I'm a new H170 owner. I rigged the boat in my driveway and stepped the mast relatively easily and without hitting any power lines. But bringing it down was crazy; sort of a game of catch the mast. I'd appreciate any tips on how to do this.
H170, lowering the mast
- Thread starter Old_Sailor
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Piece of Cake!!
Lowering the mast is exactly opposite of raising it. Here's what I do (and I do it alone). Remove the rudder/tiller and secure the aft mast rack onto mount the transom. Remove the boom and sail. Secure the cleated end of the halyard to the eyestrap on the mast. Run the bitter end of the main halyard through one of the cleats on the bow of the boat. You can secure this if you are alone, or run it thru the cleat and have a helper hold it secure. This MUST be under tension and secure!!! Release both the port and starboard upper shrouds from the hull. Lateral stability is now provided by the lowers. Don't worry that the mast will fall. It is not under tension and will stand up easily while secured by the lowers. Release the jib from the roller furling. The mast is being held secure now by the halyard and the lowers. Move forward to position yourself next to the mast. Hold the mast in one hand, providing slight forward pressure, and release the halyard from the cleat with the other. Move from beside the mast to behind it and walk the mast down. Lower it into the mast rack. Unhook the the lowers from the hull. Remove the jib from the mast hound. Slide the mast out of the tabernacle and move the mast forward and secure in the mast rack. These instructions assume that the boat is on the trailer and the mast rack will be used. I have a set of instructions for rigging and derigging the boat (in Word) if you are interested. If you want them, post an e-mail. Also, I have made many improvements to the rigging that I would be happy to share. This is an easy process once you do it a time or two. Good Luck, Rusty
Lowering the mast is exactly opposite of raising it. Here's what I do (and I do it alone). Remove the rudder/tiller and secure the aft mast rack onto mount the transom. Remove the boom and sail. Secure the cleated end of the halyard to the eyestrap on the mast. Run the bitter end of the main halyard through one of the cleats on the bow of the boat. You can secure this if you are alone, or run it thru the cleat and have a helper hold it secure. This MUST be under tension and secure!!! Release both the port and starboard upper shrouds from the hull. Lateral stability is now provided by the lowers. Don't worry that the mast will fall. It is not under tension and will stand up easily while secured by the lowers. Release the jib from the roller furling. The mast is being held secure now by the halyard and the lowers. Move forward to position yourself next to the mast. Hold the mast in one hand, providing slight forward pressure, and release the halyard from the cleat with the other. Move from beside the mast to behind it and walk the mast down. Lower it into the mast rack. Unhook the the lowers from the hull. Remove the jib from the mast hound. Slide the mast out of the tabernacle and move the mast forward and secure in the mast rack. These instructions assume that the boat is on the trailer and the mast rack will be used. I have a set of instructions for rigging and derigging the boat (in Word) if you are interested. If you want them, post an e-mail. Also, I have made many improvements to the rigging that I would be happy to share. This is an easy process once you do it a time or two. Good Luck, Rusty
To: NuSailor/ Lowering the mast
Hello 'Nu Sailor', Thought I'd chime in and add to Rusty's fine comments re: singlehanded unstepping. When unstepping my 170's mast, I use the topping lift line (having just been removed from the now lowered and stowed boom) to help in the process. I first walk the topping lift line around to the port (or stbd if you like!) bow cleat and fully secure the line to the cleat. I then re-adjust the shrouds so that pay out just enough slack & can remain connected as the mast is lowered and move back onto it stern cradle (I put 'marks' onto the adjusters for both tightened (raised mast) adjustment as well as lower-the-mast settings---with a discreet but lasting Sharpie marker). Once the topping lift line is securely affixed to a bow cleat, I pull my ball-bearing cottered furler drum pin out and let the furled jib just swing down to the stbd. side of the still-raised mast. Then I carefully unlash the topping lift lead from the bow cleat and while holding tightly to the line, walk to the boom and hold it fast (the gravitation downforce of the mast is, naturally, quite neutral at this point, as long as you don't let the lift line have any slack). Next, while cleaving one arm around mast (leaning fore), I 'shimmy' around to a position just abaft the mast. Next I brace my feet (without locking the knees!), let the mast slowly come aft and begin 'walking' the mast down. The key is to know where each foot will fall during unstepping & be well back on the mast's current vertical orientation (that is, get away from the mast tabernacle and as far back as you can with each step, arms fully extended upward, so the mast doesn't pick up speed as it's coming down. Also, have all of the weight channeling through to your legs' quad muscles- again, arms locked upward. As the mast gets close to the cradle, come out and around from underneath the lowering mast, and transfer the weight to your arms fully...letting them 'hang dead'-- again so that they're not bent at the elbows, but fully extended down-- again transfering the weight of the mast straight to your legs. Like a free-weight barbell deadlift at the gym. I'm "only"??? 