H260 mast crutch design

[Bob 04 H260]

I have never been happy with the original Hunter mast crutch design. I replaced the "roller" (a bolt and plastic pipe) supplied with an actual rubber roller.

However when moving the mast aft from the pulpit before raising it someone has to lift the mast up to clear the diagonals and then "nurse" it along as the crutch post appears to be struggling to keep upright. This lmakes it a two man job.

Once the mast is all the way back in order to put the pin in, the mast has to turned a few degrees and the crutch is not on the center line of the vessel.

When trailering the end of the mast needs more than 12 ft of clearance. This can be a problem at motels, gas stations etc. I raised the mast at the bow by adding a wooden box to the pulpit for the mast to sit on. It could then be lowered at the crutch without the spreaders touching the deck. I just used a line to hold the mast on the existing crutch to test the idea and it lowered the vertical clearance needed to 10 ft.

Now I want to build a new crutch at this lower height that will allow one person to roll back the mast easily and put the pin in the base with any wrestling.

Anyone else done this already and have a design I can use ?

 

[soling42]

Anybody who's followed my posts will know that I like to hone the mast stepping systems for easier use(among everything else) on our 260 and the crutch design has been an issue for us too. On our crutch fork I drilled an additional pin and small roller that's easily inserted at the very top of the fork so the standing rigging clears each side.

There should also be a 1/4" pin that inserts into the crutch tube at the rudder mount hole to keep the fork aligned as the mast is rolled back. I've found that my forestay furling gear/jib can be laid out across the spreaders to balance the rig so the base pin will align better. All that said, it's still quite an effort and I prefer a 2nd hand to setup the boat from a point where it's been packed for trailering.

To fit our boat inside the shop for summer storage I fashioned a pvc crutch on the bow to raise the mast base to a horizontal plane and at the stern crutch I lower the mast off the fork about 18" and support it with a tie-down. The mast base would need the strength of the pulpit for trailering but I suppose you could lower the mast at the crutch if height is an issue. Clear as mud?

Take care, Mike