Lowering a mast

[Bill Ellis]

I would like to lower the mast on my 1985 Hunter 25.5. The mast is pinned to the cabin top. By removing the front or rear pins, but not both, I beleive I can release the aft or fore stays, but not both, and lower the mast to the boat top. My question is, how heavy is the mast. Can one or two people handle this job? There is a U shape in the bow rail that I assume is used to hold the mast in its horizontal position. I would prefer to lower the mast forward, since I have a bimini frame over the cockpit.

I will appreciate all of your suggestions and thank you in advance.

Bill Ellis

 

[kgrudo]

Lowering the mast

Cannot comment specifically on this vessel. I have an '89 Hunter 27, which has a 34' mast. The mast can easily be carried by two people, but cannot be safely lowered manually by two. Would recommend you get PLENTY of manual help and really think this through step by step. Make or use an A-Frame also for better leverage and stability.
These types of masts usually have to be lowered towards the stern, so the front pin on the mast base would have to be removed. Reduce the tension, but do not remove the shrouds right away. Remove the pin for the front stay, and in a controlled way, slowly lower the mast using additional lines and 2 people to "catch" the mast.

If you can't picture what needs to be done, don't start this project.

Key points 1. Plan ahead. 2. Have at least 6 adults (with brains) 3. Communicate and have everyone on the same page at each step.

You can really do some serious damage with a 30', 120# lever! Consider finding a boat yard with the equipment and knowledge.

 

[Bill Ellis]

Thanks for you suggestions. I need to check the wiring for the mast lights and I have been putting this off for all the reasons in your reply. The boat is in really fine shape, for it's age, and it really bugs me that the mast lights are not working even though we don't do much night sailing. I have a few strapping sons and we will be very, very careful. This will be a project requiring mind and muscle. Thanks again for you thoughts.

 

[stuart.hamer]

I know a mast from a 22 footer is a little less in length and weight than that of a 25.5 but I used to raise and lower the mast on my own. I used an A-frame, a cradle with a roller that fit into the gudgeons, and the main sheet for purchase while raising and lowering. Using the mainsheet also allows you to stop at any point should you new to adjust something (a turnbuckle not aligning correctly for example).

Really not that hard but it is of course advisable to have more people if you can. Even with more people I would still recommend the cradle with the roller to help move the mast back and forth either prior to raising or after lowering. Also provides some initial height to aid the a-frame in lifting.

 

[ncoaster]

I would advise you to drop the mast aft as opposed to forward. The mast is over 29 feet long. The fore deck on your boat is about 10 feet. Lowering the mast aft gives you nearly 16 feet of work space and support. I heard about a guy at our marina who lowered his mast forward. As soon as he released the step pins... well he had to replace a perfectly good anchor light and windex.

I take my mast down for the winter. I use the marina's manual crane and three people (including myself). Linda works the crane. My brother-in-law stablizes the mast (he was a wrestler back in school), while I disconnect everything.

First, close the hatches and disconnect any power cables to the mast.

Take down the boom and store it out of the way.

With Jim holding the mast. I disconnect the lower shrouds. Tie them, the halyards and the topping lift to the mast.

Run a strap around the back side of the mast and connect it to the crane's hook. The mast is not heavy. A piece of seat belt with D-rings sewn on the ends works very well. Run the strap up under the spreaders to stablize the mast. Loosen the upper shrouds and back stay. Take up any slack on the strap to stablize the mast. Pull the forward step pin. Disconnect the fore stay. With one of us on each side of the mast so it will not swing, Linda lowers the mast until it is a couple of feet about the stern rail. At this point I disconnect the upper shrouds and back stay. We lower the mast onto the stern rail. I pull the aft step pin. Linda lifts the mast up so we can walk it forward and support the base in the bow rails crutch. Yes, it is meant to hold the mast. We place cushions under the mast at the stern rail and over the hatch then lower the mast down, tie it off and remove the spreaders.

I'd take down the bimini. It is in the way and too easy to smash if the mast get's "out of control". However, you might support the mast higher off the deck. Pull the aft step pin. Walk the mast forward till the top can be run under the bimini, then walk the mast back into place.

 

[Bill Ellis]

Wow!! I didn't expect this much of a response to my question. You folks are great.

I'm going to agree with Stuart. I don't think the mast is that heavy and two people should be able to handle it. However, I've made arrangements to have four helpers. We're going to drop the mast aft and since it's not that heavy and I have a good crew, I'm not going to remove the bimini frame. I'm going to use that as a prop as we release the stays, guides, halyards and such. There are three sets of wires going to the mast. One goes into the mast bottom. I beleive this is the original mast light wiring that stop functioning some time ago. Another wire, 12 volt, goes into the mast through a hole drilled into the side of the mast. This is the new wiring for the mast lights, I think. The third is the antenna wire. The two going into the side of the mast have quick disconnects that I'll disconnect before I even get started. I can't see a disconnect for the wire going into the mast bottom. I'm sure there's one there and I hope to find it once the mast is loose and proped against the bimini frame.

As you can tell, this is my first attempt at lowering the mast. You all have given me great hope and encouragement for my project with your responses. My thanks to you all.

 

[isaksp00]

Have you done this yet? How did it go?

If not: I have an H23, which must have a roughly similar size mast. I have only had this boat since April 2010, so I've done two cycles of stepping and unstepping, with one painful lesson. In 2010, when unstepping at end of season, my helpers from the yard did not steady it sideways properly, and at about 45 degrees, it swayed sideways and snapped the aluminum plate off the bottom of the mast. Luckily only the aluminum rivets broke (the mast tube needed a little unbending), so it was a fairly easy and cheap fix - just pop riveted it back on.

