere downbelow, then have to assemble and disassemble sound slike a real PITA, what makes this a solution rather than a problem?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

obarut said:


> ....Since your J is 10 feet you can use *10 inch diameter* aluminium pipe.


That's one fat spinnaker pole  

I'm curious, too, why you feel two 6 foot poles stowed is better than one, but I'm not familiar with your boat... and this must have ended up a bit on the heavy side, comparatively speaking.


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

I was looking at spin poles yesterday at a local supply house, They had 1.5-4" diam poles of various lengths in stock for $150-1100 for some of the 1.5" alum to the 4" carbon poles. Ends for $60-200, again, depends upon the diam of the pole for end cost.

Their made to buy a length of pole too long, cut off appropriate amount to get the correct J measurement for your boat.......Can not really see why one would try to reinvent the wheel. Not sure the savings is worth it. 

For a 12' pole, an alum with ends about $500, double that or a bit less IIRC for a really light carbon pole. With out weighing would swag the carbon is 1/4 the wt of alum. At least from the lifting two appropriate 2.5" poles for my boat there was a significant difference!

marty


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

obarut-
"All costs around 50 USD. " You couldn't buy the metal from a scrap metal dealer in the US at that price, much less buy twelve feet of any kind of pipe stronger than plumbing pipe.
60mm OD is about a 2-1/2" pipe in US terms, 2mm wall thickness would be about 3/16" thickness...but once you scale up to larger poles and the alloy becomes important as well, the prices here skyrocket.
Pipe isn't cheap, even for plumbing, here. Of course the premade poles usually come with particular shackles. Are you using the same kind, or simply "good enough" to do?


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## obarut (Oct 23, 2008)

First of all cost has prime importance for me. A ready pole having length 12 feet costs 1000$ here in Turkey and I do not want to spend that much.
Second I am not a racer and so that I have plenty of time to rig the pole when needed.
Third I am not living at the seaside so that I made the pole in two parts otherwise it is not possible to carry it to the boat which is in another city 700 km where I am living. Each part is 6 feet long so it is not a big deal to store it anywhere in or my boat. You need to unscrew only 4 of 4mm screws.
My boat 31 feet Jeanneau. For bigger boats longer poles are needed which means an increase in weight. İn that case special alloy pipes must be used.
I am using ordinary snap shackels. 
I do not think that aluminium pipes and shackels are more expensive in US. because as far as I know the cheapest metal prices in the world are in USA.
Of course it is also possible to use ready made pole ends. But they are also expensive, 130$ each. Bu the ends that I fabricated cost 10$ each.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

I understand your need to save money BUT having seen enough poles on bigger boat FAIL in a poke your eye out kind of way going with the two piece pole seems to be a really BAD idea 


It will fail long before the same material would in one piece


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Take some pics of your pole, then post them in this thread or another. It would be interesting to see the results none the less. Malcolm at Jeanneau-owners might even put them into the hints and tips area if it works.

If you had a roof rack fo some sort for your vehicle, you should be able to strap a solid 12' pole on the top. For curiosity sake, which Jeanneau model do you own? an older Attalia? or? I have an 85 arcadia.

Marty


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