So my loved Hunter 27 is making the trek to the Hamptons for the summer. With this I need to step the mast for shipping. Does anyone have instructions or experience on this? Google has let em down...
Stepping Hunter 27 Mast
- Thread starter Canyonkeeper
- Start date
If you have access to a crane, I can walk you through it step-by-step. It's not difficult. Can't help you if you're planning on using an A-frame.
If your only going to the Hamptons, I recommend you sail there. Its only about a day or so away and there are plenty of marinas that offer transient docking along the way. Plus once you get to Long Beach north of Breezy Point, you can get in protected waters and stay in them for the rest of the trip. So you would really only be in open water for about 3/4 hours. You can maximize your time in the protected waters of Barnaget by sailing north and through the Point Pleasant channel. It sounds intimidating, and it is, but if you hit it at ebb tide then it's just fine to pass through. From there you can exit the very gentle Point Pleasant inlet and shoot North to Breezy Point. Itll be a fu trip for you.
I wouldnt recommend stepping the mast on your H27. Your boat, like mine, are 36 years old and who knows what will happen. Ive contemplated stepping my mast before to grt cheaper winter storage options but the risks far outweigh the reward.
On another note Im sad to see you leave Barnaget Bay. Your the only other person around me with the exact same boat. Good luck in the Hamptons.
I wouldnt recommend stepping the mast on your H27. Your boat, like mine, are 36 years old and who knows what will happen. Ive contemplated stepping my mast before to grt cheaper winter storage options but the risks far outweigh the reward.
On another note Im sad to see you leave Barnaget Bay. Your the only other person around me with the exact same boat. Good luck in the Hamptons.
@Stollo. I would love to sail and that was the original plan. With the Yanmar working perfect I did debate it. Unfortunately I am extremely short on time and would only have weekends.
I am not worried about stuff breaking the step and everything else is in great shape.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
As a side note I need to step the mast anyway to rewire the lights and VHF antenna. So it is a necessary evil at this point. Plus a fresh clean and wax would not hurt.
I am not worried about stuff breaking the step and everything else is in great shape.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
As a side note I need to step the mast anyway to rewire the lights and VHF antenna. So it is a necessary evil at this point. Plus a fresh clean and wax would not hurt.
That stinks that you can't sail her there. That would have been a great adventure but time is the enemy of all sailors. If your confident that you can step your mast properly then I guess you should go for it. I would assume you need to rent a crane, if your yard doesn't have one already, and use it to lay your mast horizontally on your deck. Make wooden scissor mounts to hold onto the deck so that it doesn't bend when it goes over your cabin and cockpit. Apply ratchet straps to secure the mast for shipping and you should be good. Make sure everything is insured before shipping though, in case the hauler is an idiot.
The actual unstepping is not really a problem. The mast just sits in the deck step and is not physically attached in any way, other than being supported by all the shrouds and stays. In fact, I've even considered cutting away the fore and aft sections of the step and inserting a pin from the side into the mast as a pivot point to make stepping/unstepping easier...but I digress.
Where I've encountered problems is at the base with the electric wires. TWICE now I've had marinas cut my wires short right at the base of the mast, rather than disconnecting them from my electric blocks down below. This has required me to do a really hard solder job just inside the mast base, oh, and a coax cable splice for the antenna!
Crane or self stepping/unstepping is the real question. As a background to the unsteppinng question, let me tell you about self stepping first: I've stepped a mast myself with just me and my wife (which I don't think I'd do again), but I reccommend at least one if not two extra helpers. I attached all the stays and shrouds (except for the fore stay) with the turnbuckles as loose as I could get them without actually disconnecting them which allowed the mast to go up without fear of toppling over. My wife pulled the mast up from the front while I guided the base into place/shouldered the mast up. I tied rope just above the base and anchored it to carabiners attached to the toe rail at the sides and rear to provide lateral support. Once the mast starts to go up, keep it going and it goes just fine...if you waver, well, cross your fingers...it's like trying to balance a baseball bat on top of your head.
I would assume unstepping would be the same, but I think it would be more difficult...it's kind of like felling a tree...a metal tree...although trees don't come with stays and shrouds attached, and they're heavier. But lowering is a more controlled affair and it gets 'heavier' as it gets lower and the angle of pull decreases...all while trying to gently set it down on the center of the deck (a mast never got bent or dented because it went UP too fast). I'd go crane for unstepping and self for stepping....unless you want to build an a-frame or similar old-school stepping structure.
Oh, see this link about another idea: http://www.caphorn.com/sections/Pages/mast_stepping_system.htm
Where I've encountered problems is at the base with the electric wires. TWICE now I've had marinas cut my wires short right at the base of the mast, rather than disconnecting them from my electric blocks down below. This has required me to do a really hard solder job just inside the mast base, oh, and a coax cable splice for the antenna!
Crane or self stepping/unstepping is the real question. As a background to the unsteppinng question, let me tell you about self stepping first: I've stepped a mast myself with just me and my wife (which I don't think I'd do again), but I reccommend at least one if not two extra helpers. I attached all the stays and shrouds (except for the fore stay) with the turnbuckles as loose as I could get them without actually disconnecting them which allowed the mast to go up without fear of toppling over. My wife pulled the mast up from the front while I guided the base into place/shouldered the mast up. I tied rope just above the base and anchored it to carabiners attached to the toe rail at the sides and rear to provide lateral support. Once the mast starts to go up, keep it going and it goes just fine...if you waver, well, cross your fingers...it's like trying to balance a baseball bat on top of your head.
I would assume unstepping would be the same, but I think it would be more difficult...it's kind of like felling a tree...a metal tree...although trees don't come with stays and shrouds attached, and they're heavier. But lowering is a more controlled affair and it gets 'heavier' as it gets lower and the angle of pull decreases...all while trying to gently set it down on the center of the deck (a mast never got bent or dented because it went UP too fast). I'd go crane for unstepping and self for stepping....unless you want to build an a-frame or similar old-school stepping structure.
Oh, see this link about another idea: http://www.caphorn.com/sections/Pages/mast_stepping_system.htm
@braol Thank you! I am pretty sure that the travel lift at the marina on both sides can help. It should not be an issue and I cannot wait to rewire the mast and get everything where it needs to be.