Removing Mast

[Mike Turner]

I need to step down my mast in order to have it shipped by land from Florida to Georgia. Can anyone tell me is this is something I could do, or do I need to have it done?

 

[John K Kudera]

If your boat is over 30 feet

get a boat yard to do it. Some masts between 22 and 30 will be difficult but not impossible to step yourself.

 

[nick maggio]

WHAT BOAT

Depends what size boat andd is it keel stepped or deck stepped. That mast gets very heavy coming down and with out proper equipement it could be hard to handle.My 18 hobie was easy unless it was a windy day.Get a price from the yard. nick

 

[colin]

I have removed the 45' mast from my 335

I have removed the 45' mast from my Hunter 335 you will need to know the procedure or have someone there that knows it. You will also need a decent mast crane and sling. BTW, if you decide to have a go yourself dont lift by placing a choker under the spreaders. Chode around the mast then take a line down to your gooseneck to stop the sling sliding up your mast!

 

[Jari]

Sling positioning

Hi,the main issue is to get the sling above the masts centre of gravity. Then you just loose everything with no slack in sling. There are big risk for injuries with mast operations if you are unexperienced so be careful and think everything twice before you do anything. There must be minimum 3 people to do the job. (one for crane, one to spring around to loose wires, one to steer the mast). Never let the mast hang free without somebody steering it! In our club are about 150 boats removing their masts before winter and the average time to remove the mast is about 30 minutes for experienced crews and about 90 minutes for unexperienced crews, I believe.

 

[Richard Deep]

Best money ever spent!

Mike,I just had the mast unstepped from my H31, and for the $74 it cost, it was the best money I've spent on the boat! Why even deal with the hassle and liability if you have a good yard nearby? I was mighty glad to have 3 experienced guys swinging that big stick around!- RichardS/V DiscoverySan Francisco