Recently purchased a 1993 Hunter 33.5. At our yacht club I must unstep the mast for haul out and winter storage. I am trying to find information on what the balance point is for the mast in order to safely remove the mast with the crane. Any advice would be appreciated. The mast does have a roller furled that provides some additional weight to the base of the mast.
Balance point on Hunter 33.5 mast to enable unstepping operation
- Thread starter John Irwin
- Start date
Sorry this is the best picture of un stepping mine but half way its manageable with two people to carry
Attachments
Create a loop that will slide up the mast to the spreaders. The spreaders will be about the balance point, maybe a bit above it so you can control the base of the mast. You will need a few people to help. Make sure to have at least one person who is working only on the furler to keep it straight and in line with everything else. Don't forget to unplug all your electrical at the base of the mast.
Above all else be safe and make sure to keep things under control, while going slow.
Good luck
Above all else be safe and make sure to keep things under control, while going slow.
Good luck
For practical purposes, and as stated above, it's the spreaders. Aren't there experienced people there to help/supervise? Not to be judgemental but that's a pretty big mast to take down for someone who isn't experienced. People can and do get hurt, not to mention the risk of damage to rigging, mast, masthead gear, wiring, spreaders, neighboring boats, etc. Make sure your insurance is behind you. I'm kind of surprised your club allows it.
We used to do a half dozen or so on Sunday AM but all of those boats were under 25'. And the yard was decidedly unhappy.
We used to do a half dozen or so on Sunday AM but all of those boats were under 25'. And the yard was decidedly unhappy.
You need to take the head-sail off the furler. You probably have a mast with two sets of spreaders. Your lifting point CANNOT be under the bottom spreaders as the mast will topple over when lifted. It could be under the top spreader but that puts a lot of weight on the mast foot when trying to bring it on the supports. You need to raise from a point about 2 feet above the steaming light.
Attached is how I do it. I do step and un-step my 34 for trips every summer. 3 times each way. I also do 20 to 25 other boats to help club members and I teach how to do it. Until you get some experience, try to enlist someone who does. It is a pretty big mast and accidents can not only do damage but hurt people severely.