TOPIC:

'Exotic Materials' - Having scanned the rules, the Jib pole does not seem to be restricted by this rule...can anyone confirm?



Btw - not interested in starting a Carbon Fibre arms race, but after having a go in the front end of someone else's Alb in light winds/short chop, I really didn't like the clanging of the ally pole against the mast - I think a CF one might be kinder on the mast and my crew's ears!



Steve

Richard wrote:

I made my flyaway pole from spruce. No clatter or banging on the mast for me. I think the timber came from an old enterprise boom that I ripped down, planed up, routed a groove out and stuck back together so it has a hole down its length. Its approx 20mm diameter an I think no heavier than the equivalent ally pole. I also tappered it towards the clew end. For any frustrated wood workers out there old Mirror dinghy spars a good source of arrow straight grained spruce. There are alway plenty of dead Mirrors in the dinghy park that end up on the Nov 5th bonfire. If you wanted to go really light you could make a box section out of Western Red Cedar strip plank.










Richard Smith


1925

Hi Richard,



I like the sound of what you've done [img]smileys/smiley20.gif[/img] - I might have to pop down to Benfleet to have a look at it or get you pop over to Thorpe Bay to demonstrate.



Steve

Hi All,

Have you ever seen broken carbon poles or tillers? Not nice. And I certainly would not want the splinters of carbon heading for the crews face. I have broken a few tillers in finns, and seen a few broken finn masts.

Cheers, Adam Nicholson

The pole does not have to be 25mm ally. I have used 15mm for a long time and it does not bang about. I route the bungy to the bottom of the mast then through a block to the side of the boat givng an even stretch through it's working range, Trevor (see the layout in the tuning section)

I made my flyaway pole from spruce. No clatter or banging on the mast for me. I think the timber came from an old enterprise boom that I ripped down, planed up, routed a groove out and stuck back together so it has a hole down its length. Its approx 20mm diameter an I think no heavier than the equivalent ally pole. I also tappered it towards the clew end. For any frustrated wood workers out there old Mirror dinghy spars a good source of arrow straight grained spruce. There are alway plenty of dead Mirrors in the dinghy park that end up on the Nov 5th bonfire. If you wanted to go really light you could make a box section out of Western Red Cedar strip plank.





Richard Smith

1925

On my last boat the pole bungy was attached at spreader height - the pole used to bang against the boom.
On my new boat the bungy is attached higher up the mast so the pole does not reach the boom when stowed - much less banging now.

John,



Thanks for confirming the rules & the RYA's opinion on what a jib pole 'is'!



I suppose with exotic materials it all boils down to the cost - The N12's are at our club this weekend for their 'Burton Week'...so I'll have a look & a word with a few of them on the CF pole costs etc.



Velcro - I've seen that tried on someone's Alb at our club, but I'm not sure it succeeded very well. It either didn't hold on well enough, and then when it gripped too well it never 'released' the pole in light airs!



Steve

JohnW wrote:

Steve
I can confirm carbon jib poles are not allowed.
Speed delivered my boat with a carbon pole (as they had run out of ally tube), but it was ruled out of class and had to be changed.
Rule14 PROHIBITIONS
14.8 The use of exotic materials in the construction of any part of the completed boat, except fittings. Such materials include:- (a) Kevlar. (b) Carbon fibre. (c) Titanium. Apparently a jib pole is not a fitting (it is classed as a spar by an RYA appeal case I think) so so cant be made of carbon.
Having said that, for the reasons you state, I think it would make sense to allow them, but a rule change would be required.

John I am completely with you on this one. I have checked and an I14 carbon tiller extension would make a perfect jib pole. Lighter, stronger and likely cheaper when all is tallied up.
Would be quieter as well.

use a strip of velcro on the pole/mast to hold the pole in place

Steve
I can confirm carbon jib poles are not allowed.
Speed delivered my boat with a carbon pole (as they had run out of ally tube), but it was ruled out of class and had to be changed.
Rule14 PROHIBITIONS
14.8 The use of exotic materials in the construction of any part of the completed boat, except fittings. Such materials include:- (a) Kevlar. (b) Carbon fibre. (c) Titanium. Apparently a jib pole is not a fitting (it is classed as a spar by an RYA appeal case I think) so so cant be made of carbon.
Having said that, for the reasons you state, I think it would make sense to allow them, but a rule change would be required.

JohnW2009-05-21 14:27:37

Steve

You are welcome to come to Benfleet at any time give me a call on 07774 227653. Iwas thinking of bringing the boat over to Thorpe Bay for the regatta weekend so you may wish to wait till then



Regards Richard