What size spinnaker to go with???

to me it would depend on what yourprevaling winds are....230sq ft seems pretty large for a 5.5..some guys came down to St Thomas for the Rolex regatta on the 6.0 with a "New England " kite and was pretty much overwhelemd by it with the 15-20kt winds and 3-5ft seas....go with what you can handle for your conditions

I don't know where you are located, but the 5.5sl guys in Florida have gotten together and agreed on a maximum limit of 230 sq ft. Read all about how they set up the boats at 1design.net

350 or so is about the New England class size for the Nacra 6.O, and while it ain't one of Randy Smyth's Worrell 450-footers, it's all the power the boat can handle most of the time. Plus, another advantage of a smaller chute is that you can carry it beam reaching higher than a larger sail. Finally, the used sail will let you get your feet wet (so to speak) with spinnaker cats. When you have the bugs worked out of your rig, have someone (Randy or other) make you one, or buy one off the shelf.
sail fast

Gotcha.

I like the used sail idea myself.

The problem with the 230, is that I will take such a hit in rating, that carrying it isn't worth it (I wanna distance race with the chute). Seeing as though there are no other 5.5's over near me, I won't ever be in a fleet situation with a chute, so my rating does matter.

On the other hand, if I'm distance racing and it's blowing 15-20kts, I doubt very seriously that I'll wanna fly a 350 singlehandedly. I can only imagine how full my hands would be then!

No one has mentioned a hooter......why not?

I'll see if he's still got the 230......

TheoA,

I have a Nacra 5.5 with 300 sqft chute. It is huge for the boat. I can't imagine a 350 sqft chute.

I agree it depends on the type of winds you will be using it in. I sail in a generally low wind area. My chute works fine in the lower winds. When the wind picks up, I have bad (oh - I forget the term...) steering. I have to push the tiller (vice pull) to keep my course because of all the sail up front pushing the boat down. I could adjust mast and rudder rake, but then it would be messed up for non spi sailing, which is 90% of my sailing.

Because the Nacra was not designed for the spi, I do not push it in the higher air. When the wind comes up and the I-20's start screeming down wind, my chute comes down. I would rather not be buying a new mast. But if you a serious racer, you might want to risk it.

If you get the 230 sqft but want to go bigger, I would trade my 300 sqft for a 230 if in good condition. If I had a smaller chute, I could use it in higher air.

As for the hooter... The concept appeals to me because (as a mostly recreational sailor) it looks easy to use. I would use it a lot more often then the spi (My wife does not like the chute). My biggest worry again is the strees on the boat. The hooter creates more stress. But I *think* Rick White says that is only if it is used up wind beyond a very light breeze. However, If you want to race it is a much smaller sail with the same rating hit, which is probably why it has not caught on as much. But I do belive Rick has raced it successfully, so who knows.

That is an interesting point. When I went out on a demo sail with my boats previous owner, the spinnaker seemed to pick the fron end of the boat UP, certinly it didn't drive it down. Could this be because of the way it was rigged?

I use a 24.6m2 one one my Nacra 6.0 installed on my home made spipole last week, This is a new dimention in sailing to me.

When he said "down" I'm sure he meant that the spinnaker gave him leeward helm...i.e. if you let go of the stick, the boat would turn downwind. True - a spinnaker does lift the bow of the boat considerably.