Here's an easy system
I bolted together two 2x4's, about 4 1/2 feet long. The bolt went through about 1 foot from the end. I opened up the 2 x4's to create an X (small end up) and put the long ends on the cockpit seats. This created a crutch to hold one end of the mast while the bottom end was attached to the step. Without the crutch, the mast will lay on top of the companionway hatch, and possibly damage it. Note - Tie the crutch to the stern cleats and pulpit so that it is stable. Once the rear pin of the mast step is in place, attach the backstay and sidestays (make sure that they are loose). Next attach the mainsheet block and tackle to the headstay, and use the winch on the mast to pull the mast up. You will need someone at the back of the mast to begin helping it up. due to the severe angle, there is not much leverate at all in the begining. The other methods using a boom off of the front or rear of the mast aid tremendously with respect to the leverage issue, but with a rigid furling foil on the headstay, I cannot see any way to utilize either of those two methods. Michael Gordon michael@chocolatetruffles.com
