Javelin Mast Stepping Part II

[Phil]

Justin...thanks for your response. You are a big help to lots of us it looks like.Okay..I'm still a dummie. The only way I've ever stepped the mast (only a couple) is to just man handle it and lift it up to vertical and drop it through the hole in the deck and then seat it in the mast step footing on the hull. It sure feels awkward and I could see where the mast could get away from me pretty easily.I'll try to mess with it this weekend as I hope to get out, but I'm not sure how I could attach the shrouds and still be able to lift the mast high enough to get it above deck and then drop it down through the hole in the upper deck. What I'm doing is not impossible, but I'm sure there's a more professional way to do it.Thanks so much for your help...you must be really dedicated...you seem to take time to reply to almost everyone. Thanks on behalf of all O'day owners...especially newbies like me.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Oops

Phil -Sorry, forgot we had to go through the deck! You are correct that the shrouds will be too short to allow you to raise the mast to deck level. Could you use the halyards instead? If you lay the mast on the boat with the foot at the partner, and then tied the halyards off to either side, you could rig something to help the mast stay in line as you raise it.Failing that, I would probably rig something to put between the shrouds and the boat to temporarily lengthen them. They be slack until the mast was almost into the hole, at which point they'd be tight. This wouldn't help with the initial raise but would help control the mast at its most unwieldy.Justin - O'day Owners' Web