[Public-List] Whisker vs spinnaker poles

[Marcelo D. Gentinetta]

I know this subject has come up before. I was on the verge of buying one a couple of years ago and then it fell to the wayside. I have been looking at them again and trying to make a decision. On my previous boat, a Pearson Vanguard, I would just use my spinnaker pole to wing out the genoa but most of the time I flew a 125% and it performed pretty reasonably. It was simple and robust. Now, with the A30, my usual sail on the furler is a 140% and there are more choices available as far whisker poles. The line control pole (10-18) from Forespar seems good for the job but has certain complexity and is quite an expense. It seems best used with a mast track system that costs about the same as the pole. It weighs 17 lbs. Selden sells one that has push-buttons with 4 positions from 9.6 -15ft. It weighs around 22 lbs. Finally, it is back to the simple and robust spinnaker pole, 2.5 inches in diameter and 10.5 ft long. I am not sure how it would fly with the 140 since I don’t have one to try. My sailing is all coastal. It is usually my wife and I so it needs to be reasonably manageable on the foredeck. 
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone!
Marcelo
Alegria #441