Set-up on Water?
- Thread starter lokiii
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I can do everything on the lake except for raising the mast. I would strongly recommend this be done before launch but the rest can be done on the water if you need to. If you do decide to try and raise the mast on water, make sure you have someone take video and be sure to post them for our enlightenment (entertainment!)
...yes, about that mast...
Video. Made me chuckle.
The mast raising--kinda' what I was fishing about for. I can't imagine that going well, and I had given up on the idea, but...?
My situation: I've been mostly sailing on some local lakes, and a protected harbour, where I can trailer onto ramps. Totally set the boat up (with sail down, rudder up, etc) on the trailer, as I'm sure most do. There is another area here, a semi protected ocean area, at Port San Luis, CA, by my house, that I'd like to sail, and assumed I could. The only way to put the boat in there is with a hoist. One day, weather's great, I take work off, and head out with the boat to Port San Luis. Ask hoist guys, about how it works with the mast up, do we just slip the boat a bit sideways if need be? "Nope, mast must be down, and you can take it over (I have a 2hp outboard) to the working dock and put it up there." A little 5x20 moored bit of dock next to the pier. That the seals like to hang out on. With all the tourist walking by looking down on it. Trying to set up the boat there would have MUCH potential for comedy. So I thought, I'll never be able to sail here. But then (danger, danger, danger) I started thinking about it...
I guess this is the way everybody elase does this, but, while on the trailer, I walk the mast up, take the halyard around and hook it to the front cleat, hop out, attach the halyard to the trailer winch to pull the mast forward, then attach the jib.
The "technical" showstopper (I'm not even going to discuss simply tripping, rocking, falling out the boat into the water) to doing this on the water, is the trailer winch. Could something portable replace that? Such as something that could be hooked to the bow loop and the halyard to pull it forward, then detached and stowed to sail?
So it could go something like this. Do everything I do as normal on the trailer, raise mast, but don't attach jib, leave mast up with halyard to cleat. Then attach boom and sail, just without halyard attached to sail. Then (if the boom pivot alows it to swing towrds mast enough), lower mast/boom/sail assembly back down, while still partially pinned at the hull, and a bit to the side for room to work outboard. Hoist down into water, motor to working dock, chase away sea lions, and then attempt to wobbly push back up a now heavier and more awkward mast/boom/sail, hold in place nimbly rocking with the swell, then hook halyard to cleat, attach home-made portable winch...finishing with aplause and great accolades from the growing crowd on the pier.
Or is that just crazy talk.
Tomorrow I think I'll head out to Morro Bay to sail (at a ramp) and give it a bit more thought while I set up there. If the boom pivots up enough, I could make something up to pull the mast/halyard forward with a cargo strap...
Video. Made me chuckle.
The mast raising--kinda' what I was fishing about for. I can't imagine that going well, and I had given up on the idea, but...?
My situation: I've been mostly sailing on some local lakes, and a protected harbour, where I can trailer onto ramps. Totally set the boat up (with sail down, rudder up, etc) on the trailer, as I'm sure most do. There is another area here, a semi protected ocean area, at Port San Luis, CA, by my house, that I'd like to sail, and assumed I could. The only way to put the boat in there is with a hoist. One day, weather's great, I take work off, and head out with the boat to Port San Luis. Ask hoist guys, about how it works with the mast up, do we just slip the boat a bit sideways if need be? "Nope, mast must be down, and you can take it over (I have a 2hp outboard) to the working dock and put it up there." A little 5x20 moored bit of dock next to the pier. That the seals like to hang out on. With all the tourist walking by looking down on it. Trying to set up the boat there would have MUCH potential for comedy. So I thought, I'll never be able to sail here. But then (danger, danger, danger) I started thinking about it...
I guess this is the way everybody elase does this, but, while on the trailer, I walk the mast up, take the halyard around and hook it to the front cleat, hop out, attach the halyard to the trailer winch to pull the mast forward, then attach the jib.
The "technical" showstopper (I'm not even going to discuss simply tripping, rocking, falling out the boat into the water) to doing this on the water, is the trailer winch. Could something portable replace that? Such as something that could be hooked to the bow loop and the halyard to pull it forward, then detached and stowed to sail?
