Mast raising systems have been discussed before but I did not see a thread on a raising system for a DS I. Does anyone know of such a system?
Stepping Mast on DS I
- Thread starter Flyman
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I very seldom see anything on stepping a DS 1. Do you trailer this boat, or do you leave it in the water? If you trailer this boat you may want to install a stainless steel hinged Tabernacle. It's just a matter of cutting the mast and installing it. Then, getting the mast up and down can be an easy chore. Rudy at D&R Marine can set you up with a Tabernacle and plugs for attaching it. He has everything O'Day at his shop. http://www.drmarine.com/ The yacht club that I belong to has a raft with a large A frame on it. We use it to pull 22' galvanized pipes that support our dock, as well as moorings in our mooring field. I set a thu cabin mast for a Bristol 22 with it a few times. If you're setting your mast once a season, you could Mickey Mouse something using a block and tackle. If you're trailering though, you can't beat a hinged mast step.
Joe
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i had a ds1 for a couple years. my dock is about 4' off the water. on a calm day, i would tie the boat under the dock with the mast step at the edge of the dock. i would then lower the mast into the hole in the "cabin". i had my son hook up the stays while i held the mast.
if i had kept the ds, i would have installed the tabernacle. the roof isn't all that strong and you can easily damage it if you let the mast tip sideways at all. it definitely would make it alot easier.
make sure you floatation is order. i fliiped it once and could not keep it upright until we removed the sails and all the rigging, including the mast. but that's another story.
if i had kept the ds, i would have installed the tabernacle. the roof isn't all that strong and you can easily damage it if you let the mast tip sideways at all. it definitely would make it alot easier.
make sure you floatation is order. i fliiped it once and could not keep it upright until we removed the sails and all the rigging, including the mast. but that's another story.
If you will trailer this DS, then I'd suggest modifying the mast as Joe mentions. Rudy at D&R has the parts and a good set of instructions. A local sparmaker can do the work for you, cost will be $100-200 or so (parts from D&R will be around $50-60).
If you will keep the boat on a mooring (or can leave the mast stepped for the season) I'd do as Lord Nelson did, that is basically how I step/unstep the mast on my DS II. It is a bit of a challenge getting the mast down through the deck and lined up with the step..... but right now, I like the solid feel of the one-piece mast and don't have the $$ to convert to a hinged setup. I've seen other ideas, but most end up being more complicated than really needed.
If you will keep the boat on a mooring (or can leave the mast stepped for the season) I'd do as Lord Nelson did, that is basically how I step/unstep the mast on my DS II. It is a bit of a challenge getting the mast down through the deck and lined up with the step..... but right now, I like the solid feel of the one-piece mast and don't have the $$ to convert to a hinged setup. I've seen other ideas, but most end up being more complicated than really needed.
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