A Photo & Discussion Forum for Wharram Design Enthusiasts

Spinnaker size?

Hi all,

What size should a spinnaker for a Tiki 21 be? What I actually want to know is how tall should it be. Our mast is almost 22 feet, so what is a proper length?

I see a lot of used cheap spinnakers on some local sites and I got interested. We didn't need it today though as we reached a new personal best of 11,6 knots...

Thanks,

/Kristian.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Roger on June 15, 2013 at 12:14pm

Hi Kristian,

Richard Woods has a great discussion about spinnakers at:

http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/articles/11-technical-ar...

The main bit is..... "A conventional spinnaker will have the leeches approximately the same length as the forestay, with a foot approximately 80% of LOA, giving an area of approximately 63% x LOA x forestay length. An asymmetric spinnaker will be about 10% larger. That's just a guide, obviously you need to discuss it with your designer/builder and sail maker. I'd recommend a tri radial cut as it makes a much better reaching sail. At the very least get one with a radial head."

Applied to a Tiki 21, that would mean a 20' luff and about a 16+' foot. I am looking around for a second hand spin with about a 14' luff to see how that works.

Permalink Reply by Terje Sundboe on June 16, 2013 at 9:40am

I have a spinnaker to mine, but as my boat is not finished I have not test it. I will post the measures soon.

Permalink Reply by Roger on June 16, 2013 at 12:03pm

Sorry, my message should have said I'm looking for a spin with 20" luff and 14' foot. Bacon sails has lots of used spinnakers.