Taking the mast down with a CDI furler (O'day 25)

[Joe11688]

Joe, i can't quite make out how the hitch is used to secure the furler to the gin pole.
1 Is the gin pole secured to the bowline?
2. Does the hitch slide on the furler while the mast is being lowered?
I tried to zoom in on the pic of the furler and gin pole but couldn't.
thanks for your help
keith

There's no Bowline involved in this hitch Keith. I've never had the "Rolling Hitch" slide on anything that I tied it to.

What I did was take 1/4" X 5' braid line and tied the rolling hitch to the Vinyl furler luff about a foot or two above the Gin pole.
Then I rapped the line around the Gin Pole twice (a round turn) and pulled it tight and added two half hitches to the rope above the round turn. Then I brought the rope around the luff and tied two half hitches around the Gin Pole to entrap the furler luff to the Gin Pole. In the picture I'm using a broom handle for the furler luff and a Whisker Pole that one of my friends just gave me a couple of months ago in place of the Gin Pole. The idea behind all this is to be able to let your mast down without having someone hold the furler in line with the mast.
Half Hitches are very simple to tie but whenever there is any strain involved, the half hitches can bind on the object that you're tying to. So it's always advisable to make a "Round Turn" first, then tie your half hitches over it. That way, you can always untie your half hitches. But then on the other hand, "four thumbs and a finger"-- you can always grab the rolling hitch with one hand and it will slide down easy and provide the slack needed to untie the half hitches. Check out the pics and let me know if you were able to get it OK.
This rolling hitch can be used on any rope and the Bowline isn't part of the hitch unless you wanted to fasten a block and tackle to it and use it to relieve the strain on a Gennie sheet that is jammed on your winch.

 

[RichBone]

Sorry Joe, but I don't see anything there that looks like a what I thought was a rolling hitch.
(I'm sitting here with not else to do)

Rich

 

[wnance]

My mast also had that fitting at the base and I also had a hole in the deck because of it. I think it was to use the boom as a gin pole to the raise and lower the mast. I removed the sliding gooseneck setup for the boom and replaced it with that lower fitting. Much simpler setup.

Which plate did you get? The one I ordered from DRMarine wouldn't fit with the hole on the raised lip mounted to the rear so I ordered the one from RigRite. http://rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/Kenyon_Parts/K-1374_assm.html. The lip does not get in the way of the mast dropping.

Rich

I think the gooseneck is for the downhaul, and that ring down there that hits the deck when the mast goes down to the stern is for the boom vang, small as it is, that came with the O'day 25.

We have the plate from DR Marine, it fit and we installed it, I can't remember whether the back lip has a hole or not, I thought it did, to run another line to the cockpit. I haven't seen yours before, but I like it a lot, more places to attach blocks!

What lines are you running back to the cockpit with your setup?

Wes

 

[Joe11688]

Sorry Joe, but I don't see anything there that looks like a what I thought was a rolling hitch.
(I'm sitting here with not else to do)

Rich

Sorry Rich. I had posted the pictures of the "Lineman's Rolling Hitch" on another thread that shows how to tie it. So for the benefit of those who want to learn it on this thread, I will post it again.

1. To tie this hitch, just take six raps around an object with the rope. You always want to rap away from the direction of the pull.

2. Then take the end of the rope and pass it behind the standing part of the rope and tie two half hitches around the object in front of the hitch.

(note)* That third picture shows the Rolling Hitch with only one half hitch tied to the front of it. You're going to need to tie at least two half hitches in front of the turns.

That's it! This hitch is so simple that after you have learned it, you'll be able to practically tie it with one hand and never have to even think about it while you're tying it. Let me know if you were able to get it Rich.
Joe

 

[RichBone]

The first plate I had would only fit with the hole forward- I wanted to use the plate as an anchor for the vang. I would have had to turn the tabernacle around to have it fit with the hole to the rear but I worried that it would throw the rig tuning off.

I think the sliding gooseneck was for a downhaul, but I like a cunningham setup better. A lot simpler and more conventional.
Though I had it disconnected when I took the pic.

For now I'm just running the halyards to the cockpit.

Rich

 

[wnance]

The first plate I had would only fit with the hole forward- I wanted to use the plate as an anchor for the vang. I would have had to turn the tabernacle around to have it fit with the hole to the rear but I worried that it would throw the rig tuning off.

I think the sliding gooseneck was for a downhaul, but I like a cunningham setup better. A lot simpler and more conventional.
Though I had it disconnected when I took the pic.

For now I'm just running the halyards to the cockpit.

Rich

Great pics, thanks! Hey, how are your cabin top winches attached down below? Did you drill out the fiberglass roof liner, or just use a backing plate and leave the liner intact? We are doing that project this spring, with a Harken winch and spinlock rope clutches.

Thanks,

Wes

 

[RichBone]

I just thru-bolted through the liner and backed it with fender washers. The hardest part was mounting the winch bases on the cabin top which was curved and uneven.

Rich

 

[RichBone]

It need not be a big deal thru-bolting. The pull is sideways anyhow.

I got the idea of mounting a grab rail off of the ends of the bolts of the cabintop grab rail from Shoal Drafter. I got the ss coupling nuts from "Bolt Depot"-
http://www.boltdepot.com/product.aspx?cc=7&cs=181&cm=6

The grab rail really comes in handy when you're sailing plus it covers the holes.

Rich

 

[Joe11688]

I like that idea Rich! Hey Rich, when you get a chance can you check out that hitch that I posted and let me know if you were able to tie it using my directions?

 

[emergpa1]

Rich,

I like that setup a lot, but have a couple questions-

On our O'day 25, the aft side of the mast has a couple things sticking out (can't remember exactly what right now) that dig into the deck as the mast swings back. There is a nice scraped out hole through the non-skid as evidence that the previous owner liked to take the mast backward. We also installed a mast plate under the tabernacle for extra block attachments at the base of the mast, and it has a lip that bends up at the back of the plate, and I don't know if the mast would catch on that or not. Maybe not.

Probably part of it is how high the mast crutch is that you are using back at the stern, does that keep the mast from digging into the deck as it goes back?

This is all great information, hopefully we'll have a better system next year.

Wes

Rich. How long are the tubes on the a frame?
Thanks
Keith

 

[RichBone]

Rich. How long are the tubes on the a frame?
Thanks
Keith

I think they were about 9'. It depends on how far back from the bow that they're attached near the toe rail. I could have made them longer but then the a-frame would be too tall for me to easily access when it was vertical. Just whatever you're comfortable with. The taller the a-frame the more leverage you'll have when the mast is down.

Rich

 

[RichBone]

Last fall I lowered the mast at my dock while the boat was still in the water using a snatch block at the bow and running the line back to my primary winch. This spring I might have to raise the mast after the boat is in the water instead of on the trailer.

Rich