Unstepping a mast 25 ft. Oday
- Thread starter ron pate
- Start date
If you have two other sailing friends then have them tie off along side your boat. Then make a loop (collar) with chord Around your mast... and clip each of your neighbor’s boats main halyard to the collar. Hoist the collar to the spreaders and then using the winches on your neighbor’s boats lift your mast. You should tie another line fore-and-aft to the base of your mast so it won’t tip.
You will need at least four people.
I saw this done on a Cal27 last summer.
You will need at least four people.
I saw this done on a Cal27 last summer.
O'Day factory option for their 23 and 25 footers was a gin pole arrangement with as SS triangle plate in the outer shroud, across from the pivot point on the mast step. The actual rigging takes a bit of work to set up and then put away, but it works well. You do want quiet water and no wind. Have at least one helper. There might be some U Tube videos of theirs or similar systems.
The Oday 25 was designed for the boom to be used as a gin pole . Disconnected the aft stay and slowly relasing the mainsheet gave a huge purchase and a fair amount of control when lowering the mast faorward . The rear pivot pin needs to be removed at the mast step first . When the mast in near the bow pulpit ,there will be much more weight from the mast over the front of the boat . When the forward pivot pin is removed the mast is going to want continue it's pathoff the front of the boat . This is where every able body needs to be positioned .
Now ,if you are planning to step and unstep the mast every season ,a gin pole that clamps to the front base of the mast step works considerably better. I'm nearing 60 and I can raise and lower the mast on our Oday 25 safely and with full control with the boat on the water by myself. All materials were under $50.00
Now ,if you are planning to step and unstep the mast every season ,a gin pole that clamps to the front base of the mast step works considerably better. I'm nearing 60 and I can raise and lower the mast on our Oday 25 safely and with full control with the boat on the water by myself. All materials were under $50.00
My friend took the mast down (and put it back up ) at the dock using two extension ladders to make an A frame. Foot of ladders tied to the toe rail and the tops tied together, stays fore and aft, snatch block at the top.
Beneteau Oceanis 34
Beneteau Oceanis 34
I use an ATV winch 10+ feet in the air on my trailer. This year we pulled the boat to a dock and had the trailer on land. If you're stepping it towards the stern you'll want something to rest the mast on. If you don't the gooseneck will make a nice mark in your deck. I quickly made an X out of 2x3's and a few screws and ratchet strapped it to the stern. I would recommend a small amount of carpet where the mast will make contact with the wood so you can slide it back and forth.
If you step it forward you can use the boom as a gin pole. I did this once and the boom went flying, I fell nearly 10' and the mast came crashing down. We believe that our trouble started when I decided to grab the mast when it was a few feet above the deck and there was no longer tension on the lines.
In most cases you'll want to loosen the sidestays almost all the way or they'll prevent you from bringing the mast down. If you have extra halyards I highly suggest running them as support to prevent the mast from going sideways. I usually run a ratchet strap on each side between stanchion bases to give myself a place to tie off to. The halyards will stretch so just get them reasonably tight.
Watch out for the turnbuckles as you raise the mast. Sometimes they like to pull at an awkward angle. I bent one T-Bolt this year. I will probably tape a stick or pipe to them to keep them aligned before I start stepping
Every time I've done this I had a backup line to raise/lower the mast and used extra halyards to stabilize side to side motion. You still 1-2 people at the mast ensure it doesn't go to one side. I have done this by myself with an electric winch but I honestly think a crew of 4 people is perfect
If you step it forward you can use the boom as a gin pole. I did this once and the boom went flying, I fell nearly 10' and the mast came crashing down. We believe that our trouble started when I decided to grab the mast when it was a few feet above the deck and there was no longer tension on the lines.
In most cases you'll want to loosen the sidestays almost all the way or they'll prevent you from bringing the mast down. If you have extra halyards I highly suggest running them as support to prevent the mast from going sideways. I usually run a ratchet strap on each side between stanchion bases to give myself a place to tie off to. The halyards will stretch so just get them reasonably tight.
Watch out for the turnbuckles as you raise the mast. Sometimes they like to pull at an awkward angle. I bent one T-Bolt this year. I will probably tape a stick or pipe to them to keep them aligned before I start stepping
Every time I've done this I had a backup line to raise/lower the mast and used extra halyards to stabilize side to side motion. You still 1-2 people at the mast ensure it doesn't go to one side. I have done this by myself with an electric winch but I honestly think a crew of 4 people is perfect
Not to raise an old post but an important piece of info. On the O'Day 25 you need to have something to support the mast if stepping aft. If you don't your gooseneck will be pushed into the cabin roof. The X crutch I made just barely kept it from touching. It's made out of a couple of 8' 2x3's. The top of the X is about 1' wide and the bottom lines up with the stern cleats. It gets secured by four points - two on the rail and one at each cleat. This will rake the X backwards and provides just enough clearance for the spreaders. If you're going to build this I would suggest using 10' lumber and putting some carpet or even packing tape where the mast will touch the wood so you can slide it on/off it. It's a real bear trying to slide it solo against the wood. I prefer to step backwards because of my furler