coronado mast
I set up my Coronado 23 so that I can lower and raise the mast to get under a bridge between my dock and the Gulf. I followed the method used by the Mac 26, but with some modifications. I ran a line from the top of the mast to a strut that connects to the mast tabernacle. This line has a shackle that attaches to the end of the strut so it can be removed and clipped to the mast after the mast is up.A three part tackle(the boom vang from my Hunter 34) is also attached to the strut and to the headstay fitting rather than to the deck ala the 26 because the deck flexed under the load. The vang line is attached to a block, and another line runs from a stern cleat thru the block and back to the cockpit. This gives me a 6:1 advantage. 3:1 was not enough for me. I raise and lower the mast from the cockpit while under way. To give the mast lateral support I added two spring loaded shrouds from the spreader bases to the side decks. This keeps the mast from swinging from side to side and stressing the mast tabernacle. Sounds complicated, but the most time consuming thing was making a fitting to attach the new strut (1" or 1.5"alum. conduit) to the mast tab.using the bolt that goes thru the mast base. There are no forward lowers on the 23, so I just tension and cleat the cockpit line, loosen the backstay pull the pin on the headstay and lower away until the mast rests in an elevated support at the stern.
