Raising mast w/ winch "No Gin Pole"

[HillbillyWanderer]

Ok I use a gin pole to raise the mast on my cat22, pain in the ass to hook it all up. I was watching a youtube video of a guy raising his with a cable winch hooked straight to the forestay and no gin pole. Really easy to do said he had no problems doing it this way. Question is are you putting too much stress on the mast by doing it this way? What about the pressure on the mast plate? Just curious as to what those who are way more experienced than me thought about doing to this way?

 

[Chris Patterson]

The angle of this pull, especially from the start where the mast is almost parallel to the boat would be extreme. It would probably work very well once the angle depreciates though, which would suggest a longer crutch on the back to get the mast past the point where it is basically just pulling it forward.
I used to entertain one of those convoluted gin pole contraptions. I still stand by my method of just getting it high on the crutch, standing on the sliding hatch while closed, grasp the mast like a man, and just stand it up. It really is not that heavy or difficult, and speeds up a raising exponentially. The gin pole that I built, while very nice in its construction and technique, is virtually worthless, and I'm more irritated at myself for building the silly thing, when its use is functionless..

 

[fjordstar]

Agree with Chris on that. I was so excited to get my mast up that I had my buddy hold it up from the cockpit long enough to get the pin in and just lifted it with my own God-given man power.

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Think I give the xtra height on the crutch a try. I attempted to raise the mast by hand with the existing crutch lifted it up a big standing on the hatch, seemed like a lot and if I did not get it up all the way coming back down was not gonna be good. But then again mast was almost in a flat position to start with if I get it higher if would be much easier. Or maybe I am just a weak chickens@$t. Most time so far I have set the boat up by myself like to have it fixed like that so if I have help that is great if no help that's not a problem either.

 

[Ken Secor]

"Manhandling" the mast to get it up is always a viable option - as long as the manhand-ler - knows one failure out of all the attempts, will likely destroy the main hatch, bend the mast, damage the spreader(s), damage the cabin top structure and rip the tabernacle out of its bedding, causing major structural and extremely expensive damage - not to mention personal injury to anyone within a mile of the mast when gravity controls it's final resting place as it assumes the shape of a pretzel

But WTF, Sheet Happens !

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Lol yea Ken kind of what I was thinking most of all the main concern is screwing up my back. Pretty sure if I get the mast on a higher crutch I will be fine. I am a fat,I mean healthy boy. But you are dead on that it only takes one failed attempt for the poop to hit the fan real quick. Loved the loved the winch idea just seems like an awful lot of stress on the mast and mast step. But as Chris said if I get it up far enough will eliminate most of that. If you see me looking for a new mast you will know what happened.

 

[CaptDon01]

Well I'm probably in the minority on this thread, but I LOVE my gin-pole! I have the factory mast raising system and it simply makes the job fast and extremely easy, which will allow me to continue trailer-sailing as I get older. I have changed the gin-pole mounting on the bow by simply replacing one of the machine screws that holds the bow fitting on with an eye-bolt. I've also installed snap-shackles at all attachment points to make installing and removing the gin-pole assembly even quicker and easier. I can pull the mast up, and if a cable gets snagged, the cam-cleat holds the mast in place while I clear the snag. The factory system baby-stays are simply a engineering marvel! How simple, yet effective! The factory mast raising system makes it so easy, that when we returned from the National's with my injured right shoulder, I was able to still easily raise the mast back up with only one arm.

Maybe there is confusion between a homemade system, and a factory designed and engineered mast raising system, but being able to safely and easily rig and de-rig the boat by myself is a HUGE advantage the Catalina's have.

Don

 

[CCrane2299]

I manhandled mine up in the yard when I first got the boat. My neighbor was pulling on the front stay while I lifted. It was easy! Going back down however, when he lost mechanical advantage with the front stay, all the weight transferred to me I hurt my back, and if my wife had not been standing behind the boat (and paying attention) my mast would have crashed down. How she caught it I'll never know.

