Custom Engine Hoist

[caguy]

Just make sure that your mast is supported

from the front by your forestay at the top. If yours is like mine the forestay is about four ft. short of the top. In which case I would use the genaker halyard attatched to the bow. Other wise it is possible and likely you will bend your mast.Frank

 

[Ross]

Frank, look at the angles and the true load

I doubt that the load on the mast head will exceed 50 pounds. I am pretty sure that the mast will support a person sitting on it four feet from the end when it is laying down on a set of supports.

 

[caguy]

I agree Ross, but I don't want to be responsible

for the poor guy bending his mast. Frank

 

[Bill Roosa]

Neil, how much rotation do you need?

there are a verity of ways to handle rotation and still have the tube secured to the base. Couple of questions through; Is the base tilted or horizontal?How much of an angel do you need to turn through?What is the max weight you wish to lift?What is the arm length? By arm I mean how far horizontally from the base does the load get?While I'm a fan of SS I don't like the price. You can concocter fiberglass over wood/plastic designs that gelcoat up nicely and are very strong.

 

[Ross]

It could even be set up as a stiff leg hoist

I think he said the load was less than 60 pounds. Consider the tree limb that you hang a kids swing on if you need to compare strengths. 2 inches in diameter on oak will carry a man 6 feet from the trunk.

 

[caguy]

60#s? I'd find the biggest guy in sight and

have him lift it out.Frank

 

[Bill Roosa]

Couple of design thoughts

While a wood solution would look spiffy on a traditional boat, it would look out of place on todays plastic and SS boats. There is also the maintenance to consider.A SS solution would be ideal but requires specialists or special tools to bend and weld.That leaves fiberglass. A kid's Styrofoam swim noodle bent into the right shape and wound with 6-8 layers of fiberglass would look right. Then all you have to do is smooth it out with gelcoat (real pain in the patoot) or bondo and paint. For the rotating base just glass on a 1/4" plywood disk to the end of the mast that is 1/2" bigger than the mast diameter. The base proper could be a two piece build up that captures the disk but still allows it to turn. You could even put detents into it so it would "get stuck" in certain directions and not swing around uncontrolled.Probably cost $75 max with the tackle hardware and take a weekend to gin up.