Getting ready to unstep the mast. I have planned a rig to lower to the deck but am now sure what the expected troubles are with doig this. Does anyone have an idea of how heavy the mast is - likelyhood of it being stuck in the step and how deep the step is. Thanks Porter
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Terry Arnold
unstepping mast
Get a marina with the proper equipment to take it down. Watch them close. Then decide if you want to try next time.
Get a marina with the proper equipment to take it down. Watch them close. Then decide if you want to try next time.
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JOHN EDWARDS
NO NO NO NO
tHERE ARE TWO WAYS TO DO SOMETHING> THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WRONG WAY GET A MARINA OR BOOM TRUCK.
tHERE ARE TWO WAYS TO DO SOMETHING> THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WRONG WAY GET A MARINA OR BOOM TRUCK.
K
Ken Palmer
I unstep my own every fall
Our yacht club has a gin pole at our launch/haul slip. I have built three wooden supports: one on the bow pulpit, one on the mast step on deck, and one on the cockpit deck tied to the pedestal guard. These supports are U-shaped at the top and lined with carpet. This operation tapes three or four people. One person controls the cable from the pole. He lowers the cable and hooks it to a sturdy rope or strap that is placed and tied around the mast. He then raises the cable, along with the strap around the mast, to where the spreaders are attached. We tension the cable slightly, then go around to all the standing rigging, taking it all loose. I have found that if you wrap some rigging tape around the threaded rods that meets the turnbuckle, you can then adjust the turnbuckles to the same point when you step the mast in the spring. After all rigging is disconnected, raise the cable slowly until it clears the step. It only needs to clear less than an inch. You can then pull your halyards through the blocks on the mast step and tie them up and secure to the bottom of the mast. I have a CDI roller furling, and have to take extra precaution to keep the extrusion as straight as possible. It takes one person on the forestay just to do this. Once everything is clear, you swing the bottom of the mast towards the bow while lowering the cable. The roller furling extrusion can rest across the spreaders to help keep it straight. Since the forestay is longer than the mast, I use a length of 2X4 shoved into the base of the mast when I get it horizontal above the boat. The roller furling is then secured to this wooden extension of the mast. The mast is finally lowered carefully on to the wooden supports, and secured with rope. All of the standing rigging is secured against the mast. I take off my VHF antenna and wind speed/direction sensor. The job is done, and it takes less then an hour if you prep the boat by loosening any hardware on the rigging beforehand. I did not do this cold, but had volunteered to help others take their masts down first. This gave me the experience I needed to do it myself. The mast is very heavy, several hundred pounds I'm sure. You have to think safety first. Keep your eye on all rigging not to get tangled in anything. Make sure the cable and gin pole is rated for your size mast, and the rope or strap around the mast is secure. Stepping the mast in the spring is reverse. Just remember to tie a tag line on the strap or rope around the mast in case it gets stuck up at the spreaders. WARNING! Be careful, this job can cause serious injury or death if not done correctly! Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
Our yacht club has a gin pole at our launch/haul slip. I have built three wooden supports: one on the bow pulpit, one on the mast step on deck, and one on the cockpit deck tied to the pedestal guard. These supports are U-shaped at the top and lined with carpet. This operation tapes three or four people. One person controls the cable from the pole. He lowers the cable and hooks it to a sturdy rope or strap that is placed and tied around the mast. He then raises the cable, along with the strap around the mast, to where the spreaders are attached. We tension the cable slightly, then go around to all the standing rigging, taking it all loose. I have found that if you wrap some rigging tape around the threaded rods that meets the turnbuckle, you can then adjust the turnbuckles to the same point when you step the mast in the spring. After all rigging is disconnected, raise the cable slowly until it clears the step. It only needs to clear less than an inch. You can then pull your halyards through the blocks on the mast step and tie them up and secure to the bottom of the mast. I have a CDI roller furling, and have to take extra precaution to keep the extrusion as straight as possible. It takes one person on the forestay just to do this. Once everything is clear, you swing the bottom of the mast towards the bow while lowering the cable. The roller furling extrusion can rest across the spreaders to help keep it straight. Since the forestay is longer than the mast, I use a length of 2X4 shoved into the base of the mast when I get it horizontal above the boat. The roller furling is then secured to this wooden extension of the mast. The mast is finally lowered carefully on to the wooden supports, and secured with rope. All of the standing rigging is secured against the mast. I take off my VHF antenna and wind speed/direction sensor. The job is done, and it takes less then an hour if you prep the boat by loosening any hardware on the rigging beforehand. I did not do this cold, but had volunteered to help others take their masts down first. This gave me the experience I needed to do it myself. The mast is very heavy, several hundred pounds I'm sure. You have to think safety first. Keep your eye on all rigging not to get tangled in anything. Make sure the cable and gin pole is rated for your size mast, and the rope or strap around the mast is secure. Stepping the mast in the spring is reverse. Just remember to tie a tag line on the strap or rope around the mast in case it gets stuck up at the spreaders. WARNING! Be careful, this job can cause serious injury or death if not done correctly! Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
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Sam Lust
Specifics
The tabs where the mast mates up to the pulpit is about 2" high. The spreaders are at just about the mid-point so the mast balances out well as it comes down. I hope you're taking pictures of all of this. I've been trying to come up with a way of safely dropping and raising my mast but it requires some heavy duty equipment and muscle.