1. Don't try it forward - the length of the mast ahead of the bow pulpit and its weight/leverage would be very hard to handle, unless somehow you can have helpers in front of the bow, and they can reach high enough - tough if it is on a trailer or cradle.
2. Think about building a gin pole or A-frame type support, rather than trying to use a line like a sheet directly from the top of the mast. There are some good photos in the owner mods section of the H23's, and likely in other models. I found a good video showing the A-frame approach on an H23 here. I happen to use a fairly thick walled aluminum tube as a gin pole, only because my prior owner had built one. That A-frame made from conduit looks attractive, as it adds some lateral support.
3. I use a line with a double-block system (two blocks, each with two sheaves) to raise or lower it. That's, what, 4 to 1 advantage? It works fine, using one of the jib winches to pull it up or control it on the downward side.
4. To lower it this season, I built a pair of wood supports for side baby stays - that helped a lot. There are various designs for these baby stays. I used a loop of chain around the mast, pulled up to the spreaders with the main sheet. The stainless cable stays attach to the chain loop with shackles. The wood supports sit against the molded in toerail (the 23 lacks a metal rail with holes), held down tight to the deck with nylon straps with ratchets, under the hull. The wood supports are the right height so the eye bolts at the top are on a level with the mast step - the lower end of the stays has to be level to the mast pivot or else they tighten or loosen as you lower it. They don't have to be really tight (like say the "real" sidestays) as they are only there to help prevent the mast going too far side to side as it angles down.
5. It really helps to have the crutch at the stern extendable, so it is high enough to support the mast before it is near horizontal, and then can be lowered to the right height for storage. I added a wood plank extender to my metal crutch, and added a rubber trailer roller (the kind shaped like a sewing thread wood core) so I could roll the mast base forward more easily.

 

[Bill Ellis]

Thanks for the direction to that video. I'm anxious to give that method a try. Sure seems simple and easy enough. The video didn't say what size the conduit was. It only gave the length. I would think a 1" dia. conduit would work, since it's only purpose is to rise the halyard. There isn't any real weight on it.

Thanks again for all the help. I'm not sure how soon I'll get to this project. It will depend on the weather and when I can get my boys together. I'll keep you informed.

 

[abinkc]

I have an H23 and the mast is too heavy for one person to man-handle. So, I built side supports out of square tubing and using eye bolts screwed into the bottom; hook them to the small bar on the side stanchion support. I hook the top to a padded metal collar about 8 foot up the mast. It slides as the mast is lower aft. You can lower it by tying a long line onto the jibe halyard. Someone else takes the end of that line and goes out in front of the boat about 100 ft. and controls the lower speed, or pulls it up. You do need to raise the aft crutch. Otherwise, the side support bars will hit the cabin top. Two people can then move it forward into the forward support. Yes, you need to disconnect the side and rear rigging. Otherwise stuff gets bent. A few years ago I added a power winch mounted on a tall pole that hooks into the trailer receiver on my truck. Now with a long power cable I can raise and lower the mast myself. I have no video or photos, as both my hands are busy during this operation.

 

[Bill Ellis]

Okay folks, the proof is in the pudding time had finally come. Yesterday, my son and I lowered the mast, using the A frame technique that was suggested in the video. It went quite well. I had mounted a crutch, made out of pvc pipe, to the aft safety rail. After lowering the mast, using the A frame method, we removed the aft pin from the mast bottom and carried the mast bottom to the forward crutch. We lashed the mast, fore and aft, and across the cabin top. To my surprise, I discovered there is only one mast light which is located about half way up the mast. I was sure I would find a light at the very top of the mast. I thought a top mast light was mandantory for a 360 degree visibility. I only did a quite survey of the mast once it was lowered because, by this time my son and I were completely soaked. The weather was warm, no wind, but rainy. Our weather, here, is on the down hill slope, so it was now or what untill spring. We thought, what the heck and went for it. I hope to take a closer look at the mast if and when we get a litle better weather. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm trying to discover why the mast light(s) are not working.

My thanks to everyone for your great suggestions. You gave me the encouragement I needed to tackle this job. I don't plan to do this often, but the next time it will be easier.

My best to all of you in the coming year.

 

[isaksp00]

If I recall correctly, you need the light at the top of the mast for anchoring in an area not charted as an anchorage - the anchor light.

 

[MrUnix]

It would not surprise me if you don't have an anchor light.. on the H23's, early year models only came with a steaming light like what you have. Later years got rid of the steaming light and added the anchor light at the top. Could be the same situation with your 25.5.. Do you have switches for both on your electrical panel or just the one?

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Bill Ellis]

The switch on the control panel says "Mast Light". I assumed the mast had two lights. I changed the bulb, by shinnying up the mast, but that didn't help. I have 12 volt power to the mast wiring, but no continuaty in the wiring going up the mast. I assume there is a broken wire, somewhere, causing the open circuit. I hope to check this out within the next week or so. I'm waiting for a break in the weather.

I didn't realize the light at the top of the mast was called an anchor light. I'm a novice at this. Would it be adviseable to install an anchor light as long as I have the mast down. This would be just an enhancement to boat, since I don't plan on doing any night time sailing, since I'm such a novice.

 

[isaksp00]

I think you only ever need the anchor light if anchored in an area other than a designated anchorage at night. If you will never cruise at night, and never anchor in an undesignated area, why add one?

My h23 came with one, and I have used it, as I have a few times ancored on our large lake at night to watch fireworks. Seemed safer to turn it on. Mine has no mast mounted steaming light - only a white lamp on the stern.