Winter Outdoor Storage/Mast Up? Mast Down?

[Vipersdad]

I normally tarp my 19 for winter with my mast supported by the bow and stern pulpits.  I use plastic conduit bows [3] over the mast in the cockpit area to minimize valleys developing in the tarp.  I also make sure I don't get pressure on my lifeline stantions.

I am considering mast-up this year with the boom as a tarp support and my whisker pole from the mast to the bow.

Comments?

V.

[Bob23]

Sure would be a lot easier! I've thought about this for my 23 but I like the idea of rinsing all the lines, inspecting the mast head and removing the VHF antenna. So down the mast will come! But I suppose leaving it up every other year would be fine.

[NateD]

I agonized on this decision for my Dolphin 24 this year. The marina usually wants masts down, but he mentioned I could leave mine up if I wanted. The past 3 years I've had the mast down and used as a ridge pole for a tarp. My mast weighs about 100 pounds and I haven't rigged anything up to step it myself, so I have to pay the marina about $75 to step and then another $75 to unstep every season. I could save some money if I left the mast up and lashed two tarps together around the mast.

The problem I have is that the boat has to be in the water to lower the mast (just the way their crane is setup). So if I left the mast up, and then didn't like the way the tarps looked/functioned, I would be out of luck for the rest of the winter. I had them take my mast down again this year to be safe. Next summer I might experiment at the dock with tarps before winter comes to see if I can find a way to adequately tarp it with the mast up.

SO, assuming you can get the mast down yourself over the winter if you need to, maybe try leaving it up and see how it goes?

[Gerry]

Self-raising mast = store it down.
Crane raised mast = your choice, both work.