Help!! I'm taking my mast down for the first time this weekend. I have NEVER done this before. Can someone tell me in Plain English how to do this? It's on a 1999 Hunter 260.How long should it take? and is there anything else I need to do or know. Thanks a million!!!
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Did you get a manual with your boat? It is quite clearly explained. If not, you will need the special pole that fits in a small hole at the foot of the mast facing towards the bow. At the other end of the pole is a short cable that goes through the pole and which ends in two loops. One of the loops will have to be attached to the jib halyard (in the case of my 260 it is the spinnaker halyard as I have roller furling jib). The other loop gets attached to the mainsail purchase. The lower end of the mainsail purchase will go into the anchor storage well. After all this is done, undo the forestay and slowly let the mainsail purchase out and let the mast down. Make sure someone is there to help support the mast. If my explanation is too confusing and you can receive PDF files, I will gladly scan and e-mail you a copy of the pages in my manual. Good luck! John.
Check Photo Forum
Here are the pages from the owners manual that provide mast up/down instructions. Good luck! http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73217769894&fno=17
Here are the pages from the owners manual that provide mast up/down instructions. Good luck! http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=73217769894&fno=17
Help!!
Thanks, for the help..One more question, Do I have to take the rolling furler and jib off before I do this, and should I do it with the boat on the trailer??? Thanks
Thanks, for the help..One more question, Do I have to take the rolling furler and jib off before I do this, and should I do it with the boat on the trailer??? Thanks
Unstepping Mast for H260
I have a checklist at my website. Most of what I've learned comes from the archives and my own experience. http://webpages.charter.net/gkobernus/H260_Web/default.html I've lowered the mast in the water but it works best on the hard. You need lots of bungies and cable ties plus the gin pole and the crutch. The manual explains the whole process pretty well. Some tips: The hardest part for me is disconnecting the roller fuller. I've found that attaching one end of the boom vang to the ladder and one end to the RF works well so you can tension the RF and pull the pin. Wrap the drum of the RF in a towel so when you disconnect it, it won't drag across the deck and scratch it. Once you disconnect the RF, secure it to the lower part of the mast with a couple of bungies BEFORE YOU LOWER THE MAST. This will keep the RF under control when lowering the mast. Once the mast is lowered to the crutch, use plenty of bungies to tie the RF along the mast. I also coil the shrouds up and tie them to the safety line with cable ties. You'll need a tool to get the pin out of the base of the mast. I use a small pry bar from Home Depot. It is about 8" long and has a small hammer on one end and a claw on the other. You use the pry bar to wiggle the mast to take pressure off the pin so it can be released. A screwdriver about the diameter of the pin can be useful to "encourage" the pin to slide out. Have some pliers handy. Make sure you secure the mast to the crutch with bungies and tie the mast to the stern cleats so it won't sway when trailering. One you've done it a couple of times, you become amazed how easy it is. People usually gather around and watch when I'm doing it and comment on how elegant the whole process is. Good Luck.
I have a checklist at my website. Most of what I've learned comes from the archives and my own experience. http://webpages.charter.net/gkobernus/H260_Web/default.html I've lowered the mast in the water but it works best on the hard. You need lots of bungies and cable ties plus the gin pole and the crutch. The manual explains the whole process pretty well. Some tips: The hardest part for me is disconnecting the roller fuller. I've found that attaching one end of the boom vang to the ladder and one end to the RF works well so you can tension the RF and pull the pin. Wrap the drum of the RF in a towel so when you disconnect it, it won't drag across the deck and scratch it. Once you disconnect the RF, secure it to the lower part of the mast with a couple of bungies BEFORE YOU LOWER THE MAST. This will keep the RF under control when lowering the mast. Once the mast is lowered to the crutch, use plenty of bungies to tie the RF along the mast. I also coil the shrouds up and tie them to the safety line with cable ties. You'll need a tool to get the pin out of the base of the mast. I use a small pry bar from Home Depot. It is about 8" long and has a small hammer on one end and a claw on the other. You use the pry bar to wiggle the mast to take pressure off the pin so it can be released. A screwdriver about the diameter of the pin can be useful to "encourage" the pin to slide out. Have some pliers handy. Make sure you secure the mast to the crutch with bungies and tie the mast to the stern cleats so it won't sway when trailering. One you've done it a couple of times, you become amazed how easy it is. People usually gather around and watch when I'm doing it and comment on how elegant the whole process is. Good Luck.
Electrical Connection
When lowering the mast, disconnect the electrical connection before lowering. The instructions in the manual say to disconnect after lowering the mast. If you disconnect after lowering you will pull the wires out of the plug... I found out the hard way. Good luck. It is easier than it seems. Tim
When lowering the mast, disconnect the electrical connection before lowering. The instructions in the manual say to disconnect after lowering the mast. If you disconnect after lowering you will pull the wires out of the plug... I found out the hard way. Good luck. It is easier than it seems. Tim
Liquid dish soap on mast pin...
...enabled me to slide it in without using tools at the beginning of this season. I haven't tried yet to see if it helps get it out. ...RickM...
...enabled me to slide it in without using tools at the beginning of this season. I haven't tried yet to see if it helps get it out. ...RickM...
Boomvang to ladder
George, I read your note on how to lessen the tension on the RF by attaching the boomvang to the drum of the RF and the other end to the ladder. I cannot visualize this. I had a lot of problems when raising the mast when it came to attaching the jib RF. I needed two people to pull it down hard enough in order to put the pin in. Any thoughts? Thanks. John
George, I read your note on how to lessen the tension on the RF by attaching the boomvang to the drum of the RF and the other end to the ladder. I cannot visualize this. I had a lot of problems when raising the mast when it came to attaching the jib RF. I needed two people to pull it down hard enough in order to put the pin in. Any thoughts? Thanks. John
Unstepping H260 Mast
The technique I use to unpin the Roller Fuller is hard to describe. I put a short thin cable through the lower RF drum fitting and connect one end of the boom vang to it. I then connect the other end of the BV to a step on the trailer ladder. I just then tighten the BV as much as I can. That takes up the slack in the RF so the pin can be removed. Next month when I put the boat away, I'll take pics of how I do it. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean. Further questions email gkobernus[atsignhere]chartermi.net
The technique I use to unpin the Roller Fuller is hard to describe. I put a short thin cable through the lower RF drum fitting and connect one end of the boom vang to it. I then connect the other end of the BV to a step on the trailer ladder. I just then tighten the BV as much as I can. That takes up the slack in the RF so the pin can be removed. Next month when I put the boat away, I'll take pics of how I do it. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean. Further questions email gkobernus[atsignhere]chartermi.net
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