Mast repair and raising question

[brackish]

I'm about to take my mast off the boat to do some ground level repairs, install a mast head VHF antenna, and a bail for a new, on boat,  mast raising system.  I notice at the bottom of the mast, aft, the two sections that end the sail slide extruded slot are curled up.  Was going to reform them when it's down, but got to thinking about whether that is just a normal bend that occurs due to the mast raising and lowering or if it is the result of an out of control mast raising or lowering.  It seems the geometry of the pivot is that the mast has to press on that area while the pivot pin rises so that that section aft of and below the pivot pin will have clearance in the step.  I've only seen this mast go down once, when I bought the boat a few weeks ago, and that lowering was a little out of control (baby stays improperly adjusted, did not maintain lateral stability) so depending on the knowledge of those who have done this often.

Thanks

[newt]

I always raise and lower with two people. One to crank down the mast and the second to guide it. Seems to work pretty well. I have had it down now close to a dozen times....

[brackish]

I would hope to always have that extra person but will plan for the possibility that I won't.  In the process of building this type of raising system:

http://www.tropicalboating.com/sailing/mastraising.html

I already bought a new step from Compac but wish I had done a little more research and bought the dwyer L-slot with fixed pin that is shown.  There is one that fits the ComPac mast extrusion.  The Compac step requires the mast to pivot supported only on the aft point of the mast until it rises enough in the slot to start down.  Thus the bent up place.  Additionally, the Compac step is too wide for the mast, but I've put nylon spacers to make up the difference and keep everything laterally supported.

When it is finished and thouroughly tested, I'll post pictures when I figure out how to do that.

Frank

[Craig Weis]

I push it up and I have a person on the safety line so for a moment the mast hangs on the line while I step from the cockpit to the sliding hatch. All the safety women has to do is take up the slack using the welded on cleat of the trailer. No big deal. Cleat-off while the head Harkin pin is installed and tighten up the back stay.
skip.

[dawntreader]

Brackish,

I'm able to raise and lower Dawntreader's mast single handed.  I remove the boom,  leave the side stays attached, loose the back stay, attach the back stay to the mainsheet.  Using the mainsheet I have the power to raise or lower it undercontrol, and the sheet is long enough for me to stand on the foredeck to guide the mast.  Oh yeah, I drop the mast forward.

Mike

[nick23]

Mike,

So you don't need to remove or loosen the aft lower shrouds?  Just the backstay?  The mainsheet method makes sense and doesn't require any additional hardware which is nice.

[brackish]

Hey Mike, couple of questions

Do you have roller furling?

When you're down, I imagine you are past the center of gravity with more weight hanging forward of the pulpit than aft.  do you have any trouble pulling the pin and getting it back to transport position or back forward to get ready to raise it?

Frank

[dawntreader]

Frank,

I do not have roller furling.  If I did, I'd loose the furler from the deck and swing it aft so that it would "fall" in line with the mast.

The weight is forward, but not so much that it causes problems removing the pin or lifting the mast to walk it aft to balance between the stern rail and pulpit.  I usually pad the pulpit so that there is no scratching/dinging/etc.

And Nick 23 is right.  I do have to loose the aft lower shrouds.

Mike

[newt]

with the roller furler I find it best to bring it down aft. I put the trailer winch through a pulley in the front and attach the jib halyard to it. Then I just let out the trailer winch. I bet I could do it with just the jib halyard...hmmm. You do have to loosen or remove a set of shrouds.

[johnny b]

I've done it as a two-person job.  I find two blocks of wood thick enough to support the ends of the mast foot bolt at the point where the mast is to be raised to the top of the slots in either side of the mast foot.  I loosen the forestay and the two fore and two middle shrouds, and attach a halyard to the bow, slightly slackened, for stability.  Then I lift the mast so that the bolt hits the top of the mast foot slots, and my helper places the wood blocks under the ends of the bolt.  Then bringing the mast down, aftward, allows it to pivot freely at the bottom, as the weight of the mast is supported by the bolt and, in turn, the wood blocks, and not the bottom rim of the mast.

Also, it's best to remove the sliding companionway roof first, so the mast can then descend unobstructed to rest on the stern rail.

Raising the mast also involves using the wood blocks in the same way, and for the same reason.  Then once the mast reaches its highest angle, i.e, nearly upright, the blocks can be removed.  Then reattach the shrouds and backstay.

