MUMM36 ZAMBONI Bowsprit

 ZAMBONI has several spinnakers and we have names for each of them: 

• Aloha (fractional std pole)
• Evolution (fractional std pole)
• Big Blue (fractional oversized pole)
• Franchenchute (masthead oversized pole)
• Tiffany (asym masthead)
• CODE 0 (asym masthead)

We have two poles

• standard length carbon (very light)
• oversized pole (15% longer and heavy)

Everytime we fly any asym chutes, we have to rig the longer pole, lash it to the deck, and run a tack line back.  PITA, so we usually don't bother with them.

It was time to design and fabricate a bowsprit.
We designed it so that the distance from the forestay attachment point and the tack is the same as the length of the oversized spin pole so that we don't take a handicap hit.

We thought about doing a single pole on deck out the front:

This is a unit that Mike had purchased on Kijiji for his boat.
We both agreed that this will make foredeck work (headsail peels) difficult.

Here is Mike evaluating our options:

I worked with a friend Brent from Razorbill in Whitby to come up with a jig to fabricate it.

Mike and I made a pattern of the bow using plywood to make the jig.

Brent is a high school shop teacher and was able to cut the aluminum pipe fairly quickly.  The cost of the 1 1/2" schedule 60 aluminum pipe was $60.  We purchased the pre-bent round section on Amazon for $20.

Had it welded up by a shop in Bowmanville:

How were we going to attach it to the bow?
Why on ZAMBONI, we used modified hockey pucks:

Dry fitting

Here you can see how the pad eyes will be through bolted:

Note the drain holes

Then it was off for powdercoating:

The cost for powdercoating was $80 cash.

The sprit is supported with a 1/4" dynema strop to a ring on the bow:

This forged ring is through bolted to the structure for the forestay attachment.

Splicing dynema strop

I would say it turned out pretty well:

The 3/8" stainless bolts go through about 1/2" of solid fiberglass and are back up with oversized fender washers on the inside of the bow.

We have used it several times, and it just doesn't move!

The total cost was about $500.