I need to get the mast lowered on my Laguna 26. It doesn’t have the normal setup of a plate welded onto the base of the mast with a hinge point on the aft side. Instead, it has a through bolt about an inch up, going through a SS bracket which itself is attached to the cabin top. The mast itself is elliptical shape, about 3” x 4.5”
I don’t see how this can work as a pulpit without damaging the mast. If I start to lower the mast aft, the lower aft end of the mast will have to slide forward as the bolt hinge point rises and then the entire weight of the mast will bear down on this aft corner which will almost surely bend the mainsail lug track. On other similar setups I’ve seen, the aft part of the mast is curved to increase the bearing surface and let it slide forward more easily, but mine just comes to a point. What am I missing? I know the mast is designed to be lowered, but it just seems inevitable that the aft end of the base will be crushed.
I don’t see how this can work as a pulpit without damaging the mast. If I start to lower the mast aft, the lower aft end of the mast will have to slide forward as the bolt hinge point rises and then the entire weight of the mast will bear down on this aft corner which will almost surely bend the mainsail lug track. On other similar setups I’ve seen, the aft part of the mast is curved to increase the bearing surface and let it slide forward more easily, but mine just comes to a point. What am I missing? I know the mast is designed to be lowered, but it just seems inevitable that the aft end of the base will be crushed.