ChuteScoop

[Mike Sibley]

Does anyone have any experience with a chutescoop (spinnaker sock)? Does it work as advertised? Is it durable? Would you buy it again?

[Bash]

...and wouldn't want to go back to working without one. Makes it almost too easy to set and douse the chute.

A buddy of mine bought a fairly cheap generic sock commercially available, and melted the blocks. As in all sailing, beware of cheap fittings. My sock was made by the same loft that made my spinnaker (North Sails) and is of considerably higher quality. Also has a nice carbon-fiber snuffer, which is important when you consider weight aloft.

So, yeah, they're great, but don't forget that you get what you pay for.

[Charlie]

I have one for an Asym. Works well. If I were to do it fresh I would get a spin furler. In my mind I would rather furl the spin and take it down this will make it easier to gybe and to handle the sail.

[svHyLyte]

Mike--

We have ATN "Chutescoops" (see ATN Home Page -- sailing, sail, storm, gale, tacker, spinnaker, sleeve, stasher, flasher, douser, chute scoop, sally, case, furler, roller, reefed sail, single handed, short handed, cruising, transatlantic, round the world, Jules Verne Trophy, BOC, w ) for both our asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers. We started with one for the assym. and liked it so much I bought a second for our symetric that we use with a "Tacker" to the headstay when just my wife and I are sailing (for racing with a crew, we launch and retrieve the symmetric in the conventional fashion). They work great on both sails (and we have very large sails!). One thing I do is pass the retrieving line through a snatch block located in the center of the foredeck. I find pulling up on the retrieving line easier than pulling down, and if necessary, I can lead the line to a deck winch. One does have to remember to "gybe" the retrieving line around the forestay if one has gyped the sails and will be retrieving on the opposit gybe from the launch.

FWIW...

s/v HyLyte

[Mike Sibley]

Chutescoop is a brand name for a particular spinnaker sock made by V.F. Shaw Co. ATN and a few others make competing spinnaker socks. Does anyone have experience with the Chutescoop made by V. F. Shaw Company?