So it could go something like this. Do everything I do as normal on the trailer, raise mast, but don't attach jib, leave mast up with halyard to cleat. Then attach boom and sail, just without halyard attached to sail. Then (if the boom pivot alows it to swing towrds mast enough), lower mast/boom/sail assembly back down, while still partially pinned at the hull, and a bit to the side for room to work outboard. Hoist down into water, motor to working dock, chase away sea lions, and then attempt to wobbly push back up a now heavier and more awkward mast/boom/sail, hold in place nimbly rocking with the swell, then hook halyard to cleat, attach home-made portable winch...finishing with aplause and great accolades from the growing crowd on the pier.
Or is that just crazy talk.
Tomorrow I think I'll head out to Morro Bay to sail (at a ramp) and give it a bit more thought while I set up there. If the boom pivots up enough, I could make something up to pull the mast/halyard forward with a cargo strap...
I watched a neighbor who sells used sailboats do a demo on our lake afloat. Part of the demo was to unstep the mast and then restep it. The boat was NOT a Hunter, but is was about 18'-20' in length. Bare in mind that they were not tied to a dock.
While I wouldn't want to try this with a 170 with my limited 170 experience, I would think tied tightly to a dock would give the boat some stability. As you mentioned, the "deal breaker" is the jib. I just installed Johnson quick release shroud connectors. While they don't allow for a lot of adjustment when open, I think the mast may bend forward enough to secure the roller furling jib either from the dock or at the front of the boat.
Once the jib is up, closing the Johnson quick release connectors will pull the mast aft like it should be. With the center board down, that should provide a little more lateral stability.
I wonder if you went to a conventional jib along with a secure forestay that was tighten up through a pulley while you were pushing up the mast might be a better solution?
I doubt I'll ever give an on water stepping a try, but would certainly like to watch because I'm a bit kinky that way.
While I wouldn't want to try this with a 170 with my limited 170 experience, I would think tied tightly to a dock would give the boat some stability. As you mentioned, the "deal breaker" is the jib. I just installed Johnson quick release shroud connectors. While they don't allow for a lot of adjustment when open, I think the mast may bend forward enough to secure the roller furling jib either from the dock or at the front of the boat.
Once the jib is up, closing the Johnson quick release connectors will pull the mast aft like it should be. With the center board down, that should provide a little more lateral stability.
I wonder if you went to a conventional jib along with a secure forestay that was tighten up through a pulley while you were pushing up the mast might be a better solution?
I doubt I'll ever give an on water stepping a try, but would certainly like to watch because I'm a bit kinky that way.
I just installed those quick releases, so pushing the mast up and securing the jib from inside the boat is do-able now. I'm just too scared to do it--certain I'll fall in. I'll have access to a relitively tight slip on a lake this Labor Day so I may give it a practice go if nobody's watching. Anybody out there try this yet?
If you're talking about stepping the mast with the boat in the water, I would think there would be a lot of side rocking.
When you get the mast vertical, what is going to hold it there while you secure the jib to the front of the boat? With the 4 shrouds connected to the deck plate, the only place the mast can fall to while vertical is toward the stern.
Definitely a 2 man deal unless you have a line holding the mast past vertical (biased toward the front) while you're securing the jib to the front deck. I suppose you could hold the mast biased toward the front with the mainsail halyard (one end cleated to the mast and hold the other end while you work your way to the front to secure the jib.
While I will NEVER have a need to perform this kind of operation while afloat, if I were doing it, I think I would used the halyard method above and when I worked my way to the front of the boat, I would FIRST secure the halyard line to the mooring eye on the front of the boat, pulling it as tight as I could get it (which would bend the mast forward), making the jib easy to attach to the front deck. This method would free up both hands for this operation and make it a one man deal.
When the jib is connected, remove the halyard line, tighten up the quick releases and you're DONE.
When you get the mast vertical, what is going to hold it there while you secure the jib to the front of the boat? With the 4 shrouds connected to the deck plate, the only place the mast can fall to while vertical is toward the stern.
Definitely a 2 man deal unless you have a line holding the mast past vertical (biased toward the front) while you're securing the jib to the front deck. I suppose you could hold the mast biased toward the front with the mainsail halyard (one end cleated to the mast and hold the other end while you work your way to the front to secure the jib.
While I will NEVER have a need to perform this kind of operation while afloat, if I were doing it, I think I would used the halyard method above and when I worked my way to the front of the boat, I would FIRST secure the halyard line to the mooring eye on the front of the boat, pulling it as tight as I could get it (which would bend the mast forward), making the jib easy to attach to the front deck. This method would free up both hands for this operation and make it a one man deal.
When the jib is connected, remove the halyard line, tighten up the quick releases and you're DONE.
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