Using boom for mast stepping

[Windtherapy]

Just got through studying the original O'Day mast raising instructions for the 25. I would assume they work for the 26 also. I am just curious how many here use their boom to raise and lower their mast? I do not have the triangular plates just above the turnbuckle but if this set up works well, I can gt them or make them.

I have read multiple threads on mast raising both on here and other sailing sites. Everybody has their own idea which is great however, it sure would be nice to use the boom and have one less thing to haul around. I see most other mast raising systems have some sort of pipe or wood appraratus to haul around.

 

[FastOlson]

Over 20 years ago, I owned a fractional rig Niagara 26 for a decade. Mast was deck stepped on a hinged plate. I had previously helped a friend lower and raise the spar on his ODay 23. I diagramed it out a bit, and not having the ss plate on each shroud like the ODay boats had, used a temporary line from the masthead to a turning block on each toe rail, opposite the mast, and led back to a winch. I used the 1.5" spinnaker pole as a "gin pole" to lower the spar aft. The lowering line was led back to a primary winch through some snatch blocks. A friend help me tend lines, as we had to constantly re-adjust the side lines as the geometry changed.
Mind you, this spar was untappered, and 34' long. (!) We took our time and had no problems.
You need very quiet water for this project.
There is, somewhere on line, a diagram of the factory ODay system for this.
Good luck,
LB

 

[Joe]

Using your boom implies lowering your mast forward. Many hinged tabernacles can be tilted either way. I have seen this system on a few boats whose marina is inside a low bridge. The topping lift is static, the mainsheet provides power. The forestay can be left connected but must be attended to keep it from getting caught under the boat. The backstay would have some kind of quick release connector.

The biggest issue on all mast systems is the side to side stabilization. So you must look at many systems, the lowering/raising direction is irrelevant, and decide what will work best on our boat. The stabilizers must hinge on the same plane as the tabernacle.

 

[Capt jgw]

Most sloops have the mast stepped about one third the way back from the bow. If you lower the mast forward, that means you have only one third of the boat under the mast. If the mast is longer than the boat, then you have more than 2/3 of the mast sticking out past the bow, and hence more than 2/3 the weight. This makes it drastically unbalanced and much harder to control. The mast will try to topple over the bow, and may have enough leverage to take you with it. If the mast is lowered aft with a gin pole of some sort, you will have 2/3 of the boat under the mast and probably more than half the mast over the boat. The center of gravity will be over the boat and the mast will under control. Much safer. I always lowered mine aft using a wishbone gin pole.

 

[Joe]

Most sloops have the mast stepped about one third the way back from the bow. If you lower the mast forward, that means you have only one third of the boat under the mast. If the mast is longer than the boat, then you have more than 2/3 of the mast sticking out past the bow, and hence more than 2/3 the weight. This makes it drastically unbalanced and much harder to control. The mast will try to topple over the bow, and may have enough leverage to take you with it. If the mast is lowered aft with a gin pole of some sort, you will have 2/3 of the boat under the mast and probably more than half the mast over the boat. The center of gravity will be over the boat and the mast will under control. Much safer. I always lowered mine aft using a wishbone gin pole.

I disagree with your perceptive geometry. The mast weight is the same no matter which way it goes and the mast never touches the rest of the boat until it's in a crutch. So when the mast is coming down or going up... control stays the same...
If, however, you are thinking that the leverage of the mast will somehow pop the rear of the boat out of the water, or off the trailer, or something like that... then some kind of evidence should be presented to defend such a statement. I can only relate what I have seen in Mission Bay, San Diego and in Huntington Harbor in Orange County.. and that is a forward lowering mast to clear low bridges while the boat is under way.... All of these rigs can be handled from the cockpit.

I am not a keen fan of using the boom to lower the mast, however, I prefer your wishbone system.. perhaps windtheraby wants to rig the boom in front, like a gin pole, then detach and re rig in back for sailing.... but really... for a hundred bucks or so in parts you can build a dedicated wishbone system that stays on deck, ready fore easy deployment ....
My big fear would be dropping the boom on the roof of my tow vehicle....

