Electric Winch to Step Mast

rgranger · Jan 7, 2020

Can you run the winch using the wiring for the trailer? If so, I'd find a way to attach it to your hitch of the truck. You will have a better angle to the top of your gin pole that way.

rgranger · Jan 7, 2020

Or maybe someplace in the bed of your truck. That would give you an even better angle.

Hunter216 · Jan 7, 2020

This is a mod for a Hunter 216 that I used.

Hunter 216 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

hunter.sailboatowners.com

Hunter216 · Jan 7, 2020

1SG RET said:
That looks great! And you were able to power the winch using your existing trailer wiring harness on your truck? Thank you very much for the information!

I didn’t try to use the wiring harness. Just used a 12 volt battery lawn mower battery.
I ‘extended’ the wiring to the remote so I can stand on the cockpit floor and have one hand on the remote and one on the mast.

LeeandRick · Jan 7, 2020

1SG RET said:
1. Will the rail support the tension or will I damage it with putting the weight of the mast on it?
2. Can I do away with the A-frame that I currently use to step the mast.
3. Does anyone have any other ideas on how I could mount the winch?

1. It will damage the pulpit.
2. Only if you mount a mast on the front of the trailer that gives you the same or near the same angle to the mast with the headstay. The Hunter idea has a higher starting point at the stern than you do. Check out Catalina 250 mast raising systems.
3. Yes. The easiest would be to weld a channel to the front of your current bow stop just high enough to clear the bow and mount the winch on the channel.

Crazy Dave Condon · Jan 8, 2020

Suggest looking at the mast raise system for the newer Catalina 22 or Catalina Sport 22 which is offered. Also do you have a winch on the deck of your Catalina 22?

Joe Blizzard · Jan 10, 2020

1SG RET said:
Can I do away with the A-frame that I currently use to step the mast.

I'm not going to be much help, but I'm curious why you want to do away with the a-frame. Looks like a pretty good setup as-is.

Timm R Oday25 · Jan 10, 2020

The view from here . The mast on our Oday 25 is heavy .Our setup is similar to yours .The major difference is that I used a double block and lead the line from the gin pole back to the winch on the mast for the mainsail halyard . This past fall I machined square adapter key that fits into the winch and has three sides that get clamped into the chuck of a 18 volt cordless drill. At any time of stepping or unstopping ,I can just cleat off the line and free a snagged stay or move the furling unit . I hope this helps.

rgranger · Jan 12, 2020

I keep my gin pole strapped to my trailer. I also have a hobie and on that one, I used large pipe clamps to secure a piece of 8" PVC pipe with a screw off end cap. I keep a lot of the rigging in that pipe. You might find it easier to do something similar and store you mast raising gear on the trailer.

Will Gilmore · Jan 13, 2020

1SG RET said:
I just bought a 3500 lb electric winch with wireless remote with the idea of mounting it (preferably quick disconnect) to either my trailer or boat to aid in stepping the mast by myself.

That's a heavy winch

.

No seriously, with a winch that strong, what about a whole different approach. Mount it to a set of folding braces or a plywood board that straddles the step. On that is a pivoting sleave that craddles the mast a couple of feet above the base, then pull the base into the step with the winch. In other words, raise the mast directly, no halyard, no gin pole.
Or
If you have to connect the step first, it pulls directly on the mast just above the base from just ahead of the base.

There would be, of course, details to work out, but it's not hard to imagine something much more compact and portable.

-Will (Dragonfly)

Will Gilmore · Jan 13, 2020

1SG RET said:
Where exactly are you referring to when you say “straddles the step”?

It sits directly on the deck partially surrounding the step. It's just an idea. I've not seen anything like it before. I'm happy to discuss it further. Maybe I'll find the time to sketch it out. Do you have a picture of your winch? How it mounts and where it pulls from?

-Will (Dragonfly)

LeeandRick · Jan 13, 2020

Will Gilmore said:
It sits directly on the deck partially surrounding the step. It's just an idea. I've not seen anything like it before. I'm happy to discuss it further. Maybe I'll find the time to sketch it out. Do you have a picture of your winch? How it mounts and where it pulls from?

-Will (Dragonfly)

@Will Gilmore I think you would rip the step out of the fiberglass. Imagine the force on the step if you put a block of wood 2' under the mast from the base and had the weight of 24' of mast past that point. I ran the numbers several years ago when I was thinking about putting a 4' hydraulic cylinder, on a mount in the companionway, going to a point 3' from the base of the mast. With a 30' mast it was like me sticking a 4' crowbar under the step and prying it off.

Noodat Lady · Jan 13, 2020

I like your idea of the winch with remote, although it strikes me that 3500lb is massive overkill and that 1000lb would be way more than adequate. Also, a small winch would work with your trailer hitch electrics. But, 3500lb is what you have. I can see why you wish to dispense with the A frame, because that effectively makes your whole winch idea impractical due to the big change in angle between winching point and A frame as you winch up the mast. I think you can indeed delete the A frame.

I have sailed a Cat 22 and it is of the same general size and type of boat as our O'Day 20. We have no A frame, and use our trailer winch strap connected to the forestay. The necessary first step is to have a stern mast support sufficiently high to make a straight winch pull possible. Our stern support is 8' above the cockpit floor/sole. The mast weighs very little and I am only lifting half of it at first, so an initial lift, to rest on the stern support, is quick and simple. Next I stand on the cabin roof and stabilise the mast as it is winched up. Near vertical the shrouds take over of course to stabilise it laterally. The line of the winch strap, in the absence of an A frame, passes under the bow pulpit and only pushes lightly up against the pulpit for the last few degrees of angle.

At the moment this is a two person job, because I cannot operate the winch and handle the mast simultaneously. With your remote winch idea it would become an easy one person job. Mounting point for the winch? My guess would be the rear end of the truck bed, or on the truck bumper. The loads would not be high.

Of course doing it our way you have an 8' mast support to store somewhere instead of an A frame, so no gain there, but I made our support so it telescopes down to 5', and it stores in the pickup bed.

I will be looking for a 1000lb winch with remote. Thanks for the idea!

Bob

Will Gilmore · Jan 13, 2020

LeeandRick said:
@Will Gilmore I think you would rip the step out of the fiberglass. Imagine the force on the step if you put a block of wood 2' under the mast from the base and had the weight of 24' of mast past that point.

I appreciate your point. I wasn't thinking of attaching it to the step, but holding it down is the big engineering issue. "Straddling" the step was just where I would place it to get it to work. I think it can be done, but I haven't worked it up. Just shooting some thoughts out that I think might hold promise. After all, the winch itself can handle 3500 pounds of force. I'm just thinking something can be built to resist the leverage.

-Will (Dragonfly)