 

[Chris Patterson]

Whoa whoa. I guess I did imply that raising it by hand was the "prefered" method, and I shouldn't have said it that way at all. I guess what it boils down to is, could you stop at any point during hand raising it and hold it there? Go back down? Have to stand it back up maybe a couple more times? If any of that makes you uncomfortable, then the gin pole is definitely an option. And a day will come when I can no longer do it anymore. Maybe already has, the 22 is on the hill, and I'm riding in a boat that doesn't require this.
The truth is, the gin pole I built works very well. It's just slow. All that hooking up the jib halyard, clamping it on the mast, grinding it up, I'm tired just typing it. And I'm impatient. So I just went back to hand raising it.
And yeah, the later models with the factory gin pole does look way more gooder than mine..

 

[keithbennett]

I sail singlehanded and raising the mast has been done with a Gin pole and a winch on the gin pole. Recently I got a 12v winch that has a remote from Harbor Freight that is powered both ways. This has allowed me to do away with my baby stays as I am able to steady the mast with both hands and the remote allows me to not have to reach to wind the winch. This has saved me time and works well for me. I sail a Catalina 18 but try to steal all the great ideas you C-22 sailors have

 

[stevec22206]

Although it required two people we always stepped the mast on our O'Day 23 by hand. Mast crutch off the stern, son on foredeck with mainsheet attached to stem plate and forestay. Simply walked forward hand to hand until I reached the coach roof. At that point the forestay could hold the mast and allowed me to step up on top of the cabin and finish the lift. Once the mechanical advantage of the mainsheet took over I pretty much just made sure the side stays stayed clear. Never used a gin pole.

 

[CCrane2299]

I envision a telescoping mast crutch that would raise the mast to a point that you could just pull it up with the front stay. You'd just set the crutch and extend it. Then pull the mast up.

 

[Chief RA]

I raised my mast on a 26' Clipper Marine for many years by walking it up from the bow! Its easy and a nice solid surface to walk on. I am currently trying to find a Catalina 250 and expect to raise its mast the same way. I must be missing something regarding raising it up from the stern. Chief

 

[watercolors II]

2 crutches

A mast crutch at the stern is a must and with a roller on top makes mast raising a one man project. The crutch just has to be high enough to allow the mast to sit on it and the mast base to clear the sliding cabin hatch. With a roller at the top of the stern crutch allows one person to slide the mast back on the crutch to install the pin into the cabin base.

Standing at the stern crutch slowly walk forward on the cockpit seats lifting the mast above your head as you go forward to the cabin. You now have the mast 30 percent of the way up. At this point I have used three options to continue to raise the mast:

1. have someone on the cabin top to continue to lift the mast till it is standing.

2. using a line attached to a halyard running to the bow, not through a block, but through the eye of a mooring cleat and running back to the cabin top where you cleat the main or jib halyard. This would be for the new style boats with the halyards running to the cockpit, older styles I would run the line through the headsail sheet block and around the winch which would make the load even lighter. Using one hand hold the mast up at the cabin cockpit location and use the other hand to take the slack out of the line running back from the halyard and mooring cleat. The mooring cleat adds friction to the line to help hold some of the weight of the mast at this 30 percent angle. Cleat this line where and how you would a halyard. Climb to the top of the cabin top and by yourself lift the mast to vertical. The additional halyard line running across the cabin top at your feet is now loose, reach down and use one of the cleats on your mast to cleat it tight thus holding up the mast from the bow, this will allow you to attach the babystays or the forestay without needing an extra person holding the mast.

3. a second crutch at the companion way to hold the mast at the 30 percent angle so you can climb to the cabin top to continue. An additional line from a halyard is a safety issue that you can walk forward and tie off at the bow to hold the mast while working on the babystays or forestay.

