Low bridge over the channel. How tall is the Com-Pac 16 with mast down?

[all41_14all]

A place where we spend part of the year has a bridge over the channel out to Lake Michigan. I've been looking for a sailboat with a folding mast that would fit under the bridge with the mast down. The bridge is pretty low, and especially so with Lake Michigan at record levels.

Can anyone tell me how tall (above the waterline) the Com-Pac 16 is with the mast down?

There's a small basin on the other side of the bridge, where I could anchor for a short time to rig the boat.

How difficult is it to raise the mast on the water?
Can it be done singlehanded?


Thanks.

all41_14all

[Jim in TC]

I have only seen a couple 16's but they did not have a "folding" mast. The catboat series (Sun, Sunday, Picnic and others) have the "Mastendr" system that hinges. My guess is that a mast that has to be fully stepped on the water would be tricky, even if fairly light in weight (which I do not know). When we got our Suncat I considered the offer of dockage on the river side of a bridge, since the "Mastendr" system is so friendly, even for an older guy like me. We decided to wait for a slip on the bay side but the hinged mast on the cats would be pretty doable, especially in a protected spot.

[In The Pocket]

This is timely for me.  I am considering the same thing for a lake I'll have my 16 on this weekend.  Launch ramp is on one side, the house my family will be staying at is on the other side of a railroad bridge.  High enough for a mastless sailboat but not high enough to get under with the mast.  I'm wondering if three people can safely lower and raise the mast to get under the bridge.  I'd be interested to hear anyone elses experience with this

[all41_14all]

This is what made me think the Com-Pac 16 had a "folding" mast:

At the Helm: Com-Pac 16 and 16-2
https://standingatthehelm.blogspot.com/2011/04/com-pac-16-and-16-2.html
"Raising the 18 ft mast is easily handled by one person.  Once the mast is attached to the tabernacle, one just walks the mast forward, attaches the forward stay, the mast is set except for tensioning of all three stays."

This article did not explain how the mast attaches to the tabernacle, but descriptions of the Mastendr system, and folding mast systems for Wayfarer sailboats have referred to the use of a tabernacle as what enables being able to fold the mast down.

[all41_14all]

Just ran across this info, from Sailboat Richlands, a North Carolina Com-Pac dealer:

http://www.sailboatrichlands.com/answers.shtml
6Nov14 Message: What do you charge to install the mast tender system on a CP 16?

Answer: A Mast Tender system for the Com-Pac 16 has a gallows, mast stub, hinge and a new boom tack fitting. The installed cost is $1570. We have found that a standard 16 (non pilothouse) works well with just a gallows and a new boom tack fitting. The installed cost is $800.

The second option implies that the mast folds, but needs a gallows at the back of the boat to hold it, and putting a hinge on the boom makes the process easier.

This appears to be the option with the stock tabernacle. Note mast is hinged right at the deck:


further down the page, in response to a question about a folding mast on a CP 19, they show another CP 16 with a folding mast.
This appears to be the option with the Mastendr system, using a stub mast section at the base. Note that mast is hinged a few inches above the deck:



Their home page
http://www.sailboatrichlands.com
uses tabbed pages which I can't link to, but the "Current Projects 2/11/2020" link on the left (page titled "Our Future Projects") has a section that says:
Com-Pac 16 Mast Raising System
A Mast tender Plus system for the Com-Pac 16 is a cool idea. Everyone really likes the system on the Sunday Cat. Being able to raise the mast with one hand or go under bridges at will is a handy feature. Some of the components of our Mast tender Plus system are a teak gallows, a stainless steel yoke, a rigid mast that doesn't move from side to side and a block and tackle system inside the boat. Com-Pac developed this system for the Sunday Cat, but it was so popular that most of the other catboats in the family get it installed as an option. After using it on a Sun Cat, we decided the 16s could use the same system.
This one also seem to have the mast hinged on the stock tabernacle near the deck:


Hinging the mast a few inches above the deck allows room for the mast to fold nearly horizontal with the boom attached. Using the stock tabernacle does not allow the mast to fold all the way horizontal when the boom stays attached, so the gallows at the stern has to be taller.

The Mastendr system with the stub looks like it results in the lowest overall height. It's not clear how low the mast could fold with the stock tabernacle, if the boom were removed.

[bruce]

Thanks for the review of what Keith has done. He's a legend.

Com-Pac is all about trailering, throughout their lines. The catboat design works well with the Mastender system because the mast is stepped well forward, but primarily because the mast is so short on the gaff rig. Hinged at the step, mast stub on not, on the 16 the mast will extend way beyond the transom, without any support. That may work for you, ducking under a bridge, but Com-Pac doesn't want to see their boats being trailered that way, legal or not.

On the cats, the gaff, sail slugs, and boom all slide onto the mast stub, below the hinge, before the mast is folded down. The sail stays bent on and the standing rigging remains attached. Sweet for trailering or dropping the mast at a bridge. If you haven't, check out how Com-Pac is handling the rig on their current 16' sloop, the Legacy. The plate at the step helps keep the mast horizontal when setting up, like the mast stub would. Boom folds up, the main stays bent on, standing rigging in place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=nmzKrXi2bIU&feature=emb_logo (at the ramp starts at 8:25)

The new Legacy Sport model has an intriguing system that allows you to raise the mast from the cockpit by pulling on the headstay with the head sail on a furler. The boom folds down with the main. The shrouds stay attached. The mast is stepped on the cockpit sole, but once that's done, you can raise and lower the rig all day long without going forward. The mast will be at an angle, but it might be enough to clear a bridge. This thread covers what most of what I've seen released. There are some more photos of the Legacy Sport on Facebook, primarily when they've been showing it at shows.
https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=11140.0

The Legacy has been out for a while so I'd assume there are some used boats available, or you could look at that for converting a 16. The Sport is brand new, and Al posted the other day looking for someone on the list with a Sport and, so far, no hits. There can't have been that many built yet.

[geeman]

The mast on a cp16 has a bracket on the cabin top.  The foot of the mast attaches to this with a single pin.  Then with the side stays already attached and the forestay at the ready the mast can be lifted and "walked" up. Then the forestay  is walked forward and attached.  The mast is not heavy and one person can step it easily while it is on the trailer.  Not sure how easy it would be to do with the boat moving under you.  As to how how much bridge clearance you'd need, with the mast down you will need about four feet minimum (and I'd be to nervous to try it with that little).  The top of the stem is about 30 inches above the waterline and then the pulpit adds another 16 inches.