Far more people have requested information about how I step my mast by myself safely ,on the water and without spending a fortune.I will try to post clear simple to understand instructions . I use a pole that has a large ring on one and and the other fits snugly around the mast base. I connect a double block on a swivel to about where the forestay will connect. On the ring is a snap shackle that routes the line from the double block back to a single block on the ring down to the double and finally going to the mast winch. At any of the big box stores are pulleys that are called "rope ratchets".There are rated in several differant sizes.I used the biggest I could find.They are rated for 150 pounds.Prices were somewhere around 9 or 10 dollars apiece.The ratcheting pulley itself connects to the stantion base.you could use the triangle plates that came with some of the Odays.I used them on both and found no differance.The other end of the pulley has a snap shackle and clips to the ring. The forestay also connects to the ring. The rope ratchets are only used to keep the pole centered.I simply snug them up to keep the pole centered.I use the halyard winch to ease out line when lowering and the winch handle to raise. IF I encounter a problem with a shroud catching on something or a turnbuckle getting cocked ,I simply cleat off the line and leave the mast base knowing that the mast isn't going anywhere.The "Rope Ratchets" themselves will only let line go one direction unless you lift a lever on the pulley and pull line through.
