Anyone used a bosun's chair on an H23?

Benny17441 · Jun 7, 2014

It depends on a couple of factors. What is your weight? Is the boat in calm water or can it be tied on both sides to prevent roll? The boat is reported to have mast height to the waterline of 33ft and a draft of 2.3ft with a ballast of 800#. At even keel or zero degrees of heel al your weight will represent a force straight down. It is not until the boat starts to heel that you get a sideways component to that force. I made some calculations based on a persons weight of 170# and determined that even though it is possible the safety margin is very small. Any rogue wave, powerboat wake or somebody inadvertently stepping on the rail could induce a roll to exceed the point of no return. The boat is tender with a shallow draft and the resistance to roll imparted by the ballast is not much over 2,000 ft lbs while that of the body weight along a lever of 33ft imparts a torque of around 5,600 ft lbs at 90 degree. Equilibrium would be around 32 degrees of heel and the safety maximum should be considered at less than 25 degrees. A careful and quick trip up the mast with somebody else aboard to move as a counter weight should the boat start to roll is quite possible. Somehow the option of taking the mast down for a few minutes seems the best course of action.

mmsailor · Jun 7, 2014

isaksp00 said:
Wondering how stable it would be at the dock. I could not find my masthead wind vane, and reluctantly stepped the mast and launched. Wouldn't you know I found it yesterday. Not worth the work to lower the mast, and there are no cranes on our lake.

I am thinking if I can borrow a chair, maybe go up there briefly and snap it in. Not worth getting killed over, or even worse, damaging the boat though.

We owned an h23 for 15 years . One year we forgot the wind indicator . I would not go up that mast on a bet, but thats me . We backed the boat into the slip ,lowered the mast and then put it back up . The whole process took less than an hour and no risk of injuries . You buys your tickets and takes your chances . I think Crazy Dave may have a story about going up a mast that ended differently than planned .

MrUnix · Jun 7, 2014

One thing I have done before, although on a smaller 17 footer, is to pull the halyards sideways so the boat tips to one side.. helps if you put some ballast on the same side. Also helps if you can stand on something a bit higher than the dock so you don't have to pull it all the way horizontal

I did it to un-foul a line, and needed to get to the block on top to do so. Not sure if you could do it on the H23 though, but it might be worth a try.

Cheers,
Brad

Crazy Dave Condon · Jun 8, 2014

Benny;

Thank you for the information. YOu are correct about the weight. No more than 140 going up. It is dangerous over that weight even at 140. If a bosuns chair is used, the person in the chair needs to go up without swinging and the person doing the winching cannot be moving either. IF the person going up is uneasy, call it off. I weigh more and went up once on a mast which the PM had pecker holed the mast below the spreaders and mast collapsed and fell three slips over. God spare me but for what I am not sure of. I used moonshine chased with mydol for pain.

C Jones · Jun 8, 2014

I went up mine a week ago. I got as high as my feet at the spreaders and came back down. I ran a line from the boats on each side of me to my jib halyard, pulled it tight and went back up to my furler top. I was fine this way but not without the sidelines. I weigh 170.

C Jones · Jun 9, 2014

I used the halyards from the boats on each side of me, I was fine this way and felt secure. When I put my foot on my spreader close to the mast side it felt very weak. I did not put any weight on it. Mast strength as far as hoisting and holding me up felt fine. Boat heel when not tied off was scary. Good luck, Charles

Mike in Cape Cod · Jun 17, 2014

Don't risk spending the sailing season in a body cast or worse. Lower the mast.

Paladin27 · Jun 18, 2014

I wouldn't go swinging side to side, but my buddy Mark and I have been up it using a bosun's chair.

Crazy Dave Condon · Jun 19, 2014

As the top dealer for the 23, I have been known to go up the 23 mast but only with experienced help weighing 220 but was very careful not to swing, on a non wind day and in an area with no wake but not on a weekend. The 23 had a backstay. on the 23.5 and 240, mast was dropped as they had a mast raise system standard with the boat plus no backstay.

I would all others to drop the mast speaking from the standpoint of safety and as a former professional who was experience which most of you are not. I have seen too much over the years to include those injured to include myself.

I went up a mast once and it collapsed and fell several slips over. Thru the Grace of God, my life was spared. After that, I was more careful to inspect all masts. On that incident, the owner had drilled a lot of holes under the spreaders which I had not counted on. Never worked on his boat again except to pay for a new mast but advised him to get someone else to re rig that boat of his after I told him he was stupid for drilling holes in his mast as he did not know what the heck he was doing.

carboman · Jul 5, 2014

I found the skiiniset, most competent friend that had health insureance and sent him up.

Or this works very well. Have done it a few times.

http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/Hunter23lowermast/hunter23lowermast.html