Mast raising gin pole

Jul 16, 2016
51
Hunter 23.5 Cascade
Quick question - I read somewhere on here that the gin pole for the hunter 23.5 is 78" long. Does anyone else have the problem where the gin pole comes out of the mast when you reach about 75-80 degrees raised? I have a guy who will make me a new one and he's suggesting it be the full length of the mast plate to the stem.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
On my H26
It is from mast plate to where it attaches in the anchor locker.
I bent mine and made a new one for about $40 in parts. All stuff found at Lowes. Im on my phone right now so I can't do the search easily but you might be able to find the thread where I described the fab.
 
Feb 20, 2011
7,990
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Interesting. Sounds as if your forward anchor point may be too far forward.
 
Jul 16, 2016
51
Hunter 23.5 Cascade
There's something in the anchor locker to attach the mainsheet to? Jeez no wonder!! I've been attaching it to another part of the attachment where the forestay connects! Is there an attachment point inside the anchor locker? I never got any instruction on mast raising from the PO, so I've been kind of guessing my way through the process. So nobody else's gin pole falls out during mast raising?
 
Jul 16, 2016
51
Hunter 23.5 Cascade
Make sure you are using the side supports as well.
Learned this one the hard way. Also didn't know that the little clip that the boom vang attached to was for the boom vang. We put it on backward and broke the mast base plate, twice!
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
There's something in the anchor locker to attach the mainsheet to? Jeez no wonder!!
@stackwalker
YES!!!!!

Okay, problem solved. Open the anchor locker and you should see a U-bolt coming out of the bottom of the locker. THAT is where you attache your main sheet fiddle block.

You said you never got directions so here is a brief 411 and if this does not make sense, I can try to take some pics next time I take mine down.

Lowering the mast... WEAR SHOES... (you will see why later)
1) You attache the JIB HALYARD to one of the loops on the end of your gin pole
2) Attache the top of the MAIN SHEET to the other loop on the end of the gin pole.
3) Attache the bottom of the MAIN SHEET fiddle block to the U-bolt in the anchor locker and pass the bitter end through the cleat in the anchor locker.
4) Take up any slack in the JIB HALYARD and MAIN SHEET until the gin pole has tension from both directions.
5) Connect the baby stays to a connection point on the mast and using the pelican hooks on the baby stays, secure them to the loops on the bottom of the life line stanchions outboard.
6) Make sure your turn buckles on the shrouds won't bind as you raise and/or lower the mast.
7) Tighten the MAIN SHEET halyard until the tension in the forestay is slack and disconnect the forestay. Keep the main sheet in your hand from this point on.
8) While holding the main sheet in both hands...use the toe of your SHOE to press down on the main sheet right at the cam clean and open the jaws to release the main sheet. You don't want to get your toes caught in the mechanism so wear shoes. Slowly lower the mast.
9) When the mast is about half way down, jam the main sheet into the cam cleat to secure it. And inspect your turnbuckles to make sure they are not binding. Then continue lowering the mast until it sits in the cradle.

Raising the mast is similar but you have to make all of your connections to the gin pole while the jib halyard and main sheet are a little slack so you can then lift the gin pole and put it in the mast. Then tension everything and reverse the process.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
It is funny to me that you had this initial confusion. I also had some initial confusion with my boat. When I first got it, I kept it in the water for about two months before I took the mast down for the first time. I did not realize the main sheet doubled as the mast raising line.

While sailing I was confused as to why my main sheet was so long and I almost shortened it to a more reasonable length for a main sheet. Boy that would have been a costly mistake. Hunter did a lot of cleaver little things that are not obvious at first.
 
Jul 16, 2016
51
Hunter 23.5 Cascade
All this standing rigging and spar finagling is very new to me. I've broken a lot of things along the way. I've always had bigger boats where it stayed in the water all season and someone else did all this business! I miss rowing out to my boat and going sailing within 10 minutes :(
My next adventure will be the centerboard. The PO had the line replace and everything reworked under there, but I can't get the line to budge. I hear the centerboard drop when I get into the water, but am unable to raise it back with the line under winch. The centerboard seems to fold back up fine when I trailer it, but the line doesn't work. As I recall, the state inspector reported some sea life up in the cavity so I'll probably have some barnacles to eliminate or something when I bring the boat home next weekend.
After that, pretty much everything's fixed. New standing rigging, mostly new running rigging. We're in line for a slip at a mountain lake this summer so I'll have to rig some solar setup to keep the battery topped up.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,027
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Stackwalker, send me a private email with phone number and remind me you are in Idaho. I invented that system for the 23.5 for Hunter.

Crazy dave condon
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I hear the centerboard drop when I get into the water, but am unable to raise it back with the line under winch.
You don't need a winch. The centerboard just slips right up. Something is not right.
 
Jun 28, 2016
334
Hunter 23.5 Paupack, PA
I realize this is an old post, but here's a fabrication drawing for the gin pole (MR pole), 76". Mine measured out at 78".
http://www.marlow-hunter.com/wp-content/themes/marlowhunter/export/Model-Information/23.5_1993_1997/MR pole 23.5.pdf

I followed your link, but it seemed to dead end with Owners manual and Ladder. Not sure if you've seen this, but @Phil Herring (moderator) provided a link to tons of scanned brochures, drawings, manuals, and much more several years back and exposed it in the "AskAHunterOwner" forum... Bookmark it in your Favorites.
http://www.marlow-hunter.com/wp-content/themes/marlowhunter/export/
 
Jul 5, 2017
66
Hunter 25.5 Arizona
Figuring out a gin pole for my 25.5. I was throwing out some old pool skimmer poles and thought that might make a good pipe to use as the gin pole. Instead of drilling, I was going to bend some flat mild steel and bolt it to the gin pole then use a tensioning bolt on the opposite side so it will cinch to the mast. I didn't realize it should be so close to the base of the mast, I was thinking 1-2 feet up.
 
Jul 5, 2017
66
Hunter 25.5 Arizona
shouldn't be thinner than schedule 40 but I will check. I was going to leave the extension inside for a little more stiffness.
 
Apr 27, 2010
1,236
Hunter 23 Lake Wallenpaupack
I'd try to attach the pole to the steel bracket so it can swivel up and down with respect to the mast. Once the jib halyard is fixed to hold it about right angles to the mast, and you use your hauling line to raise it, it won't swivel up and down. I do mine that way, and I find it easier when I lower the mast, as once down I can just loosen the lines, let it swivel so it is horizontal, then unbolt it.
 
  • Like
Likes: Submarine
Jul 5, 2017
66
Hunter 25.5 Arizona
Ah so it's more about holding the line out away from the mast and shouldn't have bending pressure on it. Makes sense with the poles being so light. Couldn't you use a whisker pole then, slightly modified?