The tabs where the mast mates up to the pulpit is about 2" high. The spreaders are at just about the mid-point so the mast balances out well as it comes down. I hope you're taking pictures of all of this. I've been trying to come up with a way of safely dropping and raising my mast but it requires some heavy duty equipment and muscle.
C
Colin Campbell
Easy if you have a mast crane.
Its not difficult to unstep a mast as long as you plan ahead a little and use caution. Get at least four people to help and caution them that it will take about 2-3 hours the first time. Have a pair of saw horses or similar where you can lay the mast while you prepair it fior storage. Have some 6' lengths of small dia line ready to lash the Genoa furling system to the mast, the mast will need to be well clear of the deck before this can be done as it hangs down 3' below the end of the mast when hanging vertical. Disconnect all lines ( halyards, topping lift etc.)between mast and hull except stays and shrouds prior to the event. Put the sling around the upper spreaders and make sure everything is in line prior to removing shrouds etc. If as with my mast the wiring comes up through the mast, I would tie some lines from the base of the mast to the stantions in a spider arrangement so that the base of the mast cannot move sideways when you lift it clear of the step, but will hold it nicely in position just a few inches up so that you can unplug the connectors. Once down remove wind indicators tec as soon as possible as they are the first things to get broken. As with a lot of projects like this, preparation and planning are everything and if you study your mast and think out the procedure ahead of time things will go smoothly.
Its not difficult to unstep a mast as long as you plan ahead a little and use caution. Get at least four people to help and caution them that it will take about 2-3 hours the first time. Have a pair of saw horses or similar where you can lay the mast while you prepair it fior storage. Have some 6' lengths of small dia line ready to lash the Genoa furling system to the mast, the mast will need to be well clear of the deck before this can be done as it hangs down 3' below the end of the mast when hanging vertical. Disconnect all lines ( halyards, topping lift etc.)between mast and hull except stays and shrouds prior to the event. Put the sling around the upper spreaders and make sure everything is in line prior to removing shrouds etc. If as with my mast the wiring comes up through the mast, I would tie some lines from the base of the mast to the stantions in a spider arrangement so that the base of the mast cannot move sideways when you lift it clear of the step, but will hold it nicely in position just a few inches up so that you can unplug the connectors. Once down remove wind indicators tec as soon as possible as they are the first things to get broken. As with a lot of projects like this, preparation and planning are everything and if you study your mast and think out the procedure ahead of time things will go smoothly.
T
Tom M.
with a little help from my friends
First you build two bipods to retain the mast when it's down, one tied to the bow the other to the stern, make sure their tall enough, not to restrict companionway or cabintop, power the boat to a slip that on each side of you there's a sailboats with masts equal to the height of yours or better, with their permission, using their main halyards make loops around and under the spreaders, make halyards taught/ firm. loosen your standing rigging, a man on each halyard, one on the mast, one for roller furl, raise the halyards, up comes the mast , walk the bottem end to the stern, and set on bipod, and lower mast, til it's upper end rests on fwd. bipod, disconnect halyards and secure the mast.
First you build two bipods to retain the mast when it's down, one tied to the bow the other to the stern, make sure their tall enough, not to restrict companionway or cabintop, power the boat to a slip that on each side of you there's a sailboats with masts equal to the height of yours or better, with their permission, using their main halyards make loops around and under the spreaders, make halyards taught/ firm. loosen your standing rigging, a man on each halyard, one on the mast, one for roller furl, raise the halyards, up comes the mast , walk the bottem end to the stern, and set on bipod, and lower mast, til it's upper end rests on fwd. bipod, disconnect halyards and secure the mast.
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