Derigging a ketch rig

[liveitwell]

Heloo there to all you wise old salts I have a project I need help with here goes!
My ketch has wooden spruce box masts, I dont trust them due to not having been there for construction and as its a used boat from 74 I dont want to push my luck. I have a friend whos ketch has alumminumm sticks and is willing to swap them. There is no crane nearby so instead of motoring both boats up to the nearest crane weve decided to derigg his boat with my wood masts and motor mine up to the crane swap the masts using the crane motor down and reverse the process, putting the wood masts up on his ketch using the aluminum ones now on my boat.... Whef!! follow so far??? Id like to now say to anyone waiting inevitably to discorage us to not bother replying. Were doing it this way and thats it. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to bring those metal sticks down with my current rig please do tell. I figure it will require anchors rowed off to the side from out mast heads to stabalize the boats then using block and tackel winches and hard hats to carefully lowerthem down to deck level. Any info or ideas at all on how to do this would be greatly appriciated thank you much.

[Sailmonkey]

You'll need another boat on the other side!!

[liveitwell]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

You'll need another boat on the other side!!

sounds like a good idea. to stabalize them you figure?. If you wouldent mind opening up the subject a little. Mabbee a boat on each side four deep. However thats three more boats that could get bumped up pretty badly...

[charliehows]

interesting - I'm all for figuring out how to do stuff with ingenuity instead of heavy machinery/money - i've spent a fair bit of time hanging off my own rigging, would appreciate to hear how you get on and what works in this case...main problem i see is working off the top of one rig onto the other - the anchors thing might work, let us know how it goes.

[charliehows]

for what its worth, i think i'd prefer to try using the boom to lower/raise the masts - dropping the main using the mizzen then using a boom and pulley to lower the mizzen - has the advantage of not requiring a crane at all or another boat for that matter - depends how big the boat is...

[Sailmonkey]

Put a boat on each side of the boat that is to have t he masts removed. The additive effect of two halyards lifting at an angle on opposite sides cancels out and the mast comes straight up.

[Juniper]

How big are your boats / masts?
I've thought of making a portable / removable crane to take down my 39' 450Lb Al mast using 2 X 25' 1 1/2" steel pipes guyed off fore-aft, feet at the chainplate forming a triangle.

[FSMike]

Having a boat on each side so the mast comes straight up rather than swinging to one side is a necessary step. Rig swiveling blocks on each of the outer boats rather than using the halyard sheaves at the top of the masts. They will jam, you can guess how I know this.
If I had had the money to hire a crane to step and unstep the masts on one boat I would have been able to find the money to do both boats. But don't worry, I won't tell you to do it that way.

[zeehag]

liveitwell...send yourself or someone up your masts.
my boat is 1976 and my original masts are perfect.
i trust them in 60 kt winds, i trust my bestest ever friend up them...
spruce is good substance for mast building--is why it was used....

[liveitwell]

Thanks for all the replies and good advice. The reason not to use the crane on both boats is good. I cant exactly steal someones home and take it away for a week. Boats on both sides... This is good. Ive lots of blocks I can use and perhaps we'll even tie down the base of the masts to deck to make sure they dont swing up in an unwanted direction. one boat is a 32ft LOD with a six foot bowsprit the other is 38 LOD this is how the rigs will match pretty good. The masts have aready gone through 30 knots and pounding seas with me already. I do trust them to a certain point but whats better than a couple stout alumminum sticks!!! Keep em coming folks. theres some clever folks out there. I'll let yall know how it goes when it goes!

[Kettlewell]

Pro tip--don't come back here looking for sympathy if something goes wrong.

[liveitwell]

The real pros are the ones with good advice. Good luck when there aint no one around that'll do your wallets bidding (or change your diapers!

[Kettlewell]

The real pros are the ones with good advice.

I'm trying to give it to you, but you don't want it.

[zeehag]

liveitwell... about aluminum sticks being better than wooden ones--there are souls who will buy your wooden ones from you--on leaky teaky yacht club yahoo group-- you could do well to advertise the sticks you feel are inferior there and someone there will be more than happy to buy them, as is.

as i do not need new masts, i wont be interested in them, but there are leaky teaky-ites with need for masts. is an excellent place to dispo leaky teaky original parts.

[Kettlewell]

I'm a great believer in doing it yourself and saving money, but sometimes you need to spend a little money to save a lot in the long run. My perspective on this comes from working in a boatyard where a worker screwed up and a mast fell on someone's head, nearly killing her.