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Old 02-03-2018, 17:18   #1
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Jacking up the mizzen?

I need to repair some rotten wood under the mizzen mast step on my Morgan 462 - seems to be a common problem. I’m trying to figure out if I could loosen the shrouds, steady the mast with some lines, then jack it up a foot or two, then secure it so that I can effect the repairs. Then, when all is done, lower the mast back onto the new step.

I’m also looking into pulling the mast entirely, and storing it on the hard for a week or two. There’s a big yard nearby, just not sure how much they will charge.

Has anyone ever done something like this? Is it crazy to even contemplate it?

Regards,
David
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Old 16-03-2018, 21:50   #2
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

The tricky part is finding an area on the deck which is able to take the amount of load you will apply.

Sure, it is entirely possible to go up the mast, attach a few lines, to your cleats, and then remove your standing rigging.

I have lifted my mast using a several tall pieces of bamboo. A 4x4 8ft tall should be fine in your case provided again you spread the load out to an area that can take it.

Rig some lines to the 4x4 and make sure it is firm both top and bottom.

Near the top of the 4x4 attach a triple block and a double block at the base of the mizzen mast.
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Old 18-03-2018, 05:21   #3
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Doesn't sound like you want to lift the base of the mizzen onto the deck, but only lift it enough out of the way to get the step fixed. Don't know how much room you have around the butt of the mast, but you'll need something to rest it on in the lifted position. You will likely have to detach the standing rigging and set up temporary lines to hold the mast straight. This is risky, so make sure everything is well-supported and taut. If the mast moves or starts to lean, it has quite a long lever arm and can do heavy damage if the butt starts to move around.
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Old 18-03-2018, 05:34   #4
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Potentially risky in terms of damage to mast, rigging, vessel, and crew. I would just unstep it, which is by comparison a routine and much safer procedure.
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Old 18-03-2018, 15:46   #5
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Unstep and store the mast on land. Do you want one project or potentially two? It shouldn't cost more than $250-300. Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald
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Old 18-03-2018, 16:00   #6
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

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Originally Posted by rognvald View Post
Unstep and store the mast on land. Do you want one project or potentially two? It shouldn't cost more than $250-300. Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald
I only wish you were right about the cost! I've been quoted $295/hr for the crane and $95/hour for each rigger. The guy said two riggers and two hours, each way, so I'm looking at close to $2k! That's daylight robbery, hence my consideration of other options.

Anyone know of a more reasonably priced option for removal, temporary storage, and restepping of a 40ft mast in the Fort Lauderdale area?

-David
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Old 18-03-2018, 16:52   #7
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

I've done it. I made a simple jig out of angle iron and wooden studs that used threaded bar at each corner for the jacking mechanism. In my situation, I was able to attach it to the mast via a bolt through an existing set of holes in the mast. It worked surprisingly well. Some points that need considering:

  • The raising jig will need to stay in place while you do work on the step, therefore you need to ensure it leaves enough free space around the base in order to perform the work you need to do.
  • To get any appreciable raised height, you need to undo the existing standing rigging. From memory; I just tied lines onto the rigging once disconnected to extend it, using halyards to support during the connect and disconnect phases.
  • You need to ensure that you don't let the mast get too much out of vertical alignment. It gets very heavy very quickly if allowed to tilt over too much. Raise it in small incremental steps around all points.
  • Needless to say, the jig needs to be sturdy in it's raised position. You don't want it to wobble around too much!
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Old 18-03-2018, 17:01   #8
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Jacking it up sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me.

Maybe build a tabernacle for it and use a gin pole and lines to lower it...much like trailer sailors do.
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Old 18-03-2018, 19:45   #9
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

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Originally Posted by belizesailor View Post
Jacking it up sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me.

Maybe build a tabernacle for it and use a gin pole and lines to lower it...much like trailer sailors do.
I have a rigid arch about 8-9 feet aft of the mizzen, and a hard top bimini immediately forward of it, then the main mast itself. There's really no way to rig a tabernacle or use a gin pole with all the stuff surrounding it. Add to that, the mizzen is keel stepped, so would have to be raised 6-7ft just to clear the deck before it could be lowered. I agree that full removal by crane is the safest, but the cost is utterly ridiculous around here :-(

-David
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Old 19-03-2018, 04:09   #10
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

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Originally Posted by Davidhoy View Post
I have a rigid arch about 8-9 feet aft of the mizzen, and a hard top bimini immediately forward of it, then the main mast itself. There's really no way to rig a tabernacle or use a gin pole with all the stuff surrounding it. Add to that, the mizzen is keel stepped, so would have to be raised 6-7ft just to clear the deck before it could be lowered. I agree that full removal by crane is the safest, but the cost is utterly ridiculous around here :-(

-David
Ah, keel stepped certainly complicates matters.

