Our end fittings didn't have the flared throat, but D-rings were as shown. Advantage is no bridle to tangle. Disadvantage is the foreguy bends the pole in the middle out of compression, bouncing the afterguy several inches. Anything over 15 knots and we'd go back to using the aluminum pole. Kind of defeats the purpose of having one.
Never did try it with a bridle. Might be able to solve both problems using a retractable bridle--bungee inside single braid. Keep in mind you'll want to store your carbon pole below, so get a padded cover so you don't bang up the bulkheads.
I don't like the angled "slam it on" style ends shown. The trip mechanism catches the sheets while gybing. A measurer's ruling disallowed the trigger-type piston end fittings, which offer the same advantage as the type shown--no need to pull the trip line to clip pole to mast. I'm sticking with my old pole unless that decision is reversed.
These large photos make it hard to read the text in the posts. Is there some way to shrink them, limit width, or set preferences to avoid having to scroll horizontaly?
