O'Day 240 Mast Raising System
Al, the link, below, describes basics of the system that I've adapted for my two-four-oh. This system works with the boat on the water or on the trailer. To build the system: 1. I added an eye strap on the bottom of the boom -- as close to the clew-end as possible. 2. I added a duplicate goosneck on the aft side, and as low as possible, near base of the mast. 3. I bought 80 ft. of 3/8 double braid to replace original line in the 4-purchase boom vang. 4. I bought about 25 ft. of5/16 double braid to make a "bridle" to stablize the boom. To use the system to raise the mast: (This sounds much more complicated than it really is; I just wanted to avoid overlooking any detail.) 1. Roll mast forward and support it on bow pulpit. 2. Tie a temporary head-stay from mast head, to one of the bow cleats. (My boat has an extra halyard that I've pre-marked to proper length to act as a head stay until I connect the jib roller-furling.) 3. Insert forward hinge pin at base of mast. 4.Attach boom to the new gooseneck, and lay it on lifelines so it's 90 deg. to mast. 5.Tie topping lift around tip (clew end) of boom and beyond the new eye-strap. 6.Tie other end of topping lift around mast so that the boom will be held perpendicular to the mast when using boom as gin pole. 7.Tie main halyard through new eye-strap on bottom of boom. 8.Tie other end of mail halyard around mast and below new gooseneck so that the main halyard is the line the carries the load, rather than the topping lift. (The topping lift is for back-up in case the halyard fails.) 9. Connect boom-vang (with 80 ft. line) to aft chain plate (where the back-stay normally attaches). 10. Connect other end of boom-vang to the eye-strap on the bottom of the boom. 11. Tie mid point of 5/16 double-braid new eye-strap on the bottom of the boom. 12. Measure approx. 10 ft. 6 in. and tie one end of 5/16 double-braid to loop in casting at base of the life-line stantion that's closest to base of mast. 13. Use other tail of 5/16 double braid to pull boom into vertical position and tie tail to base of opposite stantion. This will keep the boom from flopping from side to side as the mast comes up. 14. Use boom-vang to raise mast. 15. When mast is nearly vertical, grab boom, or boom-vang line, to finish raising mast to vertical position. 16. Connect main-sheet to boom (Pull it tight to carry load that the boom-vang was doing.) 17. Connect jib roller-furler and untie temporary head stay. 18. Disconnect boom-vang from aft chainplate. 19. Connect and tension back-stay. 20. Replace boom-vang line with working length line. 21. Connect boom to original ("working") gooseneck and rig topping lift and main halyard to normal, working, positions. Note: If you need extra leverage, the 80 foot line on the boom-vang is long enough to reach one of the jib sheet winches. To lower the mast, reverse the process. I recommend that you initally test and try this system by raising the mast, rather than lowering it.
