I am new to sailing and just purchased my boat which is a 1994 Capri 18. I am going to pick it up and the jib which is in a roller furling is still up, as well as the mast and boom. Can someone tell me the correct procedure to lower these parts so I can trailer her back home..Thank you! Stephanie
Lowering mast for transport on trailer
- Thread starter stepayetta
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There are a few approaches that you can take. The basic approach is to release the forestay and (carefully) lower the mast toward the stern. My general approach is to loosen the upper/lower shrouds 4 or 5 turns each (same # for each), detach the backstay from the backstay tensioner, bungie it to the mast, and then lower the mast.
Before you start you'll need some kind of mast crutch at the stern to catch the mast and support it enough above horizontal that it will clear your cabin hatch. On my Capri 22 I have a stainless post with pins that go in the rudder gudgeons; there's a piece about 18" tall with a roller that goes on it and allows me to easily roll the mast forward after it's down. Once it's where I want it, I replace the roller with a U shaped piece for road transport. I also have an "A" shaped wooden crutch that I use when the boat is stored for winter - it raises the mast a bit higher than the gudgeon mount and lets the rain run off the tarp.
This shows the mast supported by the gudgeon post and roller; it also shows the ginpole that I'll discuss below.
If you've got one or two people to help you, then you may be able to lower the mast by hand. One person to manage the forestay, the other(s) to carefully lower the mast and guide it to the roller/crutch. The mast can be unwieldy so make sure everyone's got a good grip.
Second option, if there's one available, is to use a mast raising winch/pole if there's one at your marina. We have one at ours and it's real helpful.
The final option is via a ginpole. I made one out of an 8' 2x4, a couple of big eye bolts, a large nut/bolt/washers, and a block. You'll also need something to make a couple of baby stays for the mast, and for the ginpole; I use 4 of those ratcheting cargo straps. You can see the ginpole in the first picture I linked above. Here's how it works: I attach the ginpole to the mast with a large truckers tarp strap (black rubber with big S hooks) - the s hooks loop over a couple of deck screws I've driven into the sides of the ginpole. The pole itself has a U shaped cut in the bottom to somewhat match the coutour of the mast, and there's a bolt driven through & tightened just above the U to make sure the board doesn't split. I connect the spinnaker halyard to an eye at the top of the ginpole and cleat it off; the Jib halyard would work too. Then I tie a genoa sheet from a shackle on the stem fitting, run it up to a block attached to a second eye bolt on the other side of the one I attached the halyard to, the line then runs back to a block at the stem fitting, and runs back along the deck to the genoa winch. I have a couple of large pad eyes mounted on the cabin sides in line with the mast and that's what i attache the baby stays to. Two connect to one of the eye bolts at the top of the ginpole, two attach to the spinnaker loop on the mast, which I slide to the top of the track. When everything is ready I take 3 turns around the winch, loosen the forestay turnbuckle enough to remove the pin from the stem fitting, and carefully begin to lower the mast. I can do it all by myself but I usually have help from my wife.
Here are some pictures that show the ginpole in use while i was working out the kinks.
larger versions of all of these images can be found at http://www.pbase.com/sinnettc/april_2010
Before you start you'll need some kind of mast crutch at the stern to catch the mast and support it enough above horizontal that it will clear your cabin hatch. On my Capri 22 I have a stainless post with pins that go in the rudder gudgeons; there's a piece about 18" tall with a roller that goes on it and allows me to easily roll the mast forward after it's down. Once it's where I want it, I replace the roller with a U shaped piece for road transport. I also have an "A" shaped wooden crutch that I use when the boat is stored for winter - it raises the mast a bit higher than the gudgeon mount and lets the rain run off the tarp.
If you've got one or two people to help you, then you may be able to lower the mast by hand. One person to manage the forestay, the other(s) to carefully lower the mast and guide it to the roller/crutch. The mast can be unwieldy so make sure everyone's got a good grip.
Second option, if there's one available, is to use a mast raising winch/pole if there's one at your marina. We have one at ours and it's real helpful.
The final option is via a ginpole. I made one out of an 8' 2x4, a couple of big eye bolts, a large nut/bolt/washers, and a block. You'll also need something to make a couple of baby stays for the mast, and for the ginpole; I use 4 of those ratcheting cargo straps. You can see the ginpole in the first picture I linked above. Here's how it works: I attach the ginpole to the mast with a large truckers tarp strap (black rubber with big S hooks) - the s hooks loop over a couple of deck screws I've driven into the sides of the ginpole. The pole itself has a U shaped cut in the bottom to somewhat match the coutour of the mast, and there's a bolt driven through & tightened just above the U to make sure the board doesn't split. I connect the spinnaker halyard to an eye at the top of the ginpole and cleat it off; the Jib halyard would work too. Then I tie a genoa sheet from a shackle on the stem fitting, run it up to a block attached to a second eye bolt on the other side of the one I attached the halyard to, the line then runs back to a block at the stem fitting, and runs back along the deck to the genoa winch. I have a couple of large pad eyes mounted on the cabin sides in line with the mast and that's what i attache the baby stays to. Two connect to one of the eye bolts at the top of the ginpole, two attach to the spinnaker loop on the mast, which I slide to the top of the track. When everything is ready I take 3 turns around the winch, loosen the forestay turnbuckle enough to remove the pin from the stem fitting, and carefully begin to lower the mast. I can do it all by myself but I usually have help from my wife.
Here are some pictures that show the ginpole in use while i was working out the kinks.
larger versions of all of these images can be found at http://www.pbase.com/sinnettc/april_2010
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