Raising Mast: Pitfalls

[3DPhoto]

Greetings all. I am in the process of converting my deck stepped mast on my 26.5 Hunter to a tabernacle system. My purpose is to be able to navigate under a couple of bridges regularly. I have run into my first snag which is to get my mast to come down to a resting point it hits the top of my companionway cover. I am considering placing an 1.5 inch thick block of wood under the tabernacle which would raise the entire rig. Any thoughts as to what I should look out fir?
Thanks in advance for any inputs.
Don

[hard aground]

Have you looked into the costs of replacing all your standing rigging, or do you have enough turns on all of you turnbuckles to make up for that 1.5"?

[Sailmonkey]

why not just make a mast crutch that fits on the stern rail? something like a 2X4 or a 2X6 with a notch cut in is all you need to keep the mast off of the cabin top.

[3DPhoto]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

why not just make a mast crutch that fits on the stern rail? something like a 2X4 or a 2X6 with a notch cut in is all you need to keep the mast off of the cabin top.

I will be doing that as well but the pivot point is too close to the cover and would keep the end of the mast way to high off the stern rail to have good solid support

[3DPhoto]

Originally Posted by hard aground

Have you looked into the costs of replacing all your standing rigging, or do you have enough turns on all of you turnbuckles to make up for that 1.5"?

I haven't measure but I am fairly certain I can make up the difference in the turnbuckles (4 of which I plan on changing to lever types anyway)

[Sailmonkey]

well in that case, raise your pivot point.















It's not the best picture, but the idea is that the mast is supported by two pins. To lower you would pull the lower pin and the mast will pivot on the upper pin, the base of the mast will kick out fwd, and the pivot point is higher, clearing the hatch. I've seen a few of these, none quite as extreme as the picture though.

[Sailmonkey]

here's another example
TABERNACLE

[Velocir]

There are folks in Santa Cruz, CA who have to dip the rig to get under a bridge everytime they go out, there is a guy there who builds a giant ss hinge for a mast step. I got a hinge from him and use it on my boat, works great.

[3DPhoto]

Well my first design was a complete failure which was to modify a ss hinge to work and using a pin to hold the mast. I have now built a design much like the picture that sailmonkey sent. I still have one major problem though. How do you make sure the mast does NOT tip from side to side as she goes up. My thought was as I was figuring this out in my head that the shrouds would do that but mine are not even close to beinig taught enough as I probably have at least 2 foot of slack with the mast all the way down

[Velocir]

I have made a bridle for the mast. Two lines run from the masthead down to a ring at the pivot point of the mast. 2 lines on each side run from that ring down to the chainplates. One line on each side run from the ring to the boom (which I assume you use as the leverage to raise the mast). This keeps the rig from moving side to side as well as the boom. You can use wire or a decent low stretch line.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by 3DPhoto

Well my first design was a complete failure which was to modify a ss hinge to work and using a pin to hold the mast. I have now built a design much like the picture that sailmonkey sent. I still have one major problem though. How do you make sure the mast does NOT tip from side to side as she goes up. My thought was as I was figuring this out in my head that the shrouds would do that but mine are not even close to beinig taught enough as I probably have at least 2 foot of slack with the mast all the way down

The answer is in keeping the cap shrouds tight while raising / lowering the mast. One way to do that is to have the pins in the chainplate in the same line as the mast pivot. i.e. the mast and cap shrouds all pivot in the same line. Of course this means the chainplates have to be rigid and the quite high above the deck.

They also have to be braced either fore or aft. If braced forward, the brace can cable (rigging wire etc) as forward brace will be in tension. If braced aft, the brace must be rigid as it will be in compression. The bracing can be designed to be removable if need be.

Sounds difficult and it does take some setting up but works well. Here in Perth, literally hundreds of yachts are set up this way. I am sorry I don't have photo to post as a picture tells a thousand words etc.

[boasun]

Good Old Boat magazine, issue 65, March/April 2009; Has an excellent article on one older couple's answer to raising & lowering the mast of their boat. They made a tabernacle for their mast and from the article & pictures, it is well made and does an excellent job of holding the mast upright along with reducing the problem of raising & lowering the mast for towing on a trailer. Plus the tabernacle supports the base of the mast with the head of said mast is in a boom crotch.

[markpierce]

Mast tabernacle on Carquinez Coot. (Mast wrapped in preparation for transoceanic shipment.)