Raising my mast this year

[RichBone]

When I raised the mast with the setup in my album the boat was on the trailer and I used the trailer winch which is rated at 2600#. The winch cranked very easy; almost like it didn't have a load on it. Last fall I lowered the mast while it was in the water using the primary winch (#16- 2 speed) and it went down with out a problem. With the boat in the water I figured it would go up fairly easy this spring but I was in for a surprise. It was much harder than I thought. Much harder. The first 30 degrees of course was the hardest. After that no problem. Next time I'm going to try at least a two part setup between the stemhead and the a-frame. I'm pretty confident this will be sufficient. My apologies to anyone that had problems with my system.

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

Rich,
Do you think that the new angle of pull was too acute?

 

[RichBone]

The angle only changed by a few degrees so I don't think that was much of a factor. I think it was because the trailer winch was so much more powerful.

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

The angle only changed by a few degrees so I don't think that was much of a factor. I think it was because the trailer winch was so much more powerful.

Rich

From what I've read, I think that's all it takes is a few degrees the other way and the winch will labor because there's more force needed to raise it from a horizontal position than when it's half way up. The weight of mast decreases as it goes up.
One of the guys in my club raises his mast from the bow on his O'Day 25 using his boom, but where he doesn't have plates on his stays, the pivot points for his boom bridles are off considerably. He ties the ropes to his turnbuckle toggles but he can't raise the mast from a horizontal position unless he helps it along by man handling it a little. Once it gets going, it will go all the way up.
I think in your case, you're right. The winch is a lot stronger than the blocks but the angle can make a huge difference.
Years ago, a new member asked me to help him raise the mast on his Hunter 23 with my wood Gin Pole and the only place I could attach my blocks to was a pad eye inside his anchor locker. I had a heck of a time trying to pull the blocks up, to get that mast up. To this day, I still can't figure out why. After that little episode, I decided that this was the last time I was going to do this for anyone. There are probably a lot of hidden factors that we aren't even aware of and the only way we can find them is to experiment.

 

[kdssail]

look in the Oday 25 mod section for an artical and diagram I posted on mast raising. You will see that Oday tells us to raise from the bow and use the boom.. name on listing is Dave Slepoy 23 25 26 mast raising.

 

[Joe11688]

With the proper equipment, you can raise the mast either way on the 25. We have two O'Day 25s and a 26 at our club and they raise the mast from the bow. I prefer raising from the stern because the furler is on top of the mast and the mast track is pointed down. This allows me to have my mast in the two crutches ready for trailering when I leave the house, with all my other stays connected to the chain plates.

When I get to the club ramp, I only have to roll the mast back, pin it to the tabernacle, and set up my Gin Pole and bridles. I guess it's all in what you get used to and prefer. I'm using a Handy-Lock on my back stay which allows me to tighten the standing rigging without messing with the other turnbuckles. My main sheet tackle has quick shackles on it, and my furler has a press bottom quick pin. Usually, I can have the mast up in about twenty minutes once I get started. Years ago when I trailered my boat, I used to store the mainsail on the boom in the cabin with the sail cover on it. All I needed to do once the mast was up, was attach the topping lift to the back of the boom and lead it out of the cabin to be attached to the mast. I had it all down pretty pat years ago, but now I don't bother doing that. It was always fun coming up with ways to make the rigging faster and easier. Now, I just arrive earlier and take my time. I'll probably run into someone I know at the club and start gabbing away.

 

[Cabby]

Hi Rich,

A few months ago We bought a trailered 25 with a fixed keel....on a trailer. Anyway, We adopted your mast stepping procedure and the "tools/gear" to step our mast. Anyway I agree raising the mast using our stock 2 speed Lewmar 16 winches was pretty hard and took some muscle to get it past a certain point. Today we took out the size 16 winches and replaced them with some 2 speed Barlow 23 winches (we picked up really cheap). The mast went up a whole lot easier with the larger winches. I think the angle is not as significant as is the winch power. Just thought I'd add my experiences to this discussion.

 

[kdssail]

One other thing to consider on a 25 or like my 26 is that the stock vane claw is at the bottom of the mast and if you step to the stern it CAN poke a hole in the top. I installed a mast plate under the step to prevent this and solve other issues.

 

[RichBone]

I removed my vang claw. Since I raise from the stern, I don't need it there. I then removed the sliding gooseneck setup and installed the claw there for the gooseneck. That was before this year. From RigRite I got the boom end fittings for internal reef lines and outhaul with a gooseneck with integral reef hooks.

Rich