Slight prebend is good ! No more then needed to get the support lines taught and force upward deflection against the bridle strut under spi loads. I think 1 inch is sufficient in any respect.

However I do run more prebend to get some more luff length on my spi, this hasn't lead to any failures yet. But the amount I'm running is not needed for any construction/design reasons.





Learn this trick when beach handling the boat. Untie the top and tack halyard from the spi and tie them of to one another then pull the spi halyard tight and cleat it. Now the pole tip is also fully supported in the vertical direction and you can now fully handle your boat from the spi pole tip. You can now even excert large downward forces on the tip. As a matter of fact it will then behave just as if a spi is hoisted and the whole system is now fully locking up and very strong. The spi luff is actually a crucial part of the whole design. You don't see any more poles with pelican strikers etc anymore, do you ? The current spi pole has evolved to this sophistication that only the bear essentials are needed and the spi pole setup only weights 2.5 kg (incl snuffer).




No need, just use trick described at 2. All the spi boat sailors do it like that overhere as small children tend to hang on the spi pole tips when the boat owners are away. We are at a public beach overhere. Anybody not using the described trick risks a bend or broken pole not matter how the pole was build up, ring, saddle, strut or line. I've seen a good number of bend and broken poles this way.

Wouter