Hi all! I bought a Kells 23 in the spring to putter around in at our local lake. I keep her at the lake on a trailer. The lake levels are lowering due to the recent hot weather. I will now have to move her to a different launch area. I have tried tirelessly to unstep the mast, to no avail. The tabernacle looks like two hooks with a fixed rod through the mast. The hooks are pointed aft. I have contacted the prior owner and he tells me to “kick” the mast at the base towards the opening of the tabernacle. My wife and I have tried to kick it, pounded on it with a rubber mallet, and push the rod through the mast. Nothing has worked. When I peered in the crack between the mast and tabernacle, it looks like there is a piece of aluminum that sticks up to catch the mast a bit. Does any one have any ideas or know how to unstep the mast on a Kells? There is no info on the internet. Thanks for any input!
Kells 23 mast tabernacle
- Thread starter GregB50
- Start date
Does your tabernacle look like this one here?
This pic is from another Kells 23. If so, then it is a simple hinge and there should be nothing keeping your mast from folding back. But if something slid down the mast and is holding yours up, it is not supposed to be there. You may need to take a flat head screw driver or something and pry it up. Once the mast is down, you may need figure out what happened.
If you have a few other friends with sailboats, you can put them right beside yours and use their halyards to lift your mast up and off of the boat. I've seen this done on a Catalina 27 while in the water. Make a rope loop that can be slid up the mast to the spreaders, tie the mainsheet halyards of the two neighboring boats to the loop... then lift your mast up with their halyards and unscrew the bolt at the tabernacle on our boat. Lift the mast off and figure out what has happened that is keeping your mast from tilting back. I think something has fallen down your mast and is jamming the tabernacle.
This pic is from another Kells 23. If so, then it is a simple hinge and there should be nothing keeping your mast from folding back. But if something slid down the mast and is holding yours up, it is not supposed to be there. You may need to take a flat head screw driver or something and pry it up. Once the mast is down, you may need figure out what happened.
If you have a few other friends with sailboats, you can put them right beside yours and use their halyards to lift your mast up and off of the boat. I've seen this done on a Catalina 27 while in the water. Make a rope loop that can be slid up the mast to the spreaders, tie the mainsheet halyards of the two neighboring boats to the loop... then lift your mast up with their halyards and unscrew the bolt at the tabernacle on our boat. Lift the mast off and figure out what has happened that is keeping your mast from tilting back. I think something has fallen down your mast and is jamming the tabernacle.
That’s exactly like mine. It will not fold. I’m at a complete loss and very frustrated. I will try to the screwdriver and see if I can pry anything that might be in there. There isn’t much room in the space between the mast and the tabernacle, however.
for some of you who have trouble taking the bolt out of the mast foot, wiggle the spreaders back and forth taking tension off that bolt.
He did admit what happened and probably learned. I could tell something funny about you, Kermit and myself but no pictures. Get your behind back home here youngster. I miss my old friend.