Hi Garry, Jason,

I also just made myself some spinnaker sheets to replace my older sheets. I previously had relatively short sheets which didn't allow for launching/dousing out of the companionway.

I used the 8mm (5/16") NER Flightline and made them 2.5 boat lengths long which results in a lot of line in the cockpit but means that we can get the kite back if we let go of it.

Does the crew have specific requirements for the spinnaker sheets? There are some who don't like the slippery feel of the Flightline (or other polypropylene covers) on their hands.

I tapered the first 10'. I had read online that tapering Flightline can be a little tricky so I wanted to try a short taper before going for the longer taper but the Flightline is pretty light so I'm not sure if I'm going to extend the taper.

We also use knots to attach the sheets to the kite for a lack of alternatives. Shackles are heavy. Soft shackles would be lighter. They aren't much faster than knots to work with but they might slide past the headstay easier than a bowline.

John

:: Hi Garry,
::
:: So I just rebuilt a set of spin sheets myself to replace
:: the ones I made that were a bit short (oops). Originally
:: I went 3/8 warpspeed 2 at 54 ft (2 X boat length) and
:: tapered at 22 ft. They were a touch short on lenght and
:: the taper was a touch long to boot.
::
:: The new sheets are 61-62 ft (I got the end of a spool).
:: I went a bit longer this time and I did an 18 ft taper.
:: I used alpha ropes (we have a local distributor in Hood
:: River) that was 9mm diameter, so just a tiny bit smaller
:: than the 3/8 warpspeed 2. The warpspeed 2 is a longer
:: lay on the core and as such you may see more of the
:: cover coming out of the taper splice if you don't treat
:: the splice with something like maxi-jacket (Polyurethane
:: rope coating).
::
:: The alpha ropes was a shorter lay on the core and didn't
:: seem to have the same issue. I still coated with
:: maxi-jacket though since I already had it from some
:: tapered halyards I built.
::
:: For my sheets, I just use knots at the clews for inland
:: racing. If I was doing any offshore racing, I would
:: likely consider a shackle of some sort but I would be
:: inclined to go with a snap shackle for safety reasons vs
:: a soft shackle. A personal preference but if all hell
:: breaks loose for some reason, I like the idea of quickly
:: dropping one sheet/guy.
::
:: Anyway, that is what I set up. I am sure there will be
:: other opinions though as well :-).
::
:: Jason
::
:: :: Crew wants new spinnaker sheets. Any suggestions or
:: :: advice?
::
:: :: Are boats stripping and tapering the covers? If so how
:: :: far do they strip?
::
:: :: I am considering using soft shackles to attaché to the
:: :: clews. We currently use New England Flight Line and tie
:: :: to the clews.
:: ::
:: :: Appreciate any advice