My mast is of the boat for the winter, just bought the boat, storing on saw horses. I've seen masts wrapped in cellophane, would anyone recommend this. Live in Wisconsin, cold winters and snow.
storing mast
- Thread starter efr272
- Start date
As far as the aluminum goes, I can't see the weather hurting it. But if your mast or boom is near the ground, it becomes a potential site for bird, rodent, and insect infestation. Same goes for your boat. Also, your lines will continue to deteriorate in the elements. After I bought my boat last year, I found birds' nests in the mast and boom. Yuck! The lines were nasty! I replaced them, and I will seal the ends of the boom and mast this winter, and I will cover or wrap any exposed lines, so they stay cleaner. I admit I don't want to de-rig the mast to launder the lines. Oh, and throw some moth balls in the boat. I am told they work to keep mice out. Maybe others will add more info!
Thanks,
Andrew
Thanks,
Andrew
They get wrapped for transportation. It typically stays on until the mast is ready to be stepped.
I am in Wisconsin as well - plan on coiling the halyards and placing them in a ziplock - and covering the masthead - I removed the antenna, wind vane and masthead light. My mast is on sawhorses next to the boat which is on it's trailer. Do what you can to keep mice out - my mast has foam down the center - I plan on stuffing something into the base so small animals don't decide to nest in it.
I used to live in Wisconsin, and when I stored my mast down, I stored it on 4 saw horses. I wrapped it in plastic that I bought at Menards. It was a roll on a handle about 8-10 inches wide. The same stuff they use to wrap pallets, but narrower and thinner. I used a couple of rolls each time I did it, and I think they were around $8 a roll......that was about 10 years ago though. I wrapped the entire mast with the rigging attached, and wrapped the excess halyards right to the mast. It held up good for the entire winter.
I dunno guys I leave my mast on 4 horses and seal off the step so no amimals get in 15 years now no problems
Use to store our boat Wisconsin at home ,wrapped the rigging and halyards on strips of carpet and taped it to mast with that WM no residue tape, then I shrank wrapped it from one end to the other with the plastic I use to wrap pallets on my truck,it made me feel warm and fuzzy my transport guy said over kill but we re did entire mast electrical,and rigging
now shes on the hard with mast up so no such luck but I am wrapping all the winches this year!
now shes on the hard with mast up so no such luck but I am wrapping all the winches this year!
I have seen a lot of plastic wrappings collect rain water which freezes inside the plastic. Especially halyard bags. If water can find their way into a bag, or collect in plastic it will and then it freezes. I have seen slots in masts and booms collect moisture and then freeze and expand the slots. I have seen steaming and anchor light lenses fill up with water and freeze. And, I have seen aluminum stain from water standing too long beneath a plastic cover. For instance, wrapped masts that are with new boats that don't sell right away will collect moisture and when the boat sells and the wraps are removed, the anodizing is permanently stained. So, those are things to beware of. If you wrap your mast, do it so no water collects. That might be best accomplished with a very long (or several long) pieces of plastic that are draped over the top of the mast and secure so that water drains. Plastic that is wrapped around and around a mast from top to bottom will enable water to penetrate and collect sometimes on the bottom leaving a long bag of water. And about saw horses: If you use two, put them where you have a third of the mast extending from the horse on one end, a third of the mast between the two horses and a third of the mast extending from the horse on the other end. You are cutting the mast into thirds with your saw horses. It is also best to undo the pin at the top of your roller furling unit and let the end be free so that the forestay wire just below the swage fitting (or whatever fitting) does not bend and distort in case the angle is such that it will torque the wire. Tape a bag or piece of plastic shrink wrap material, etc. over the ends to keep the critters and birds out. Happy winter.
What's the downside to leaving the mast standing for the winter? It seems that is the preferred method around here. In fact, I'd be less concerned in a colder climate that doesn't have such a high incidence of freezing rain as we do here.
Putting masts up and down is like an annuity for boatyards. Most common practice around here is leave them up. Whatever risk there is its got to be less than the unskilled labor of local yards having at your rig. They always cut the mast wiring, they've dropped masts, they almost got a worker killed in the process, not to mention they track mud, stone and sand all over the deck, lose fittings and on and on. None of us would even consider letting them them de-riggging the boat.
I've left mine up unless I wanted the boat taken inside for repairs or paint. Or if I want the boat put on a trailer to take it somewhere that I can control the work on it.
I know some will say, or have pictures of boats blown off their stands but we've rarely seen it. If you are worried about that you shouldn't cover the boat or shrink wrap it. That's way more windage.
Local yards claim that the INSCO's require mast down storage but a drive around the yards in the winter shows this "Rule" is widely ignored.
I've left mine up unless I wanted the boat taken inside for repairs or paint. Or if I want the boat put on a trailer to take it somewhere that I can control the work on it.
I know some will say, or have pictures of boats blown off their stands but we've rarely seen it. If you are worried about that you shouldn't cover the boat or shrink wrap it. That's way more windage.
Local yards claim that the INSCO's require mast down storage but a drive around the yards in the winter shows this "Rule" is widely ignored.
mast storage continued
AS said in a previous post I store my mast on 4 horses and block up the base to keep animals out AS far as my halyards go I leave them cleeted off "no bags" My jib halyard is new this year. My main halyard is 15 years old It was changed when I bought the boat. no trouble ever in 15 years If something happens to the main halyard, well Im due for a new one anyway
AS said in a previous post I store my mast on 4 horses and block up the base to keep animals out AS far as my halyards go I leave them cleeted off "no bags" My jib halyard is new this year. My main halyard is 15 years old It was changed when I bought the boat. no trouble ever in 15 years If something happens to the main halyard, well Im due for a new one anyway
