new to steppin the mast

[stephanie@owlview .com]

Help! We are new to sailing and my dad has just purchased an Oday 25. We have a question about steppin up and down the mast safely with only two people. The mast is a front load, does anyone have tips, tools of the trade which would enable us to do this without asking the whole family for help, if so could you describe in detail and list any equipment which would be helpful. Should we use a gin pole or this "springy thingy" I've heard about on other sites if so where can we purchase this item. Thanks everyone and happy sailing. Steph

 

[Keith L]

Raising mast

There are quite a few posts regarding raising the mast in the archives of this site. My wife and I raised it ourself, unfortunately did not follow all the suggestions so it was quite an adventure with the two of us. Suggestions from our experience. 1.When first placing the mast base at the hinge on the cabin top, have some way of supporting the weight of the mast closer to the mast top than the bow pulpit as the center point of the mast was beyond our bow pulpit, consequently I ended up on top of our truck trying to stabilize it. 2. Recommendations for guy ropes or guy poles to prevent swaying are extremely important. That is one of the things I forgot in the excitement. Our mast almost got away from us without those. 3.Be very certain that the upper shrouds are properly positioned in the spreaders before raising the mast, otherwise you'll get to learn to climb the mast to correct this. Overall, I think it is very doable with 2 people, I personally am glad my boat is on a slip for the summer and I do not plan to lower the mast myself but will utilize a gin pole at another marina to lower it down and raise it in the future. They only charge $10 so I can't pass that up. Certainly lots of sailers have posted tips and techniques which have worked for them and I would suggest researching the archives and carefully planning out how you'll do it. Good Luck