H23 mast raising

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Rob Roedts

I have a 1985 hunter 23. Is there some kind of pully system that can be used to raise my mast easier. the instructions that came from Hunter are misleading. the pictures of a woman raising the mast with help from the jib winches is crazy. She must have been some kind of body builder. It took 3 grown men to pick it up and the winch was no help at all.
 
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Ron Fraboni

Special Pole System

My old Chrysler '22 mast and the H26 both use a special pole at the base of the mast in front. The pole is about 6 feet long and uses the jib halyard and the mainsheet block system to form a triangle which has great mechanical advantage. A similiar system could be fixed up for your '23. See the manual for the H26 for details, or write me at Frabonimn@aol.com
 
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Ward

Archives

If you search the archives for mast raising Ramp Tripod You will find an awful lot of discussion about methods for assisting in raising the mast. I have a tripod system and can easily raise the mast with two people in 20 minutes including all rigging. I trailer so it goes up and down every time I use it. Ward
 
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Mike Epp

plank and jin pole

A jin pole at the base of the mast will allow you to use the jib sheet winch to take up the slack as the stick goes up. I've found that a longer jin pole (about 8' 6") is helpful for dropping the stick so that it reachs from the mast base to the snatch block on the bow. Another great help is a plank that runs from the transom to the cabin top. This allows you to simply walk the mast up or down without jumping around the cockpit and trying to avoid crashing through the plexiglas.
 
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Dan

re: raising

Rob, I've got the same 85 h23. I don't think it is possible to raise that mast with less than two people and I prefer three. When deciding on how you want to raise the mast, I'd consider how often you'll need to do it. If you are a trailer sailor and will be raising and lowering the mast often I'd invest the time and money in designing a system. If you are like me and only need to raise the pole once or twice a season I'd say get a pair of friends and a 2x4 to help. I don't use the winch either. I once tried walking up the mast while my wife helped with the jib winch and found that the load was too much. Now, I use the mainsheet blocks to raise the mast. I attach the single block (normally attached to the boom) to the shackle of the jib halyard and the block with the cam cleat to the D-shackle in the anchor well (that normally attaches to the jib tack. This way I get 4:1 purchase and lifting is slow but easy and the person who walks the mast up does little more than make sure the mast does not sway on the way up. I have a third person hold an 8 ft 2x4 with a small v-notch cut in the top. One end of the 2x4 rests on the deck immediately in front of the mast base and the 2x4 is angled forward about 70 degrees so that the jib halyard runs through the v-notch as the line is tensioned while raising. Its not pretty but its simple, cheap and works. (Of course make sure the other end of the jib halyard is secured to the cleat on the mast)
 
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Greg Stebbins

heck out this good but pricy system

http://www.sailboatmasts.com/
 
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Greg Stebbins

Check out this good but procy system

http://www.sailboatmasts.com/
 
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Chris

It only takes me to do it....

I have now set up my H23 to do it by myself. The actual process to raise the mast only takes about 10 minutes or less. (more to mount the boom, main, etc. My total cost was about $110 for the McGregor mast raising system, but I've also had the mast support built for free at work.... Chris
 
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Ernie Rogers

More details please!

That sound really great, Chris! I'd really like some more details if possible. What is a McGreggor system? You mean as in McGreggor sailboats?
 
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Chris

re: Ernie

Ernie, Yup, as in McGregor boats. They sell an optional "mast raising system" that consists of a gin pole, line with a shives and two SS wires. The wires get bolted to the mast and cabin top and support the mast as its being raised. They prevent it from moving from side to side. The pole with the block and tackle set up allows you to pull up the mast. You mount the pole on the front bottom of the mast, hook up a jib halyard to it on one side and the tackle on the other and raise the mast. My personal modification was to the mast supprt to allow me to singlehandedly walk the mast from the mast step to the bow pulpit for trailering. I guess I should be less lazy and take some pictures of this and post it here.... Is there much interest in me doing all this hard work? Chris S/V Doghouse Houston ckluczkowski@ato.com
 
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