Due primarily to a large number of "projects" needed to be completed on my boat (and to a lesser extent, financial concerns) I have to have her hauled from in-water winter storage to land storage for the summer (and through the winter). This means it'll be there until this time next year. My question is, what are the pros and cons of leaving the mast up out of the water (especially for a year)? My thinking is the center of balance is higher making it a little more dangerous with the stick left up. On the other hand, it would be less expensive than having the mast taken down and restepped next year. I'm open to thoughts and suggestions here. Thanks
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Mast down
I drop my mast twice a year mainly because I store my boat in the back yard winters and it won't clear the power lines on the way home.. It's easy to work on at will. I cover it winters with 1 1/4" black plastic pipe as ribs, spaced every two 2' apart then cover it with a good trap so I can walk the entire lenght of the boat to work on projects, Plus I heat it, but thats another story. Stepping the mast will give you a chance to work on the rigging, check for cracks in the stays, replace lights or bulbs and other riggings items.. Also if your in a Hurricane area having the mast up could pose a problems.
I drop my mast twice a year mainly because I store my boat in the back yard winters and it won't clear the power lines on the way home.. It's easy to work on at will. I cover it winters with 1 1/4" black plastic pipe as ribs, spaced every two 2' apart then cover it with a good trap so I can walk the entire lenght of the boat to work on projects, Plus I heat it, but thats another story. Stepping the mast will give you a chance to work on the rigging, check for cracks in the stays, replace lights or bulbs and other riggings items.. Also if your in a Hurricane area having the mast up could pose a problems.
Un-step
the mast to reduce the boat's vertical centre of gravity (in cradle) and to the reduce "strain" imposed by a stepped mast. In the cradle, the boat hull is not fully supported (as in water), and the strain characteristics change due to point loading. Not good. As noted, un-stepping allows you to work on the mast. Should cost less than $100 extra when hauling, blocking & storing. Not bad, over a year. FWIW, Gord May
the mast to reduce the boat's vertical centre of gravity (in cradle) and to the reduce "strain" imposed by a stepped mast. In the cradle, the boat hull is not fully supported (as in water), and the strain characteristics change due to point loading. Not good. As noted, un-stepping allows you to work on the mast. Should cost less than $100 extra when hauling, blocking & storing. Not bad, over a year. FWIW, Gord May
I leave it up
as do most of the sail boaters at my marina. It hasn't ever seemed to cause a problem. I've installed mast steps to do any work up the mast but I have never gone up when its on the hard.
as do most of the sail boaters at my marina. It hasn't ever seemed to cause a problem. I've installed mast steps to do any work up the mast but I have never gone up when its on the hard.
Mast up
I back off the turnbuckles on the rig and remove a bolt inside the saloon at the mast collar on my keel stepped mast so as to remove the load from the deck. The deck pulpit stepped boats don't do anything special for winter lay up. 99% of the boats in my marina store mast up and have for many years without any ill effects to their boats. Your call...
I back off the turnbuckles on the rig and remove a bolt inside the saloon at the mast collar on my keel stepped mast so as to remove the load from the deck. The deck pulpit stepped boats don't do anything special for winter lay up. 99% of the boats in my marina store mast up and have for many years without any ill effects to their boats. Your call...
leave it up
Take it from someone who has suffered a mast breakage while the stick was down--every time you step/unstep the mast you take the risk of something bad happening. Unless you need to do rigging work on it, leave it up. The boat is designed to have the mast up.
Take it from someone who has suffered a mast breakage while the stick was down--every time you step/unstep the mast you take the risk of something bad happening. Unless you need to do rigging work on it, leave it up. The boat is designed to have the mast up.
Pull the stick(s)
Take advantage of the time you'll have the boat out of the water, and pull the mast. You don't mention how long your boat is, or how often you have her hauled out, but I'm guessing she isn't trailerable, and she doesn't come out often. As Scott and Gord point out, this will be a good time to check the mast rigging and wiring, not to mention the step itself for corrosion, etc. The attached photo is the step of my main mast, and I'd dearly love to pull it out, but my boat's been on the hard ever since I laid eyes on her over a year ago. The safest (and cheapest) way to pull the mast(s), is with the boat in the water, so mine'll come out at the end of this season. Pull yours out. There's so much you can't see or work on while it's up, and with Scott's roof overhead, the rest of your work will go so much more smoothly. BTW, as you probably won't be the one pulling your mast, any damage to it would be the yard's fault, and their problem.
Take advantage of the time you'll have the boat out of the water, and pull the mast. You don't mention how long your boat is, or how often you have her hauled out, but I'm guessing she isn't trailerable, and she doesn't come out often. As Scott and Gord point out, this will be a good time to check the mast rigging and wiring, not to mention the step itself for corrosion, etc. The attached photo is the step of my main mast, and I'd dearly love to pull it out, but my boat's been on the hard ever since I laid eyes on her over a year ago. The safest (and cheapest) way to pull the mast(s), is with the boat in the water, so mine'll come out at the end of this season. Pull yours out. There's so much you can't see or work on while it's up, and with Scott's roof overhead, the rest of your work will go so much more smoothly. BTW, as you probably won't be the one pulling your mast, any damage to it would be the yard's fault, and their problem.
Eh... The photo?
I don't know how I did that, but hopefully the photo will come through this time. If not, trust me, it's not pretty.
I don't know how I did that, but hopefully the photo will come through this time. If not, trust me, it's not pretty.
Up or down
You don't say what size boat, so there is no way for us to assume the difficulty involved or the condition of the mast. If it were me, I would have the mast unstepped so I could at least go over the fittings, wiring and finish.
You don't say what size boat, so there is no way for us to assume the difficulty involved or the condition of the mast. If it were me, I would have the mast unstepped so I could at least go over the fittings, wiring and finish.
