Backstay Lever

[dscribner]

I installed a Johnson lever (backstay lever) on my Lancer 25. We trailer her every time and we step the mast every time. We step it forward so the backstay is left attached while the roller furler is detached. The lever is opened; the mast is raised and pushed past the rake angle slightly which allows the furler pin to be installed. Then the lever is closed and pinned. Voila’! The stays are tensioned. Granted, tuning the rigging is more or less out, but many (most?) of us trailer sailors are less concerned about tuning and more interested in sailing. I recommend this to some of you other folks. I got it on Ebay for $35 but I’ve seen many out there from $50 to $90, depending on the size of the boat.

 

[Joe11688]

I use something very similar to that and it's made by Johnson. You just can't beat them. I've always raised my mast from aft when I trailer sailed. I used a press button quick pin on my fore stay. Today, I have a roller furler and still use the press button quick pin not to be confused with a Fast Pin. Fast Pins are useless and dangerous. Years ago I used a Fast Pin on my Goose Neck and it came out. Handy-Locks are kind of pricey but if you can get a used one, they are the way to go for fast mast raising/lowering.

 

[dscribner]

The Fast-Pin is the one that has a small tang the swings out right? I had pin with a small spring loaded ball in the end (not a push button) but got rid of it because it wasn't stainless or rated. Bad combo. Presently I'm using standard 1/4" pins that I ceremoniously loose, throw to the ground or run into the transmission of the Mrs. Kenmore. I'm thinking of getting the quick pin (push button) in stainless, drilling a small hole in the collar and attaching a SS lanyard, thereby fastening it to one of the other pin holes in the bow plate. I've done a lot of work trying to consolidate the parts of stepping and transporting. Rigth now I have a mast cover that has all the straps to tie all the rigging up transport sewn on. It also has a barrel and bars to support the furler. Three mast supports have the tie-downs firmly attached so those cant get lost. The gin pole for raising the mast has a block & tackle, temporary stays and a furler support all built in. So, 5 easily identifiable parts to get her there and in the water, no bag-o-bungees, no snakes den of staps and tied-downs (all the same color that the Mrs liked!) The last thing will be the transom straps but I can't see a great way to get rid of those.

 

[Joe11688]

The Fast-Pin is the one that has a small tang the swings out right? I had pin with a small spring loaded ball in the end (not a push button) but got rid of it because it wasn't stainless or rated. Bad combo. Presently I'm using standard 1/4" pins that I ceremoniously loose, throw to the ground or run into the transmission of the Mrs. Kenmore. I'm thinking of getting the quick pin (push button) in stainless, drilling a small hole in the collar and attaching a SS lanyard, thereby fastening it to one of the other pin holes in the bow plate. I've done a lot of work trying to consolidate the parts of stepping and transporting. Rigth now I have a mast cover that has all the straps to tie all the rigging up transport sewn on. It also has a barrel and bars to support the furler. Three mast supports have the tie-downs firmly attached so those cant get lost. The gin pole for raising the mast has a block & tackle, temporary stays and a furler support all built in. So, 5 easily identifiable parts to get her there and in the water, no bag-o-bungees, no snakes den of staps and tied-downs (all the same color that the Mrs liked!) The last thing will be the transom straps but I can't see a great way to get rid of those.

The Fast Pin is the one you just mentioned with the small spring charged ball bearings. They do rust, and they will pop out. The push button Quick Pin has a ring on it. So all you have to do is attach a small lanyard to it if you want to keep from loosing it. I've been using this pin for my fore stay for years and never had it come out. I'm still using this same pin for my furler connection to the 5" tang on my bow plate.
I'm still using bungee cords to hold my stays to my mast when I'm trailering the boat to the club each year to stick out on the mooring.

I don't use transom straps. I have two 3/8" ropes with eye splices on one end. I just slip the eye over a Gennie winch on each side of the boat and use it to tie directly to the trailer. I tied a bowline to these ropes just under the eye splice and use it to run the rope through to pull the slack out and tighten the rope to the trailer frame. Then I just take a round turn through each of the bowlines and finish it off to a couple of half hitches. That's the way the dealer tied my boat to my trailer when I went down to pick my boat up back in 1986, and I've been doing it that way ever since. Actually, he had the eye splices around the stern cleats because my winches and tracks weren't installed on my boat. I installed them on the combings later.
After a while, you discover things that you need and others that aren't needed. I've always used quick release shackles for my mainsheet, Boom Vang, and etc. I had a Fast Pin on my Goose neck fitting until it popped out on me one day. It almost ripped my sail. So I took the same pin and knocked the springs and ball bearing out with a ***** punch and drilled a hole for a large cotter ring to go through it. I bent the end of the ring slightly so I could insert it into the hole faster. It's worked great that way ever since.