Getaway Symspin

I've been using my symmetric spinnaker on my Getaway for a year now. I thought I would provide an update.

The Getaway is a reasonably fast boat. With enough wind, it will do 12 kts or so to weather. Downwind it isn't a slouch by any means, but you have to gybe back and forth to go downwind. With a spinnaker it goes a little faster downwind but it doesn't need to be gybed a whole lot in comparison---with a symspin you will sail deeper than even with the asymmetric. Fastest I've been with the symspinnaker up is 15.5.

The advantages of a symmetric kite include simplicity...no permanent modifications need to be done to the boat.
NO SPRIT
Cost...costs about $200 for the blocks, halyard, sheets and mast bracket. Of course you have to get a spinnaker...one with the right dimensions could be gotten used for $300...you can build your own for less than $300 (I'll give you the plans if you ask). You can probably get one made by a sailmaker for $600 or so.
Boat safety...the symspin puts much less stress on the rigging, the boat sails really flat so there's no potential for getting dumped.
I snuff my symmetric kite...I may be the only person who does this; but it is easily done and makes deploying and retrieving the kite a breeze. Snuffer sits on the forward tramp.

For me, a symmetric spinnaker makes a lot of sense...I sail mostly windward and leeward with very little reaching. Winds I see are 15-25 most of the summer.

The spin I use is 18 feet luffs and 15 foot foot. I did not add an additional mast bail/hound, but you could do so and get a larger kite. The higher up you put it, the better you will be in lighter winds (but you also add more tippy to the boat).

If anyone is interested in duplicating my setup; just ask.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Do you have an photos of your setup to share?

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2007 Hobie 16 - 'Slingshot'
1996 Hobie 18 - 'Onrails'
Hobie Bravo - 'Hobie Bites'

There isn't much to look at but I can take photos easily enough.

There are two eyestraps mounted under the bench seats. I made them permanent after determining the best sheeting point for the spinnaker. The eyestraps hold bullet blocks--While experimenting I just tied around the bench seats. At first, I put them all the way aft to the rear crossbar.

On the mast I use a ronstan high strength swivel only because I had one and it works perfectly to give small separation between the forestay and the spin luff. The swivel holds the halyard block.

Guying is done by the crossbar itself. Just tie some guide line between the slides holding the front tramp to the front bar, the guy is routed under the bar and slides easily-the guy is held up by the guide lines (so you aren't dragging your guys in the water). At first, I used a couple bullet blocks tied to the front cross bar. I used those until I found the correct spot for the guy.

Depending on the size of the spinnaker AND it's construction, that will determine the best sheet and guy points for you. My spinnaker is made for both running and reaching (there's a video on YouTube showing me make it). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdedS1z ... 0r&index=3

The spinnaker snuffer is made from a Rubbermaid dishpan that has had the bottom cut off. I stitched a tube of cloth to that so it extends back to the middle crossbar. I attach the dishpan to the front crossbar.

Any Hobie with a front crossbeam can do this. The faster the boat is, though, the more you will need to guy from closer to the middle -my spin works best about 18" from the middle on either side. If your boat goes 15 or more upwind, get a sprit and an asymmetric instead.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

I made a video of how to rig the boat. Showing everything on the boat with narrative plus some action shots of the symspin in action. I posted this yesterday, but somehow it disappeared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOb5B5Uyn5w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOb5B5Uyn5w

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Tpdavis

Very interested in your symspin design. I don't have the skills to make / sew my own so I will be calling a local sailmaker to have one made. Wondering if there is anything else you can tell me about the design. I am sure the sailmaker will have questions and not sure I know what I am talking about. I've been sailing all my life but don't know squat about sail design. I like the simplicity of it over the asym and the fact that it sails flatter. I mostly sail solo. I am very comfortable with the boat and have no problem handling the boat alone and even trap out solo on windier days.

Thanks
Keith

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2002 Getaway - SOLD in 2018 "Cheshire Cat"
2016 AI - Bought used 3.18.23 "Crabby Puppy"

Hi Keith,
I assume you will attach a swivel and block at the top of the hound as I did...I use a Ronstan swivel that gives a good stand off-it's pricey at $80, but I already had it; if you want, you can build a small bracket that will give the same standoff for less money. You will need a spin luff of around 18 feet. It probably could be 19 or 20 as well. The foot should be around 15 feet with a mid girth of 12 feet. If your sailmaker wants more than $500 for it, check used sails since the cost of this sail is only around $200 with materials and including labor.

It is very safe sailing with this spinnaker. I use a snuffer of my own design...you do have to be ddw to snuff easily. If you have crew it is just as easy to pull down into a bag on the foredeck.

The boat generates a decent amount of apparent wind, so you'll have to find optimum tack and sheeting points depending on how full the sail you get is.

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II

Thanks. 2 questions now. What is mid girth and ddw? I was watching your utube videos last night and then doing some more research and looking for local sailmakers to call. I came across something called a snuffer sock. Is there any reason why you would not use a snuffer sock instsad of the snuff bag on the tramp? Seems like it would control the let down better as the spin would alrady be contained. Looks simple enough like a long tube on nylon on its own halyard loop.

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2002 Getaway - SOLD in 2018 "Cheshire Cat"
2016 AI - Bought used 3.18.23 "Crabby Puppy"

You could use a snuffing sock-they are available for sale so you wouldn't have to create your own snuffer and modify the sail for snuffing. I prefer a foredeck mounted snuffing bag. Snuffer socks can be tricky since you have to be under the sail when you are snuffing it. Deploying the spin is also a little harder than with a foredeck mounted snuffer. Also, they have to have the bag up at the spin head while you are sailing, I just like a cleaner look. BUT, you can put one over any spinnaker without any sail modifications.

Midgirth is the width of the sail in the middle. It is a measure of how full the sail is. For example, if the foot is 15 feet and the midgirth is 12 feet, the belly is 80% as big in the middle as it is at the foot-put this in perspective, in a jib, the midgirth is 50% as big as the foot. Some symspins can be bigger in the middle than they are at the foot. I used 80% since I rarely sail ddw and I knew the boat would generate apparent wind so it needed to be a little flatter than symspins built for monohulls. In fact, I designed it to be two full asymspins sewn together in the middle and filling in the space between the clews.

ddw is dead down wind.

What I wanted was a cheap uncomplicated spinnaker setup that would be safe for the boat and safe to sail with single handed. I wanted to be able to have a beer going downwind. So far, it's worked out. Granted, a sprit mounted asymspin is more exciting (more speed, more heel) and a little faster downwind than the symspin if sailed competently.

If your sailmaker has questions, he can contact me via email at tpdavis at yahoo dot com

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R/Thom
SeaRail 19
Triak
BMW C600
Formerly Getaway with Custom Spinnakers
Formerly raced F24 Mk II