 

[Capt jgw]

If you're just dipping the mast to get under a bridge and not pulling the pin at the step, it wouldn't matter. I'm talking about taking the mast off to go on the trailer. If you've got most of the mast out beyond the crutch, it will want to fall that way. If most of the mast is inboard of the crutch, it will be stable. That's why I built my system to lower aft with a wishbone. I tried it once going forward using the boom, I couldn't get the mast forward to the step without losing control of it. This was on a 24' boat with a 28' mast that weighed about 80#. The leverage with the mast hanging off the bow was just too great.

 

[Windtherapy]

I have to say this and would love an answer back. Most mast stepping systems I have seen and watched on You Tube are all deck stepped. Is it a choice on the O'Days if one keel steppes or deck steps? The tabernacle is barely tilted so I would think it wouldn't matter--right or wrong?

Wow, I just read more on deck step and keel step and I was thinking it was the way you walked the mast up as you raised it. I was way off. So since my 1985 O'Day 26 is deck stepped, does it matter which way I raise it? I would love to have the mast sit on a gin pole at the stern as I see most videos showing it done or is it easier the other way around? I have the entire winter to figure this out but want to build a gin pole and the rest this winter.

 

[FastOlson]

I have to say this and would love an answer back. Most mast stepping systems I have seen and watched on You Tube are all deck stepped. Is it a choice on the O'Days if one keel steppes or deck steps? The tabernacle is barely tilted so I would think it wouldn't matter--right or wrong?

Wow, I just read more on deck step and keel step and I was thinking it was the way you walked the mast up as you raised it. I was way off. So since my 1985 O'Day 26 is deck stepped, does it matter which way I raise it? I would love to have the mast sit on a gin pole at the stern as I see most videos showing it done or is it easier the other way around? I have the entire winter to figure this out but want to build a gin pole and the rest this winter.

I recall that some ODay's had a short piece of track on the mast face for the boom goose neck to clip into. That way the boom would act as a gin pole and lower the spar aft. One caveat: when you lower it aft, you will need a person at the stern or a frame work back there with padding -- to catch the mast before it damages the sliding hatch. That person at the stern will have to hold it up with a lot of lift while the guy at the mast base pulls the pivot pin and starts to ease it forward. Initially, the balance point may be at the stern or even aft of that point a little bit.

If you build an A frame to lower your spar, be sure to carefully secure it to the deck and pad the bases to avoid damaging the gel coat.
L

 

[Windtherapy]

Funny you say that because I was just thinking about this and using pipe or even wood and having it rotate near the gel coat could be very bad. Here is my next question. I see lots of people using the single gin pole and then others using the tripod system. Am I too assume that the tripod system is safer and stops the mast from going side to side or even crashing over the side as you raise it? I am trying to wrap my head around the engineering concept of the tripod system.

 

[FastOlson]

Funny you say that because I was just thinking about this and using pipe or even wood and having it rotate near the gel coat could be very bad. Here is my next question. I see lots of people using the single gin pole and then others using the tripod system. Am I too assume that the tripod system is safer and stops the mast from going side to side or even crashing over the side as you raise it? I am trying to wrap my head around the engineering concept of the tripod system.

As others have noted, the factory system used an ss link plate on the outer shroud, in line with the mast base. This kept the tension steady from side to side so that the spar could not fall to port or starboard. Someone here ought to have one of those old diagrams around to post up. Hopefully.

 

[justsomeguy]

Funny you say that because I was just thinking about this and using pipe or even wood and having it rotate near the gel coat could be very bad. Here is my next question. I see lots of people using the single gin pole and then others using the tripod system. Am I too assume that the tripod system is safer and stops the mast from going side to side or even crashing over the side as you raise it? I am trying to wrap my head around the engineering concept of the tripod system.

You want the stabilizing force to be most effective when the mast is at its lowest angles to the deck, when the possible sway could rotate the tabernacle (not good), rather than rock it slightly from side to side.

The pivot points of the baby stays should be close to level with the pivot point of the mast, and slightly forward, in order to loosen as the mast is raised.

But, if you want to use rigid babystays, your mounting point locations will be much more critical. HTH.