Mast stowage on trailerable boat
Ever since a friend lost his Lightning mast during lunch in North Bend, we have carried the mast on the cartop/trucktop if the mast is longer than the boat. (The Pelican, having a lug rig, has a mast, boom, and yard that fit within the length of the boat. Everything else should have a longer mast, by 8 to 10 feet. The truck driver probably never knew he hit anything, much less broke a sailboat mast. Usually the mast serves as a ridgepole for the cockpit cover. But the boom can do this if the alternative is having the mast stick out behind the boat. Some trailers have a mast support to carry the mast from a bracket supported by the gudgeons to a point up over the car. This works fine and of course it will not be under the cover. I would opt for the support to keep the mast over the cartop unless you drive a truck or a van. In that case, carry the mast on the top of the vehicle. Consider going without a cover. The cloth will vibrate in the slipstream and wear out much sooner.
