So after replacing nearly every piece of running rigging and getting things back to factory spec including buying a gin pole from Com Pac, I was finally able to raise the mast and hoist the sails for a little driveway sailing. There was no gin pole, no spinnaker halyard, the vang stretched to about 4 ft max, only one block on the port side of the mast stub, no downhaul or downhaul block. The jib was off the foil, the turnbuckles were undone completely. It took a lot of looking up the rigging guide several posts below to get it all squared, but it looks like I got it. Whew! It wasn't until after I raised the mast that I learned from a quick call to Al Santini that the sail goes on before, but it gave me more practice raising and lowering the mast. So I'm wondering where you guys store the gin pole? I also have a whisker pole that's almost the exact length, and I'm not sure where to put them. I sure don't want them banging around while trailering or sailing, but I can't think of a place to secure them down in the cabin. I'm really looking forward to the chance to finally put some water under the hull and see how she does off the driveway!
Oh, no! It's sinking!
Trying to get this right.........
Oh for goodness sake!
Great looking boat, especially with the white pointy things up....
I have a whisker pole, a long handle brush, my gin pole, and a boat hook. I store them on the starboard quarter berth against the hull. I have a yellow bag of PFD's that I push into the rear of the same quarter berth. It holds them in position when traveling.
Thanks, Al. I can also see by my post that besides learning how to set up an Eclipse and sail it, I have a lot to learn about posting here. Italics much? Sideways pics? Yikes...............!
I store the gin pole in a piece of PVC pipe held to the trailer with hose clamps. Cap glued on one end and cap held on with pin on the other for easy removal.
That's a thought. I always assumed it should stay in the boat!
I frequently will drop the mast while still on the water so having the pole with me in the boat is a priority. Storage on the trailer sounds good but might not be suitable for all situations.