Over the past 20 years all three ways have been used. Number 1 is the fastest but 3 is the less stressful even with help. The second crutch helps hold the mast very secure until ready to finish, also provides lots of time for everyone to relax and time to check all rigging alignment before the last 60 percent of the lift.

The attached photo is of my two mast crutches, nothing fancy, I call them my Lowes $10.00 special!

 

[Chief RA]

If you go online to Catalina the pictorial displays show the 250 mast being raised from the bow like I do it! Chief

 

[Bilbo]

If you go online to Catalina the pictorial displays show the 250 mast being raised from the bow like I do it! Chief

The 22 typically raises from the stern and a crutch in the rudder gudgeons is generally used . Attach the base of the mast, backstay, aft lower and upper shrouds.

Then raise the mast, attach the forestay and the forward lowers. I don't recommend it but but a stronger person can handle it. I've been only doing it alone with just a stern mast crutch. When the mast is up, I cleat the shackle end of my jib halyard to the boom downhaul cleat and the other end to the usual halyard cleat...until the forestay is attached.

With my new-style and it's slightly more substantial mast, the base of the mast has a bevel at the back side for doing this. I'm not sure about this, but the slot in the newer mast steps may not allow the mast to be lowered towards the bow without damage.
Here's a photo of the N/S mast step showing that slot and the location of the bolt.

 

[Ken Secor]

Lot's of great ideas about raising masts on C-22's.

The various methods of raising the mast however is not the problem.

The problem is keeping the mast from swinging towards either side - as you attempt to raise it! Especially when the mast comes off and out of the crutch U - and is still only at a 20-30º above horizontal!

Of course if you sail with a bunch of strong crewmen, none of these measures are required. But when you're the youngest in the crew and are 70-years old as am I, brains are what is needed - since muscle is not an option

The PO of my C-22 made a bracing V out of 1/2" copper tube and a U-bolt that attaches to the mast sail-slot at the apex and the port and starboard teak hand rails acting as a "foot" anchor - making a triangle that can slide up and down the mast but not side to side.

The mention of a "factory mast raising system" is interesting but again, it only exists on much later boats. The vast majority of C-22's has no such setup or the capacity to retrofit one.

 

[ShotgunSlim]

I raised my mast the first time by "man handling" it up from the telescoping mast crutch that came with the boat and I ended up bending the "T" bolts on some of the forward lower shroud turnbuckles. Since then, I built a gin pole out of a 2x4" some tractor supply store hardware and use the main sheet system to raise and lower it. I'm only 155 lbs and sail alone 90% of the time. The gin pole is a pain to hook up and stow but being able to stand on the cabin top, facing the bow with the mast nestled on my shoulder to guide it, using both hands on the main sheet, it goes up slowly and safely every time. If I need to stop at some point to clear a shroud, it isn't a problem since the main sheet has a cleat to hold the mast in place at any point. I haven't bent up any more hardware, strained my back or scared myself once since I've used this system. C'mon, if you're going to hurt your back sailing, it should be from bracing against the coaming on a screaching beam reach or pulling up the anchor from your favorite cove.....

 

[Bilbo]

.................

The problem is keeping the mast from swinging towards either side - as you attempt to raise it! Especially when the mast comes off and out of the crutch U - and is still only at a 20-30º above horizontal!

I would be cautious about stepping the mast on the water for fear of a passing wave/ wake. I've never had much of an issue with the mast wanting to swing to the side on the trailer and the further up the mast is raised, the less chance of that happening.

 

[Bilbo]

I raised my mast the first time by "man handling" it up from the telescoping mast crutch that came with the boat and I ended up bending the "T" bolts on some of the forward lower shroud turnbuckles.....

Bending the t bolts on any shrouds should be a concern. however, the forward lowers should have not been attached to raise or lower the mast.

I'd also not want to fail to mention to anybody to think long and hard about doing certain things on this boat. With regards to raising the mast, if you don't think that you can raise the mast alone, then please don't try it.