Good luck!

[Bob23]

   When raising or lowering my 23's mast, I have 2 of us. Before lowering, I loosen the backstay on order to detach the forestay. On the sides, only the forward lower shrouds are detached. I don't even loosen the aft lowers or upper shrouds. Next I tie a long line to the loose end of the jib halyard, stand in my truck bed, (the boat in on her trailer, of course) and tie it off to my roof racks. Then the forestay is detached, my friend, co-conspiritor and fellew beer drinker, standing in the cockpit, recieves the mast as I lower it down. Never had a problem and takes about a minute. This seems like one of those operations that we could spend more time thinking about then actually doing it if we let ourselves.
   That being said, my father in law, the famous Otto Hansen, a genius of an engineer and former Lightning sailboat champ in Surf City, NJ, used a home made version of that McGregor pole decades ago. He is a self proclaimed Rube Goldberg and damned proud of it. That old gin pole worked great and now that my son has taken over the ownership of Ottos boat ( a 1970 Irwin FreeSpirit 21) we have tweaked that gin pole a bit. Otto, just having turned 90, realized that he is too old to sail the big boat anymore so he has passed the ownership to Chris, 28 who will hopefully carry on the tradition.  A wise man, my father in law. I don't know that I'd be that gracious when (if?) I get  that old.

[brackish]

Bob23,

I ended up building the mast raising system as depicted in the link.

http://www.tropicalboating.com/sailing/mastraising.html

Several differences.  I didn't buy the Mac pole although I tried.  First my sanity was questioned by the sales clerk who wanted to know what I was to use it for.  Then, when I convinced her I knew what I was doing, someone died at the fulfillment center and no emails were answered, no orders were placed.  So I built my own, used square tube instead of round, which was easier for mounting  padeyes and a brake winch.  Probably saved some money, the price of the gin pole is not bad, but the shipping is awful because of the length.

Additionally, my version of the extended stern rail crutch did not work.  When that happened, I tried my system from just above the stern rail itself and it worked fine, no strain on the winch at all.  So now, I just start the raising from there.

It works like a dream.  In twenty minutes I can set up the system and either raise or lower the mast by myself.  The winch crank turns so easily, that if you do get a bind you know it.  Any resistance is a signal to stop and go clear the particular stay that has found something to hang on.

The furler drum trolley is great, keeps the furler from kinking or dragging across the foredeck while you raise or lower

In my version, nothing is permanently mounted to the boat except the bail on the mast.  My pole has its own base that attaches to the mast step with push pins through the 1/4" holes that are already in the step. My baby stays and winch lines all attach with spring clips.



Used it twice for both up and down, once in my driveway to test the system, and once at the marina before initial splash.  Next time I use it, probably not till spring, I'll try to take pictures or do a video for general distribution.

An additional benefit, I probably dropped a net fifty lbs. from my tow by removing all the stuff from the trailer mounted raising system.

Frank

[brackish]

Oh and by the way, Bob 23, I hope Chris will take Otto out for a sail any time he would want to go.  My mother who is 85 just visited, but could not get a sail in because of other commitments.  Well, maybe next time, she is more free to travel since she is no longer taking care of my grandmother who passed away at 102.  Great genetics, hope I got some of them.

Frank 2

[Bob23]

Frank:
   Thanks for the photo and feedback. You certainly have taken the gin pole concept up a few notches. I make try and put one together this winter.
   Chris, Otto and myself have had some great sails together. This summer was the first summer Otto didn't sail at all. He was asked and invited many times but declined.
   When he gave Chris his boat named "Gannet", he (and I) were skeptical that Chris could handle it or maintain interest. He surprised all of us and has become quite good at beating the old man in his Compac 23. The Irwin Free Spirit points so high it's almost unbelievable. The only time I have an advantage is when the wind kicks up...that 1350lb keel really proves its worth.
   When I first acquired my 23, Otto was thrilled. The man knows sailboats and recognized it as a true yacht. For his 87th birthday, my friend Dennis, Otto and I went out for one of those rare, perfect days. Wind, temperature, tide, sun- everything just right. When we returned, Otto, after waking up from one of his famous naps, proclaimed that it was his best birthday ever!
Bob23