In production since 1979, the Chutescoop (above) represents the bargain approach to spinnaker snuffers. In this shot, the crewmember on the bow is collapsing the spinnaker by drawing the sleeve down over it. This is essentially how all snuffers work.

In decades past, many sailmakers manufactured their own spinnaker sleeve or snuffer—the tubular devices often favored by shorthanded crews for facilitating the setting and dousing of spinnakers. Materials and designs varied considerably in these products, and the results were mixed. Today, spinnaker sleeve manufacturers have more or less settled upon a common design solution. Moreover, all major sailmakers in North America except North Sails have ceased producing spinnaker sleeves, opting instead to resell sleeves from companies specializing in them.

We found two such makers in the U.S.: ATN, Inc., builders of the ATN Spinnaker Sleeve, and the V.F. Shaw Co., producers of the Chutescoop®. Local sailmakers do occasionally take on the…