No spinnaker pole? No problem.

Not many would be convinced by the concept of manufacturing a pole with bits and bobs to hand in the last few minutes before a Sunday club race, so that your tired old Portsmouth Yardstick-heavy Bosun dinghy can stun the fleet with a burst of speed on the last downwind leg to clinch the season trophy on handicap.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So what to make it from?

A carabiner, garden stake and a cork are among the components. Credit: Ben Lowings

A 4ft timber offcut ought to do the trick, but splinters and flexing put me off this idea.

A metal pole, it would have to be, and the only thing to hand that race morning was a garden stake with a handy little kink at the top to shove into the clew.

It was slightly too long, but it would do the job, especially if covered with some foam insulation to make it more forgiving to handle.

A cork on the end prevents it from poking a hole in the kite.

Close up of the DIY pole jaws on the boat. Credit: Ben Lowings

A spinnaker pole needs jaws to let the clew travel forward and aft to trim the kite, and the jaws need to be operated remotely – the crew can’t reach it if they’re hiking out to balance the boat.

How should I create an opening clip for the outboard end?

Climbing carabiners came to mind.

The gates snap back but a fiddle around with a shackle and cable-tie, and bingo!

Home-made spinnaker pole on the boat. Credit: Ben Lowings

With a fairlead, or re-directioner a yank from the crew’s hand from about mid-pole on the bungee, becomes a pull on a length of Dyneema under the shackle, then vertically to exert maximum opening pull on the carabiner gate.

An old boat deserves properly-made equipment but this pole arrangement does the job for now.

But no, my cobbled-together dinghy spinnaker pole didn’t win us the race.

Continues below…

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