Do you support your mast in the middle while trailering?
- Thread starter Gene Neill
- Start date
use 4 inch PVC pipe, very simple to glue up a nice crutch with a foot of pipe and two tee's and a hacksaw...
Absolutely yes -- why stress the mast with repeated flexes when you don't have to? For my H216, I have a length of 2x2 with some additional side-mounted 2x2's to form a crutch which place between the step and mast. It's cut a little long so there is pressure from the mast onto the support when installed. A couple bungees hold it in place and also provide another tie-down for those sudden stops. This is a $5 solution.
Not to be contrary but I have never bothered to support the mast beyond bow and stern rails. My concern is putting undue stress on unreinforced portions of the cabin top by any sort of middle support and also adding a 3rd point could potentially cause a bend in the mast if they don't stay in perfect alignment. Most of the people at our lake don't do any middle support either.
I hauled my first boat from Yellowstone to Denver with no issues using only bows/stern supports.
Now some of todays race boats with their minimal masts may require some support but I've never seen it be a problem. I do however provide support all along the mast and beyond, for the furler, especially any portion extending forward of the mast.
More importantly I have found I need to enclose the base of the mast and furler in a plastic bag. This prevents some degree of UV damage and also keeps birds, and bees from nesting in the mast.
What do others do??
Victor
I hauled my first boat from Yellowstone to Denver with no issues using only bows/stern supports.
Now some of todays race boats with their minimal masts may require some support but I've never seen it be a problem. I do however provide support all along the mast and beyond, for the furler, especially any portion extending forward of the mast.
More importantly I have found I need to enclose the base of the mast and furler in a plastic bag. This prevents some degree of UV damage and also keeps birds, and bees from nesting in the mast.
What do others do??
Victor
There will always be many suggestions. Some will tell you to support the mast in the middle to keep it from flexing but the issue is how to secure that support base from slipping on the top of the deck. If it slips, then you have some weight to support. In addition, you have to make sure you have exactly the right length. If you are for example tying the roller furling to the mast, yes by all means a middle support is a necessary but if not, generally for a Catalina 22, the support is not really needed as I use to tow man of those from Florida to Virginia as a dealer all the time and of course all over the east coast. I use to own American Marine & Sail Supply.
What helped the most for the Catalina 22 was to simply tie the spreader bars with a line to the life lines to keep the mast from turning and to keep it from bouncing which worked for me. A lot depends on the length of the mast which is why I am specific to the Catalina 22. Even the Hunter 260 and the Catalina 250, I never supported them in the middle unless the roller furling was tied to the mast during transport.
One good piece of advice, never put a cover over the mast for keeping snow, ice and rain out of the boat. If it pools, then the weight of the mast will bend it. If you do, then several supports or more will be needed only for storing, not transporting.
What helped the most for the Catalina 22 was to simply tie the spreader bars with a line to the life lines to keep the mast from turning and to keep it from bouncing which worked for me. A lot depends on the length of the mast which is why I am specific to the Catalina 22. Even the Hunter 260 and the Catalina 250, I never supported them in the middle unless the roller furling was tied to the mast during transport.
One good piece of advice, never put a cover over the mast for keeping snow, ice and rain out of the boat. If it pools, then the weight of the mast will bend it. If you do, then several supports or more will be needed only for storing, not transporting.
I use a tee made of a piece of 2" PVC pipe for the vertical and a sawn in half piece of the same pipe for the horizontal. It mounts in the mast step with a through-pin, just like my mast. You can kind of see it in this picture: http://home.comcast.net/~blizzard3/g20/trailer/zanjero.jpg
And in reply to victorhoisington, I use that stretchy saran-wrap type packing film to seal my mast base against critters.
And in reply to victorhoisington, I use that stretchy saran-wrap type packing film to seal my mast base against critters.
It is not necessary, the frequency and intensity of any mast flex induced by trailering is so minimal the risk of any damage can be considered nil. Most boat trailers spend less than 150 hours a year going down the road and most of those hours are spent on good roads with little bounce. Unless the mast is known to have a weak spot because of a dent or corrosion I would not bother. If such risk were to be considered significant the warning would be coming from the trailer boat manufacturers.
We do something very similar. The mast step/tabernacle seems a natural strong place for it. I can't imagine how it could possibly hurt a cabin top.
Necessary or not - I feel better doing it.
Apparently you have never had the trailer pretty much anywhere in western Canada and watched the mast flailing around like a pool noodle with these roads. It's easy to add some form of support up from the deck step. I would graciously disagree with the manufacturer who would not likely invest in much of anything beyond a minimum requirement. Our M26, bought new with a factory trailer had the step bolt at the bow and some line holding the aft end to the stern. That was augmented before the boat came home, and a mid mast crutch quickly added.
Our C270 has a crutch at the bow, one at the mast step, is supported at the traveler, and at the stern. I crafted some supports that have closed-cell foam pads, more to prevent chafe than much else, but they do provide some support. Considering that Charlston SC is about as far away from here as you can get, the extra steps to protect the spar seem worth it.
Each boat is different but knowing the Catalina 22 like I do as a retired small boat dealer who sold many of those boats over the years and delivered them all over the east coast, it really is not necessary to secure the mast in the center. One thing to many you do not realize, the catalina 22 mast is a more stout mast than most as well. Simply tie the spreaders to the deck or life line is sufficient.
dave condon formerly American marine & Sail Supply, Inc.
dave condon formerly American marine & Sail Supply, Inc.
Luckily before winter's deluge of deep snow, I made up 2X6 notched to straddle the center board housing. It sits equally on the housing and the 2 'legs' down onto the deck. A half circle cut at the top, cradles the boom. As small as a widgeon mast, it flexes plenty during trailering. I also don't load it with the boom weight. It's just my way.
I notched a 3" piece of PVC to sit over the port side of the tabernacle as it sits left of center from bow to rear support. and a Vee to hold the mast. I just feel better about it. Not so much for the occasional trip as much as long term storage where I don't want it flexed. Besides someone always wants to lean their weight on it when going in and out of the companionway.
Yes, I put one in to minimize stress on the pulpit although the deck already had spider cracks there. I figured the force would be less from a 6" pot hole at 55 however I have been accused of half mast figuring.
supporting mast in the middle
I support my mast in the middle at the mast plate. I cut a 4x4 and cut a V in the top and I drilled a whole where the mast bolt goes thru. Then I rest my mast on this 4x4. I put the bolt thru the 4x4 to hold it in place.
I support my mast in the middle at the mast plate. I cut a 4x4 and cut a V in the top and I drilled a whole where the mast bolt goes thru. Then I rest my mast on this 4x4. I put the bolt thru the 4x4 to hold it in place.