Have you considered a different venue?
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Old 19-03-2018, 04:28   #11
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidhoy View Post
I have a rigid arch about 8-9 feet aft of the mizzen, and a hard top bimini immediately forward of it, then the main mast itself. There's really no way to rig a tabernacle or use a gin pole with all the stuff surrounding it. Add to that, the mizzen is keel stepped, so would have to be raised 6-7ft just to clear the deck before it could be lowered. I agree that full removal by crane is the safest, but the cost is utterly ridiculous around here :-(

-David
You already have a gin pole, its called a main mast. I'm sure it can be utilized.
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Old 19-03-2018, 05:40   #12
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

Is there a do it yourselve yard or YC around? they might have a mast crane. Or rent a cherry picker to pull it and store it. 2 or 3 people should be able to do the job. You don't need "riggers" to do it for you
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Old 19-03-2018, 05:58   #13
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

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Originally Posted by Kalinka1 View Post
Is there a do it yourselve yard or YC around? they might have a mast crane. Or rent a cherry picker to pull it and store it. 2 or 3 people should be able to do the job. You don't need "riggers" to do it for you
There are some DIY boat yards around here, but all the ones I've contacted charge at least $250/hr for the crane, and insist on at least one rigger too. The cherry picker idea is not bad, only problem is where to go where the cherry picker can get close enough to the boat. And can a cherry picker handle that kind of load?

-David
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Old 19-03-2018, 07:52   #14
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

If you do all the prep work yourself, have the safety pins all straightened and ready to just pull out those last few milimeters, make sure all the turnbuckles are free to move and loosen, and all the wires unhooked and pulled out from the glands and secured out of the way, then picking a mast is literally a 5-minute job once the crane is set up. The same for the reverse.

I've done it twice now in the two years we've owned our boat. Yes, crane time is expensive, the trick is to minimize it. The last yard we were in charged us $350 for literally 10 minutes of work using the same exact crane that had they just used to lower our boat into the water. Half of that time was lowering their spreader rig, unhooking it, and leaving it on the ground so they could pick our mast with just a hook and a single strap before setting it right into the wood cradles I had previously built and set up on the boat.






Worst part was that whole deal what that it was their fault we had to drop the mast in the first place because they put off sanding our bottom which we had contracted them to do for weeks and weeks, and when they did finally start it they took three more weeks to complete it since they sold some boats through their dealership and they pulled their guys off of our job to paint bottoms on those new boats....This all made us so late getting ready last spring that we missed the last Chicago bridge lift day. Then we also had to re-step the mast a few days later when we got back to Lake Michigan.

Needless to say, we didn't go back there this year...

Burnham Harbor Yacht Club has their own mast-stepping gantry on their docks and charges a reasonable rate (especially for Chicago) for stepping masts DIY although you need to use their guy to operate the gantry crane. It's a 15-minute job if you are all prepped and ready to go. It's another hour or so of tuning, but that's later after you are all done with the crane and that can all be done DIY too. Stepping/unstepping is a much simpler job than rebuilding mast steps DIY if you ask me. Plan ahead and do your prep and it should all fit into an hour's crane time each way.

The first time I took down our mast I even had the crane operator swing by another boat and pick the engine out of it. I had purchased an engine out of a near-derelict boat, and had it all ready to lift out the companionway as we had previously removed it from the engine room the day before and it was just sitting in the saloon ready to lift with straps on it to hook onto. Even with the detour and an extra lift it was still only 1 hour of crane time total, with an engine lift-out and dropping my mast for road transport. Half of that time was moving the crane from spot to spot and setting up the outriggers.
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Old 19-03-2018, 09:46   #15
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Re: Jacking up the mizzen?

I would think a set of sheer legs would make this reasonably easy. I would anchor the bottom of the legs to the chain plates and fix the top with lines fore and aft. A keel stepped mast will usually stand quite well with no rigging and once hoisted a bit it is stabilized at the top of the legs and the partners. In the days of the USS Constitution they stepped masts this way.

http://www.mcjazz.f2s.com/HarbourSheerlegs.htm
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