I have read many sailing blogs. I have a 1980 Catalina 22 ft I can use the winch on my trailer to raise the mast but i need some advise on how to secure the mast so it dose not sway to one side. Should i tie a line to the mast and stanchions...maybe be use two of the halyards one port side one starboard. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated Thank you Mark
Mast Raising
- Thread starter mark rocco
- Start date
Baby stays are typical approach. Halyards would probably work. If you can get your lower attachment points to line up with the step hinge axis, the stays can be rigged tight and will control mast sway throughout the process. I welded eyes to my lifeline stanchion brace to get the correct location. May not work on your boat. But, eyes on deck, or blocked up on deck, similar to what @Charlie Jones s/v Tehani shows above is a good way to go if your boat config allows it.
I use the main sheet attached to the fore stay and either the bow pulpit or somewhere near the trailer winch. Raise it with your shoulder while pulling in the main sheet and then push up. By the time it is out of reach the shrouds keep it centered.
That's my solution anyway
That's my solution anyway
LOL- Yep that's what I did- til I hit aout 75. Amazing how much weight the mast gained
Got a source for that stanchion base? I had one ripped up in the last hurricane and haven't sourced a new one yetBaby stays are typical approach. Halyards would probably work. If you can get your lower attachment points to line up with the step hinge axis, the stays can be rigged tight and will control mast sway throughout the process. I welded eyes to my lifeline stanchion brace to get the correct location. May not work on your boat. But, eyes on deck, or blocked up on deck, similar to what @Charlie Jones s/v Tehani shows above is a good way to go if your boat config allows it.
STANCHION, LIFELINE, FORWARD, 26M
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This is the one I modified. Macgregor 26m equipment.
The guy in the video is letting one of the shrouds serve as a raising stay. Looks like the geometry isn't too bad, but we don't have a good angle to tell for sure how much sway he gets during the lift. He's pretty cavalier about letting the forestay go slack after the mast is vertical. I may not understand the rigging, but it almost looks like he's holding it vertical with a hand on the mast. Also, he is under the mast during part of the raise. He makes it look fairly easy, but it doesn't look very safe. Also, he's no geezer.
I'm not sure that is an issue, as the mast would only move a few inches before the slack was taken up. Because he is using the main sheet, the fiddle blocks do not pull the forestay all the way down, so there will be some slack.
I do believe it is necessary to use the baby stays to keep the mast from moving side to side. Its not a perfect world, so it is not uncommon for other lines to catch on something as you raise the mast. Once in a while you have to stop completely to untangle something. A gust of wind can blow the mast around pretty easily. I think my mast might be a bit taller, so that makes a difference as well. I use a gin pole, but that does not really add to the time it takes me to raise the mast. I have a very specific sequence I go through to raise the mast. Its usually about 10 minutes from the time I get out of the car to having the mast up. I installed U-bolts on my cabin roof to cleat the baby stays. Work it out ahead of time in your driveway.
Baby stays are typical approach. Halyards would probably work. If you can get your lower attachment points to line up with the step hinge axis, the stays can be rigged tight and will control mast sway throughout the process. I welded eyes to my lifeline stanchion brace to get the correct location. May not work on your boat. But, eyes on deck, or blocked up on deck, similar to what @Charlie Jones s/v Tehani shows above is a good way to go if your boat config allows it.
Thank you Dave
I'll make one other comment. I don't know what the baby stay length is on a Catalina 22, but on my boat they were slightly longer than what would hold tight. As such, I ended up with the U-bolts slightly forward of the pivot point. (meaning toward the front of the boat) They hold fairly tight when the mast is down. As the mast raises up, they do get a little loser. That is OK because about the time you feel uncomfortable about how lose they are, the side stays are snugging up enough to keep the mast upright. It all moves around a bit, but not bad enough to stress anything.
