Unstepping My Mast ... A Little Help Please

[chad2072]

I have a 28 foot Ranger and am in the process of hualing it out for the winter. Does anybody have any experience on lowering there mast at the dock? Please, nobody tell me that it is better to have the marina do it, or to just pay the money. The reason I am asking is I dont want to pay the money, I want to do it myself...and yes I have insurance!!

I have already read extensively on what should be done. My plan was to use my boom or spinnaker pole as a gin pole and lower the mast with the mainsheet. I was also going to have people holding the shrouds so iit wont sway back and forth, someone at the mast base because there is no hinge, and another person with some sort of craddle to kind of catch or guide it down.

Any other suggestions?

[cabo_sailor]

This is not a suggestion on technique but an anecdote. Some years ago someone at my marina did exactly as you are suggesting. They were quite successful. However, once the owner of the marina became aware of what happened, EVERYONE involved was booted with 24 hr notice. That meant the owner of the boat and everyone that helped him.

You don't state where you are at, i.e. marina or private dock, but if at a marina you might want to check, insurance or not. We all know how the legal system works in the states. You might have insurance but that won't stop people from going after the marina owner as well.

Just a thought

[chad2072]

Thanks, but almost all of the boats are out the marina docks so the only boat I would probably hurt would be my own. And if it was a problem I would just move it over to the public dock and proceed.

Do you have any suggestions for lowering?

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by chad2072

I have a 28 foot Ranger and am in the process of hualing it out for the winter. Does anybody have any experience on lowering there mast at the dock? Please, nobody tell me that it is better to have the marina do it, or to just pay the money. The reason I am asking is I dont want to pay the money, I want to do it myself...and yes I have insurance!!

I have already read extensively on what should be done. My plan was to use my boom or spinnaker pole as a gin pole and lower the mast with the mainsheet. I was also going to have people holding the shrouds so iit wont sway back and forth, someone at the mast base because there is no hinge, and another person with some sort of craddle to kind of catch or guide it down.

Any other suggestions?

Your method will only work if the mast base can be HELD in position AND hinge. Think about it.

The biggest problem you'll have is the mast base wanting to move. The more the mast is lowered the more force there will be trying to shove the mast base. I sure wouldn't want to be the mast base person. Somehow you'll need to secure the mast base. As you describe it needs to be the pivot point. How do you plan to lift the mast off the deck socket? Something is missing. What secures the mast base at the deck?

Below is how I plan to raise/lower my Cape Dory's deck stepped mast. It sits on a 'male' fitting maybe 3" high on the deck and would need to be lifted off prior to any lowing, hence my plan. The PO used this method a few times with an old Hobie 16 mast.

Here's another method for raising/lowering a mast without a hinged base.
Get another mast that is somewhat taller than your spreaders. Rig this mast vertical beside your mast using lines led down to your genoa blocks and back to your winches and cleat off. Use line to secure it fore and aft. Using a line, rigged as a main halyard would be on the donor mast, put a bowline around your mast and lift this bowline up to the underside of your spreaders. Now lift your mast enough so that it's loose at the base and start walking the mast base forward or rearward. As the base gets off the deck start lowering the lifting halyard. This method works assuming the mast's center of mass is somewhere close to your spreaders.
while the mast is down buy a hinged tabernacle from Rig Rite..

Good Luck

[San Juan Sailor]

Check out the gin pole method:

Tips - Gin Pole

I made a gin pole for my san Juan 24 and used it several times. Granted my mast would be smaller than yours but it was very managable.
Dan

[imagine2frolic]

My neighbor on a 27ft boat wanted to unstep his mast from the deck. I had a 30 ft. Columbia, and only a finger was between us. We tied off the foot of his mast. Used my jib halyard to grab his spreaders. Undid all the shrouds close to me. Used one of his halyards to control the top of his mast. Removed the rest of the rigging, and gently guided his mast to the finger. It was extremely simple, quick.

[bstreep]

What works even better than the above is a boat on each side. Tie loops in their halyards, and run them up to your spreader.

[sabray]

Agree Don't think I would want to rely on a person holding the pivot point in place. If it is something you are thinking you will do often than maybe you could enginner a tabernacle for the purpose.

[Squeaks]

Hi; Hope this helps.
My 23-ft Westerly has a tabernackled mast and once I got used to using the spinaker pole (as a gin pole) the mast lowered aft pretty easily (but real care was needed when raising to not snag anything.
My Columbia 22 only had a shoe for the mast so when it came time to re-rig I had about 5 or 6 guys around at all points and one with a long line from the masthead lead forward for more control, then slowly let it down - keeping the mast base under constant control. When I re-rigged, I installed a tabernackle (ss plate w/ a slot on each side for the mast pin to travel when lowerering/raising.
I just sold the boat and the new owner, at a different marina, is in need of lowering the mast every time he goes out, so he's having to fine tune the system a bit and we have found some interesting quirks -
1) Be sure the internal mast wire(s) are clear.
2) Be certain there is nothing on deck that might impede the lowering (we had a hatch which kept the mast from being completely lowered.
Insurance or not, it's far easier and less stressful to use a small-boat hoist!

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by chad2072

I want to do it myself... Any other suggestions?

See www.youtube.com... then put in "stepping mast" for search... I've been toying with a similar project... you may see some ideas there that are useful for you...

[Connemara]

No mast crane available?

Connemara

[chad2072]

Thanks everyone for the info. I tackled the mast lowering last night. It took about a half an hour of my prep and ten minutes to get it down and secure. I forgot to mention that I have a tall rig which makes the mast about 37 feet. Heres how I did it.

I secured the spinnakker pole to the mast about 3 feet off the deck. I ran the jib halyard to the end of the pole and used a couple of blocks on the lower end of the pole secured to the bow pulpit rail. I ran the spinnaker halyard and the main halyard to the top of the mast. Secured the bottom of the mast with 4 winch straps to the toe rail.

Had one guy standing on the starboard side of the boat holding the main halyard, one guy to port holding the spinnaker halyard, one guy holding the block system to lower and one guy at the mast base.

Lifted the mast off the base and lowered it onto the deck...no problems at all!!!

[sarafina]

I've read thru this (older) thread and am getting a good idea of how to go about lowering the mast on our Ranger 23.

Does anyone have any knowledge about the specific mast tabernacle, or anything else that would be helpful?

We have a 27' mast on her and our Cal 28 is next to her with a 33' mast that we can use, if we choose, to get the job done.

The wiring lights, sheaves and standing rigging all need work/replacement and the spreaders need painting, so it seems like it would be easiest to lower it.

[SkiprJohn]

On your Ranger, the mast is very light. Once you get everything rigged you should be able to lift the mast enough to get the socket at the base of the mast clear (if your mast has one). The most dangerous part is the base of the mast moving once you start lowering so make certain it is tied in place or stays in your tabernacle (don't know how yours is rigged).
We lowered our International Folkboat 26 mast yesterday by using a 2x4 A frame and all went extremely well but it has a tabernacle with a through bolt that holds the mast in position as its lowered. Our West Wight Potter 19 also is raised and lowered with an A frame rig. It really is light enough to raise and lower without the A frame though but we want to do it solo.
More specific questions I can handle.
kind regards,