with the information I have learned, I have a plan. I will explain and someone can either tell me in going to screw it up, or that I have came up with a better mousetrap.... my 24ft mast weighs approximetly 50 pounds with the rigging. if i anchor it to the tabernacle and lift it at a distance of 8ft from the tabernacle, i will be applying about 75-80 pounds of force.
so using the gin pole method, I want to hook on to it there, leaving the forestay to swing in the breeze. (I could hook on higher up but I want to be able to unhook from it without climbing the mast)
here is where it gets unique. I will have baby stay attachment points forward of the mast and as wide as I can get without upsetting the aesthetics. and at the mast connection point, where the line from the gin pole will connect, I will build a quick detach bridal with two blocks on it to quick-attach to the boom.
then... from the baby stay attachment points on the deck, I will run a line from each side up thru the respective block on the bridal...... these lines will be evened up and joined solidly with a the single line going to the gin pole...... and from there it is all back to a normal mast raising system.
when the single hoisting line is pulled, it will tighten both lines evenly thru the bridal blocks and out to the stay attachment points on the deck. as the mast raises, it will be trapped in the middle of the "self adjusting stays" which are actually the lifting lines, and cannot sway left or right as it comes up. due to the wide mounted stay attachment points on the deck, it will remain stabile from the time it leaves the saddle to the time the shrouds take over.....
I can see where with this method, it would be easy to raise and lower the mast while on the water and a secure way to hold the mast while passing under a bridge..... no side slop because there will be no slack in the holding line, which in a sense are self adjusting stays at this point. although while lowered, on the water and underway, a person would probably want to use a line and snug the forestay up for additional support
will it work? I think it will.... and Sum, you are right. I have over engineered it, LOL.... but thats what I do....