OOPS! I should have said its a Hunter 33
I should have mentioned, it's a 1979 Hunter 33. I generally store it in the water for the winter for two years, then one year out to dry out a little and take care of bottom paint. In the past I have always dropped the mast. I check the rigging and mast step every spring. All has been holding up extremely well in the eight years I've owned it. I thank you all for your opinions, although I'm still a bit confused.
I should have mentioned, it's a 1979 Hunter 33. I generally store it in the water for the winter for two years, then one year out to dry out a little and take care of bottom paint. In the past I have always dropped the mast. I check the rigging and mast step every spring. All has been holding up extremely well in the eight years I've owned it. I thank you all for your opinions, although I'm still a bit confused.
Up unless you're planning to do maintenance
I don't know what part of the planet our friend Gord hails from, but don't expect it to cost just $100 in most places to get your mast down and store it at the marina. $25/foot is the going price in my area, which could be over $1000 for a mast your size. Gord is right that the change of support presents some risk to the hull and Steve is right that removing a complicated mast structure is risky to the mast if the boatyard personnel are not skilled in working with them. A keel-stepped mast presents little risk to the hull structure but is hard to remove and risks damage from the boatyard personnel every time it's done. I don't think you should take it down unless you have specific problems you want to look at or maintenance you intend to do. My intended schedule is to have it down every 3rd or 4th year and leave it up in between.
I don't know what part of the planet our friend Gord hails from, but don't expect it to cost just $100 in most places to get your mast down and store it at the marina. $25/foot is the going price in my area, which could be over $1000 for a mast your size. Gord is right that the change of support presents some risk to the hull and Steve is right that removing a complicated mast structure is risky to the mast if the boatyard personnel are not skilled in working with them. A keel-stepped mast presents little risk to the hull structure but is hard to remove and risks damage from the boatyard personnel every time it's done. I don't think you should take it down unless you have specific problems you want to look at or maintenance you intend to do. My intended schedule is to have it down every 3rd or 4th year and leave it up in between.
$1000... WOW
Connecticut sure is expensive. Here in Rochester, NY I can have my mast taken down, stored in a shed, and re-stepped for under $500. I owned a 1980 Hunter 33 and used to take the mast down myself with a little help at our yacht club. It was an easy job. I used to store it on the boat and tent the boat with a large blue plastic that would usually last one season. Make sure you block the open end of the mast to prevent birds from nesting. Most boats at our marina keep the mast up. You will hear pro's and con's about this subject. My personal view is that more damage may happen by taking the mast down and putting it up verses keeping it up. Some folks relieve the pressure on the standing rigging, but I had read where that should not be done. If the boat is sitting on a solid cradle, it should take plenty of wind with the mast left up with no damage.
Connecticut sure is expensive. Here in Rochester, NY I can have my mast taken down, stored in a shed, and re-stepped for under $500. I owned a 1980 Hunter 33 and used to take the mast down myself with a little help at our yacht club. It was an easy job. I used to store it on the boat and tent the boat with a large blue plastic that would usually last one season. Make sure you block the open end of the mast to prevent birds from nesting. Most boats at our marina keep the mast up. You will hear pro's and con's about this subject. My personal view is that more damage may happen by taking the mast down and putting it up verses keeping it up. Some folks relieve the pressure on the standing rigging, but I had read where that should not be done. If the boat is sitting on a solid cradle, it should take plenty of wind with the mast left up with no damage.
Yeah, $1000 sounds about right
The quote that was given to me for JUST the mast was $350 to take it down, and probably around $400 or $500 to restep (including tuning). This is why I'm pondering leaving it up when I usually take it down.
The quote that was given to me for JUST the mast was $350 to take it down, and probably around $400 or $500 to restep (including tuning). This is why I'm pondering leaving it up when I usually take it down.
I leave mine up on the water
but I have an aquaintence who left his up on a trailer (28.5' boat) and in a wind storm, the boat and trailer blew over causing major damage to the boat. I'd suggest that you either anchor the trailer, if you have one, or make sure that your stands are chained together and the boat is is tied to soil augers on either side.
but I have an aquaintence who left his up on a trailer (28.5' boat) and in a wind storm, the boat and trailer blew over causing major damage to the boat. I'd suggest that you either anchor the trailer, if you have one, or make sure that your stands are chained together and the boat is is tied to soil augers on either side.
Damage, uh? $1000...wow!
Damage removing a mast? At my yacht club all 125 keel boats are hauled for the winter and the masts must be removed for winter storage (a crane issue). We are a self-help club so the members remove their own masts, usually working in small teams of 3-4 (we have a mast crane). I probably help do at least 12-15 masts each year and have never seen any damage, so I don't think it is all that common. A cost of $1000 is mind boggling. Does this include yard staff doing all the work associated with removing/reinstalling spreaders, antennas, and tieing off the standing rigging? Our actually crane time for a boat like a Hunter 33 would be about 15-20 mins. going in and out. Maybe the cost can be reduced Ernie if you did all the work on the mast after its removed and before its raised. Kevin
Damage removing a mast? At my yacht club all 125 keel boats are hauled for the winter and the masts must be removed for winter storage (a crane issue). We are a self-help club so the members remove their own masts, usually working in small teams of 3-4 (we have a mast crane). I probably help do at least 12-15 masts each year and have never seen any damage, so I don't think it is all that common. A cost of $1000 is mind boggling. Does this include yard staff doing all the work associated with removing/reinstalling spreaders, antennas, and tieing off the standing rigging? Our actually crane time for a boat like a Hunter 33 would be about 15-20 mins. going in and out. Maybe the cost can be reduced Ernie if you did all the work on the mast after its removed and before its raised. Kevin
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