Please don't reply by by linking me to the brochure on this issue. My dilemma is that I've already gotten the brochure for stepping my O'Day 26 (actually written for the O'Day 25) from this site and read all the postings, but I'm still have two problems: 1. The diagram shows (in figure 3)that you should attach guidelines from the boom to a triangular plate "just above the upper turnbuckles. My shrouds have no such triangular plate. I would anticipate attaching the guidelines to my well-mounted stantion plates just forward of the chainplates. Does anyone know if this works? 2. In addition, my sense of the geometry is that, when letting the mast down towards the bow, the geometry will overstretch the shrouds as they enter the chainplates which are located just aft of the mast step. Am I wrong? Is there something I should do other than simply loosen the turnbuckels as much as I safely can (which isn't much). I need to drop my mast to fix an antenna, but I don't want to rip the plates out of the deck or otherwise destroy the boat or mast. THANKS A MILLION TO ANYONE WHO CAN ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. JAY
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Jay
I just stepped my mast yesterday and I do it the same way all the time. I have two people hold the mast wile I loosen all my sidestays,quite a bit but not all the way. Then I loosen the backstay so I can remove it. Next I remove the smaller pin on the tabernacle hinge the one facing the cockpit so the mast can swing forward. Now all three of us walk the mast down and rest it on bow pulpit. That it
I just stepped my mast yesterday and I do it the same way all the time. I have two people hold the mast wile I loosen all my sidestays,quite a bit but not all the way. Then I loosen the backstay so I can remove it. Next I remove the smaller pin on the tabernacle hinge the one facing the cockpit so the mast can swing forward. Now all three of us walk the mast down and rest it on bow pulpit. That it
Ditto
Jay, I've lowered the mast on my 25 the same way Joe has in the photo. As I understand it it is ALWAYS a bad idea to attach anyting other than life lines to the stanchons. They aren't really all that well attached and NOT INTENDED for such strain. If you lower using the main sheet, make sure to untie the knot if there is one on the end of the sheet. Then I'd suggest running the sheet out of the blocks unitl you have about 2 to 1. I tried to drop mine without doing this. VERY LONG main sheet but when divided by 4 its not long enough. I got to about where Joe is in the photo when the sheet ran out. I both lowered and raised witht he shrouds attached but as loos as I could get them. Probably overkill. you can loosen them up a bit and go just keep an eye out. The bolts in the base of the plate WILL NOT keep the mast from moving side to side. That's why they suggest the triangle plates. (If your going to do this regularly you might look into buying them, maybe Rudy could help.) The point is you may want one person on the sheet and two on the mast if you can swing it just to be safe. When I put mine back up I attached the pin in the plate, the boom, the topping lift and the main sheet then two of us walked it back up as the third pulled in the main as a brake then we reconnected the back stay. No problems. Good luck, Mike
Jay, I've lowered the mast on my 25 the same way Joe has in the photo. As I understand it it is ALWAYS a bad idea to attach anyting other than life lines to the stanchons. They aren't really all that well attached and NOT INTENDED for such strain. If you lower using the main sheet, make sure to untie the knot if there is one on the end of the sheet. Then I'd suggest running the sheet out of the blocks unitl you have about 2 to 1. I tried to drop mine without doing this. VERY LONG main sheet but when divided by 4 its not long enough. I got to about where Joe is in the photo when the sheet ran out. I both lowered and raised witht he shrouds attached but as loos as I could get them. Probably overkill. you can loosen them up a bit and go just keep an eye out. The bolts in the base of the plate WILL NOT keep the mast from moving side to side. That's why they suggest the triangle plates. (If your going to do this regularly you might look into buying them, maybe Rudy could help.) The point is you may want one person on the sheet and two on the mast if you can swing it just to be safe. When I put mine back up I attached the pin in the plate, the boom, the topping lift and the main sheet then two of us walked it back up as the third pulled in the main as a brake then we reconnected the back stay. No problems. Good luck, Mike
Thanks to all and Follow-up Questions
Thanks to each of you for your excellent answers. Since my mast-stepping and unstepping is only needed on rare occassions, I'd like to stick with the method of lowering towards the bow so I can make use of my boom as a gin-pole. With that in mind I have several follow-up questions, if you or others could reply: It sounds like several of you use friends to supplement the process by stabilizing the mast sideways. If you are lowering towards the bow, do you detach the side stays or simply loosen them, as charlyc suggests? CharlyC or others: Do you find that loosening the side stays avoids overstressing them (and the chainplates) when you lower towards the bow? Do you find that they still provide adequate side support or is that required of your helpers as you walk the mast down? (In other words, if I tried to do this without 2 people on the mast, would the mast be vulnerable to side-swing?). Finally, it sounds like CharlyC skips the boom as gin-pole/bridle/mainsheet system altogether by walking the mast down. I wonder if anyone (perhaps Joe's brother in law's friend) has used the boom as ginpole system and without the factory-suggested triangle-bridles for the boom, and, if so, what they used in lieu of the factory bridles. Thanks again, Jay
Thanks to each of you for your excellent answers. Since my mast-stepping and unstepping is only needed on rare occassions, I'd like to stick with the method of lowering towards the bow so I can make use of my boom as a gin-pole. With that in mind I have several follow-up questions, if you or others could reply: It sounds like several of you use friends to supplement the process by stabilizing the mast sideways. If you are lowering towards the bow, do you detach the side stays or simply loosen them, as charlyc suggests? CharlyC or others: Do you find that loosening the side stays avoids overstressing them (and the chainplates) when you lower towards the bow? Do you find that they still provide adequate side support or is that required of your helpers as you walk the mast down? (In other words, if I tried to do this without 2 people on the mast, would the mast be vulnerable to side-swing?). Finally, it sounds like CharlyC skips the boom as gin-pole/bridle/mainsheet system altogether by walking the mast down. I wonder if anyone (perhaps Joe's brother in law's friend) has used the boom as ginpole system and without the factory-suggested triangle-bridles for the boom, and, if so, what they used in lieu of the factory bridles. Thanks again, Jay
I have the triangle plates....
I have the triangular plates, but don't use them. We have a line and block that shackles to the back stay tang. On the line is an eye that connects to the back stay. With the mast in the tabernacle with one pin as a hinge and the mast over the bow, I can lift the mast, with my wife cranking on the starbord winch and mechanically raise the mast. I must admit, it is easier with my son to help, but do-able with only two this way.
I have the triangular plates, but don't use them. We have a line and block that shackles to the back stay tang. On the line is an eye that connects to the back stay. With the mast in the tabernacle with one pin as a hinge and the mast over the bow, I can lift the mast, with my wife cranking on the starbord winch and mechanically raise the mast. I must admit, it is easier with my son to help, but do-able with only two this way.
Sidestays
I keep the side stays on for safety but you still need two people to steady the mast unless you use the mast raising system. I have all the material to make my own since I bought the triangle plates from EBay a wile ago but I seem to always bring a few people to the launch I had no need to use it.
I keep the side stays on for safety but you still need two people to steady the mast unless you use the mast raising system. I have all the material to make my own since I bought the triangle plates from EBay a wile ago but I seem to always bring a few people to the launch I had no need to use it.
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