Stepping a mast?

[OdayQs]

Hi All!

I'm extremely new to the world of sailing, so please pardon my ignorance! I'm doing summer research, part of which includes fixing up an O'Day 20.

This O'Day 20 has been stored outdoors in MA for a year or two, with a wooden structure and tarp over it to protect it from the weather (yay for blizzards?). I don't know much about the boat's history, but my team is hoping to float it this week to evaluate the hull. We are also going to replace the mast plate since it looks very bent out of shape.

Anyhow, we would like to step-up the mast and aren't sure about the best way to do it. We've been researching several methods and are currently considering using a gin pole and 'baby' stays, but would greatly appreciate any tips from people who have experience with O'day boats.

Thanks in advance for your help and patience!

 

[jwing]

If you have a helper, you should be able to raise the mast without all the extraneous rigging.

I can raise the mast on my Mariner (larger than yours) by myself. I do have a mast crutch that rests in the rudder gudgeons. The mast base rests at the mast step and the crutch will hold the mast head stationary and higher than horizontal. You can see an example of a mast crutch in the vide I link to below. From there, I can lift the mast vertical and then grab the forestay and walk it forward. That last step is a bit freaky and is MUCH better if I can get a helper to attach the forestay while I stay at the mast.

You don't need the crutch if you have a helper who is willing to stand in the cockpit and lift the mast up to you, then run around to attach the forestay.

Here's a video of another Mariner owner who raises the mast by himself. His system cleverly uses the jib halyard through a block on his trailer, then cleated off in a jib sheet cleat. I would do it his way if I regularly raised and lowered my mast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS44ra77va8

Watch for tangled rigging, overhead obstacles, and crosswinds.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Actually, I think the 1976-78 O'DAY 20 used nearly the same mast as the MARINER, so your advice may be better than you realize!
The earlier (1973-75) O'DAY 20 had a shorter, Masthead-rigged mast and so may be easier to step than hte Mariner's mast.

When we stepped the mast on our old CAL 21 (very similar to 1976-78 O'DAY 20 as far as rigging) my Dad would stand in the cockpit with hte mast supported by a crutch hooked to the rudder pintles (hinge pins), we would attach the sidestays (shrouds) and backstay, then slide the mast aft until the base of the mast could be inserted into hte tabernacle (mast base hinge), once the mast was seated in hte tabernacle my Dad would start to walk forward in the cockpit pushing the mast up as he did, I would be up on hte forward deck pulling on hte forestay as the mast began to pivot up. Once my Dad got to the forward end of the cockpit I would need to hold the forestay a bit harder as he stepped up onto hte cabin top, by then the mast was almost all the way up and could be easily pivoted the rest of the way to vertical. My Dad would then lean against the mast to tilt it slightly further forward giving me a bit of slack to attach the forestay and then tighten the turnbuckle on hte forestay. The mast on a CAL 21 is a bit heavier (slightly larger extrusion size) than the Mariner and O'Day 20, but we could step/unstep using the above technique when needed (we usually had the boatyard step/unstep the mast, but sometimes we needed to fix something and needed to unstep mid-season).
Some things to watch out for (same for both masthead and fractional rigs):
1) if you can't get the mast up beyond a certain point, check for anything caught, like maybe a shroud or stay has hooked on a cleat, or a turnbuckle is not laying properly to allow the mast to rise (be careful then not to bend any turnbuckles!)
2) Take your time and don't rush!
3) If yo uhave a third person, you could attach a line to the jib halyard, run it through a block (pulley) near the bow (maybe shckle a block to the bow cleat or stem fitting) and back to a jibsheet winch and cleat. That way they can provide a little help and also a "safety line" as back up to the person pulling on the forestay.
4) CLOSE the hatch before starting, don't want anyone to suddenly fall into hte cabin!
5) Check before starting to be sure there are no overhead wires or tree branches! nearby or betwee nwhere you step the mast and the ramp.

Here is the procedure as described in my O'DAY 20 Manual:
Stepping the Mast:

CAUTION: BEFORE STEPPING THE MAST, BE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO OVERHEAD WIRES OR TREE BRANCHES. ALSO CHECK THAT THERE ARE NO OVERHEAD OBSTACLES BETWEEN RIGGING AREA AND LAUNCHING AREA.
We recommend that you have assistance in stepping the mast. The mast should have the slot facing aft when stepped, or down when horizontal. Open the turnbuckles at ends of stays to half-open position. Then attach the Backstay to the stern chainplate, with clevis pin and cotter ring and proceed to attach Sidestays, both uppers and lowers, to the side chainplates. The lower Sidestays that run up to the spreader bases are attached to the fore side chainplates, while the upper Sidestays running from the top of the mast are attached to the aft side chainplates. (See Fig. 4) Do not attach the Headstay to the bow fitting yet. A tabernacle is provided on the cabin top of the O’DAY 20 for ease in mast stepping. With the mast in a horizontal position and with sliding hatch closed, insert base of mast with pin in tabernacle (Aluminum cast tabernacle) or insert aft pin into tabernacle (Stainless-Steel hinge-plate tabernacle). Next push up and forward on the mast until the mast is in a vertical position; it helps if one person pushes the mast up while a second assists by standing on the foredeck and pulling in the forestay. Now with one person holding the mast vertical, the other can attach the forestay to the stem fitting near the bow (use forward hole) with a clevis pin and cotter ring. (See Fig. 3) If your boat has the stainless-steel hinge-plate tabernacle, insert forward pin into tabernacle now. After all stays are securely attached, take the slack out of the rigging and tighten. With the mast plumb (in a vertical position), the Headstay, Backstay, the two upper Sidestays, should he tightened 3-5 turns more than hand tight. The two lower Sidestays should be just taut, not hand tight.

CAUTION: It is very important that you do not tighten the stays too much, as this can cause damage to the hull and deck. Also, periodically you should inspect the chainplates for corrosion and the deck area around them for rotted core.

After the stays have been adjusted, take a pair of pliers (even better, use a wrench), tighten the lock nuts on the turnbuckles which will prevent the turnbuckles from unwinding. To be on the safe side, we strongly recommend that you wire and tape the turnbuckles so they will not unwind.

Normally, on a trailered boat, only the forestay needs to be unhooked to lower the mast; thus the other standing rigging can be left adjusted for the season. The forestay will need to be loosened each time to unstep the mast, then retighten after stepping the mast.