Steve wrote:
looking at the Forespar site, I see I should have a 12-22ft line
control pole ... the list price is almost $900. Way out of my budget ...
I think I will proceed with a fixed length (DIY) for this summer
but will set up all my hardware for the ultimate Forespar
recomended pole.

I agree that Forespar has never been "bargain-priced." Still I have used
their gear for decades with few problems. The issue is whether or not these
things make any sense economically, but then, does sailing make sense
economically? Probably not, still we do it.

Another possibility is to stow the gear either on deck (which is a "pia" to
fit), or using stanchion-mounted gear. I use these plastic
stanchion-mounted fittings for the whisker pole and they work well. Not
perfectly, but well enough.


--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/