32 years old and I got overzealous once, letting the weight come to my upper back during unstepping and I felt it for days afterwards. Keep that weight in the legs and dead-overhead or dead-hanging arms and stay back on the mast-- don't let it rush you. You're in control. Obviously for pre-sailing/stepping the mast when arriving at the ramp, I also use the topping lift for stepping the mast. As you walk the mast up, shimmy around it and to the bow compartment and keeping full bodyweight (or as close as you can) on that arm wrapped around the the mast and then crank down on the topping lift, pulling it tight to the cleat and secure it. Then step out of the boat and adjust shrouds for sailing tension. Hope this helps somemore. Full sails, Mike G. Alachua, FL
Hello 'Nu Sailor', Thought I'd chime in and add to Rusty's fine comments re: singlehanded unstepping. When unstepping my 170's mast, I use the topping lift line (having just been removed from the now lowered and stowed boom) to help in the process. I first walk the topping lift line around to the port (or stbd if you like!) bow cleat and fully secure the line to the cleat. I then re-adjust the shrouds so that pay out just enough slack & can remain connected as the mast is lowered and move back onto it stern cradle (I put 'marks' onto the adjusters for both tightened (raised mast) adjustment as well as lower-the-mast settings---with a discreet but lasting Sharpie marker). Once the topping lift line is securely affixed to a bow cleat, I pull my ball-bearing cottered furler drum pin out and let the furled jib just swing down to the stbd. side of the still-raised mast. Then I carefully unlash the topping lift lead from the bow cleat and while holding tightly to the line, walk to the boom and hold it fast (the gravitation downforce of the mast is, naturally, quite neutral at this point, as long as you don't let the lift line have any slack). Next, while cleaving one arm around mast (leaning fore), I 'shimmy' around to a position just abaft the mast. Next I brace my feet (without locking the knees!), let the mast slowly come aft and begin 'walking' the mast down. The key is to know where each foot will fall during unstepping & be well back on the mast's current vertical orientation (that is, get away from the mast tabernacle and as far back as you can with each step, arms fully extended upward, so the mast doesn't pick up speed as it's coming down. Also, have all of the weight channeling through to your legs' quad muscles- again, arms locked upward. As the mast gets close to the cradle, come out and around from underneath the lowering mast, and transfer the weight to your arms fully...letting them 'hang dead'-- again so that they're not bent at the elbows, but fully extended down-- again transfering the weight of the mast straight to your legs. Like a free-weight barbell deadlift at the gym. I'm "only"??? 32 years old and I got overzealous once, letting the weight come to my upper back during unstepping and I felt it for days afterwards. Keep that weight in the legs and dead-overhead or dead-hanging arms and stay back on the mast-- don't let it rush you. You're in control. Obviously for pre-sailing/stepping the mast when arriving at the ramp, I also use the topping lift for stepping the mast. As you walk the mast up, shimmy around it and to the bow compartment and keeping full bodyweight (or as close as you can) on that arm wrapped around the the mast and then crank down on the topping lift, pulling it tight to the cleat and secure it. Then step out of the boat and adjust shrouds for sailing tension. Hope this helps somemore. Full sails, Mike G. Alachua, FL
Rigging/derigging info
Rusty, Yhough not yet an owner (have to sell my C27 first) I am lining up. I would love your rigging/derigging word document. If you got one on launch and retreival from the trailer, I would love that too!. I have some experience rigging small boats, but 0 expereience with a trailer. I have been going down to the ramp to watch, but they are always powerboats. rogerdshoemaker@aol.com Thanks Roger
Rusty, Yhough not yet an owner (have to sell my C27 first) I am lining up. I would love your rigging/derigging word document. If you got one on launch and retreival from the trailer, I would love that too!. I have some experience rigging small boats, but 0 expereience with a trailer. I have been going down to the ramp to watch, but they are always powerboats. rogerdshoemaker@aol.com Thanks Roger
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