I have moved my boat from Huntington to Staten Island, where everyone seems to leave the mast up all winter. Some even leave their main and jib installed/rigged all winter! THis seems odd to me. Should I ask them to take the mast down (I'm afraid of them putting it back up in the Spring!) or should I just go with the folw?
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Leave it up
Some yards require that the mast be unstepped. Brewer yards, for example. One school of thought says that having the mast stepped while the boat is on the hard subjects the vessel to excessive stress caused by wind. Being locked in place, the boat cannot give with the wind as it can when stored in the water. However, we have had our mast stepped most of the time on land or water storage and have seen no problems. I only have it unstepped when I know I will be doing a lot of work on it. Much easier than doing it in a bosun's chair. Besides, unstepping and stepping the mast is expense. So I would say leave it stepped.
Some yards require that the mast be unstepped. Brewer yards, for example. One school of thought says that having the mast stepped while the boat is on the hard subjects the vessel to excessive stress caused by wind. Being locked in place, the boat cannot give with the wind as it can when stored in the water. However, we have had our mast stepped most of the time on land or water storage and have seen no problems. I only have it unstepped when I know I will be doing a lot of work on it. Much easier than doing it in a bosun's chair. Besides, unstepping and stepping the mast is expense. So I would say leave it stepped.
Leave it up
I am in Raritan Bay Morgan Marina and most of the boats leave them up. Mine stays up unless I have to drop it for work. No problems at all.
I am in Raritan Bay Morgan Marina and most of the boats leave them up. Mine stays up unless I have to drop it for work. No problems at all.
Potential Damage
I try to winter in the water for two seasons and then pull the boat for a winter to do a bottom job and any other work like waxing, etc. I have had a lot of damage to my mast, mostly minor and cosmetic but the yards throw them on top of each other, dent them, bang them around, etc. Any opportunity to minimize their handling of the boat and equipment is a benefit. LEAVE IT UP!!! dave
I try to winter in the water for two seasons and then pull the boat for a winter to do a bottom job and any other work like waxing, etc. I have had a lot of damage to my mast, mostly minor and cosmetic but the yards throw them on top of each other, dent them, bang them around, etc. Any opportunity to minimize their handling of the boat and equipment is a benefit. LEAVE IT UP!!! dave
Leave it up
I leave my mast stepped for the winter. Every third season I will unstep to check everything out. Peter I have to disagree with you. I have my boat in one of the Brewer yards and it is not required to unstep the mast. That might be particular to your yard.
I leave my mast stepped for the winter. Every third season I will unstep to check everything out. Peter I have to disagree with you. I have my boat in one of the Brewer yards and it is not required to unstep the mast. That might be particular to your yard.
Take Jib Off!
There have been numberous reports of boats blowing over because the furling jib came unfurled therefore I'd recommend taking the jib off. Should this ever happen and the boat blows over it could get really expensive. My boat is in a marina over the winter and my jib just came off this afternoon. We've been known to get 60 to 80 knots in the winter and one time even the Tacoma Narrows bridge blew down. If your boat blows over because of the jib it will take several years in the courts to get everything resolved. It isn't worth it.
There have been numberous reports of boats blowing over because the furling jib came unfurled therefore I'd recommend taking the jib off. Should this ever happen and the boat blows over it could get really expensive. My boat is in a marina over the winter and my jib just came off this afternoon. We've been known to get 60 to 80 knots in the winter and one time even the Tacoma Narrows bridge blew down. If your boat blows over because of the jib it will take several years in the courts to get everything resolved. It isn't worth it.
Mast Up, Jib Down
I would deffinately leave the mast up, but for sure take the jib down and sent to the sail maker for cleaning and "repair as necessary". Treat it right and it will do right by you. Fair winds, Jack Beneteau 370
I would deffinately leave the mast up, but for sure take the jib down and sent to the sail maker for cleaning and "repair as necessary". Treat it right and it will do right by you. Fair winds, Jack Beneteau 370
Even in gales
We left Antigone (Raider 33) in the water two full seasons and a whole winter over the bubbler and the black KL-990 came through a treat. The next year the boat was hauled with the 46-ft spar in situ. We took the boom off and everything else (including the 42-inch wheel-- wheels are always targets for scrap thieves). The halyards were all led far apart (like extra stays) to the toerail. That winter we had a h*ll of a gale come through-- 70 MPH winds and blowing sleet. Antigone with a 6-ft keel and the bottom of the cradle about 2 ft off the gravel posed major windage in that (masthead now 54 ft above ground, plus antenna). I swear I did not sleep that whole night. The old man never had a care. And, of course-- leave it to the champion ace boat-blocker at the yard, a former tugboat captain whow would evict you if he caught you messing with his blocking, the boat was fine. Trust the yard-- that's why you pay them. Also-- as I just wrote somewhere else tonight-- one of the things that will fatigue your rig fastest is constantly tuning and detuning. The spar and rigging will weather it all just fine if you leave it all in place and properly tuned. Backing off on the turnbuckles a little because you think it is under the wrong sorts of stress whilst the boat is blocked up is a good way to put your mast (and possibly the whole boat) over onto your neighbour's cabintop. JC 2
We left Antigone (Raider 33) in the water two full seasons and a whole winter over the bubbler and the black KL-990 came through a treat. The next year the boat was hauled with the 46-ft spar in situ. We took the boom off and everything else (including the 42-inch wheel-- wheels are always targets for scrap thieves). The halyards were all led far apart (like extra stays) to the toerail. That winter we had a h*ll of a gale come through-- 70 MPH winds and blowing sleet. Antigone with a 6-ft keel and the bottom of the cradle about 2 ft off the gravel posed major windage in that (masthead now 54 ft above ground, plus antenna). I swear I did not sleep that whole night. The old man never had a care. And, of course-- leave it to the champion ace boat-blocker at the yard, a former tugboat captain whow would evict you if he caught you messing with his blocking, the boat was fine. Trust the yard-- that's why you pay them. Also-- as I just wrote somewhere else tonight-- one of the things that will fatigue your rig fastest is constantly tuning and detuning. The spar and rigging will weather it all just fine if you leave it all in place and properly tuned. Backing off on the turnbuckles a little because you think it is under the wrong sorts of stress whilst the boat is blocked up is a good way to put your mast (and possibly the whole boat) over onto your neighbour's cabintop. JC 2
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