To O'Day or not to O'Day

cbourne200 · Nov 25, 2014

I don't know the size/weight of the Lancer mast, but the 272 's mast is not what I would consider a 'self-steppable mast'. When I purchased my '87 272 3 yrs ago, it took a bridge and 3 men to step it - 1 to hoist mast up side of the bridge, and 2 (myself included) to pin stays and mast base. Definitely not a one man job...

From the 272 Owner's manual...

2. STEPPING THE MAST

Stepping the mast on a boat of this size is not a job for amateurs
and should only be done by professionals with the correct equipment. ...

Whi Ie the

O'OAY 272 mast can be stepped by hand, it is a large

mast, and we do recommend the mast being stepped with a crane. It you

do wi s h to s t e p the ma s t by h and, pie a s e f 0 I I ow the s e ins t rue t ion s .
On the initial stepping, the jib furler should be installed AFTER
the mast has been raised (see jib furler owner's manual for detai IsJ.
On subsequent raising and lowerings, great care must be taken that the
furler does not kink during raising. One person should be detailed to

k e e p ten s ion 0n th e fur I er a n d k e e p it from kin kin g

.

You will need at least

4 people to hand step the mast. Also,
pr ior to stepping, you should make a mast support 6'6" long that wi II
hold the mast in position. This support can be put in the drain area
at the aft of the cockpit floor and .be supported by one person.
Great care must be taken when raising the mast to insure that the
s h r 0 u d " Tee" fit tin g s d 0 no t com e 0 u t 0 f the mas t. I mme d i ate I y I 0 VIIe r
the ma s t, i f 0 n e 0 f the s e fit tin g s come sou t.
person holding the mast support.
2. Attach the backstay and upper and lower shrouds.

Open the .....

You get the gist of this - long post - I can send rest if really interested... Thought I might find weight of mast, but haven't found it. Not sure why copy/paste acted strangely - original document is a PDF.

Charles

agprice22 · Nov 26, 2014

I have an '87 272. I used the yard's crane to step my mast. Since they did such a poor job this last haul-out, breaking my mast base and all, I am considering stepping my mast. I lowered my mast when I bought the boat by using an A-frame. Oddly, there was no forestay on the boat. I think the PO removed it to store the tuff-luff he had on it. I found it stored in the boat later.

Anyway, I had two halyards which I connected to the A-frame, and I ran a line back to a cockpit winch. I lowered it nice and slow, stopping to check shroud turnbuckles and all. I had a crutch to rest the mast on in the cockpit. It worked ok... The halyards created uneven support, and that torqued the mast until one of the 2x2, a-frame supports broke. The mast fell the last 1-2 ft. Scared the s#%t outta me! No structural dammage. Only the anemometer cups broke. No biggie. The yard did more damage with the crane this Fall!

I think an A-frame will work as long as you use the forestay. I would make that A-frame of metal, thank you! Also, a 10 ft, telescoping mast crutch would be awesome. If you really wanna work it, mount a winch on your trailer to give you more control and side supports for the shrouds in order to stabilize the mast left-to-right.

It is a big mast! I use a crane at my shop to lift it off the boat for storage in the Winter. Let's exchange pictures of our plans here in the Spring.

I sure hope you post first, so I can copy your design. Since I will basically be stepping it single handed, wthe the exception of the admiral, who will put in pins, my design better work!

Thanks,

Andrew

cbourne200 · Nov 27, 2014

Sorry dscribner - didn't mean to imply you were an amateur... Just quoting from the manual. My former boat - Col T 23 - mast could be stepped with 2 people. 272's mast is about 6' longer and much more heavily built. I used the boom as my gin pole and lowered the mast toward the bow, Some people lower toward the stern, but toward the bow worked best for me.

Good luck - let us know how it works out. Would be interested in saving some money when/if I need to step mast.

Charles

agprice22 · Nov 27, 2014

dscribner said:
Charles, NO offense taken or meant. Emails (and post) can sound like anything depending on the reader. I' the guy the the wife rolls her eyes at because I take nothing seriously. Wait, they all do that. Well, I maje light of most things. I was just saying that we've done the mechanics many times, just a little smaller. I currently use a gin pole. I have everything for stepping but the temporary stays permanent ly attached to it. I have access to plenty of aluminum tube at work so I'm thinking 14' tripod of 2x2x3/16 tube. A roller on the mast crutch and one on the mid support will take most ot the weight of the mast. This morning I'll estimate the loads on the line and the tripod. There's a 27LE about 2 miles from work. They claim excellent condition. $7k.

When I built my mast crane, I built it so I could erect the mast with a sling around the spreaders in case I needed to rig the boat at home. The spreaders are 15' above my deck, so if you are gonna do a tripod, maybe think of the spreaders as your lifting point?

Thanks,

Andrew

Mickstr · Nov 30, 2014

I have a 1987 LE. I've unstepped the mast once in 8 years, but rely on my yard to step and unstep it. I have no gin pole. However, I've got two friends (272's) who step/un-step their own masts every year.

Point is, given the right equipment, you can unstep and step your 272 mast. As of yet, I haven't gone there...