Lifting the mast?

[BravoVita]

I want to let everyone know who finds this thread that I am looking at both the options of lifting with and without the assistance of a crane. I still need to find more information before I make any decision but I am leaning towards having a crane assist me. Having the responsibility of my mast lift in the hands of someone who has done it before and not risking the bottom of my mast sliding off the bottle jack rig are both my main considerations. (That and she needs to go on the hard to get a bottom job anyway).

Thanks again for all that commented.

[Don C L]

Maybe the yard will give you a two for one deal.

[Time2Go]

It looks like you've got a hinged
tabernacle?
Why not just build a gin pole and lower the mast?
Did it plenty on my friends S2 6.9
And my Mariner. Both these are smaller than yours but the theory
is the same,.
Google "Gin Pole"
Cheers

[jimbunyard]

Obviously, you should only do what you're confident and comfortable with,
but your mast probably weighs only 150 lbs or so, most likely less.

If it were me, I'd pull the boom off, loosen all the shrouds, pull the pins on the tabernacle with the assistance of a friend and a small prybar, slide the mast forward onto a piece of plywood waiting on the deck, do my repairs, and slide it back when done. The mast hardly needs much lifting at all.

[Jim Cate]

If it is really in a tabernacle, why not use that feature? Lower the mast to horizontal, shore up the far end, use some form of jack to support the butt, remove the pivot pin, raise the jack thus unloading the tabernacle and hence the step that it sits upon. Do y our repairs, reverse the process.

If it isn't a tabernacle, Jim Bunyards advice above still applies as a reasonable approach IMO.

At any rate, hope you find a useful and inexpensive solution to your problem.

Jim

[Siberianhusky]

According to the other posts his mast step doesn't have any nuts on the backside, not sure I'd be trusting that dropping the mast. The nuts are one of the reasons he needs to drop the mast, can't get to the bolt heads.
I still say have the mast craned off do all you interior (compression post) and exterior work then re-step the mast after the repairs are ALL done.

[Terra Nova]

That DIY mast lifting project posted was a reckless stunt that would never be allowed in our marina. Surprised at how many here think this is a reasonable way to try to save ~$200.

Don't be "that guy". Get the yard to lift your mast.

[stillbuilding]

Unlikely to weigh more than 150 lb.
Couple of strong guys, hydraulic jacks, lifting legs, park under a bridge 😃, wedges and levers. All possible. Just think carefully and have back up plan.


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[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by stillbuilding

Unlikely to weigh more than 150 lb.
Couple of strong guys, hydraulic jacks, lifting legs, park under a bridge ��, wedges and levers. All possible. Just think carefully and have back up plan.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn

Tell me how the moment of a 150lb on a 30' arm compares to a 300lb load on a 2' arm. The second it gets out of plumb, things can go to turd real quick. (plus you forgot the downward force generated by the stays which can be several times the dead load of the mast.)

Masts aren't typically very heavy. It's the length and orientation that makes it tricky.

[stillbuilding]

Played with a couple so understand the issues.😃






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[Siberianhusky]

Dum2 - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery

This is a picture of the inside of his boat showing the mast step being held in by nothing so to speak, he can't get to the heads of the bolts because the mast is in the way.
Do you really think letting the mast drop without a crane is safe? What happens when the weight goes back and starts lifting the mast step off the deck?
You could get some washers and nuts on there but it still wouldn't be tight. But at least it won't come flying up possibly hitting someone helping.
Boats cost $ and 200$ is nothing compared to what could happen in this situation.
In my books it's always better to be safe than cheap, cheap usually costs more in the long run anyway.
At least once you have the step properly bolted down and the compression post fixed you won't need the crane to step the mast again. So it is only a one time expense.

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

That DIY mast lifting project posted was a reckless stunt that would never be allowed in our marina. Surprised at how many here think this is a reasonable way to try to save ~$200.

Don't be "that guy". Get the yard to lift your mast.

For me, it's not about saving 200.00 (would be more like 300+ where live) but expediency. I'd be done with it before the guys with the crane even show up. IF OP isn't comfortable with it he shouldn't try it.

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Tell me how the moment of a 150lb on a 30' arm compares to a 300lb load on a 2' arm. The second it gets out of plumb, things can go to turd real quick. (plus you forgot the downward force generated by the stays which can be several times the dead load of the mast.)

Masts aren't typically very heavy. It's the length and orientation that makes it tricky.

If he does it right the mast never gets enough out of plumb to matter. See my post above...

Originally Posted by Siberianhusky

Dum2 - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery

This is a picture of the inside of his boat showing the mast step being held in by nothing so to speak, he can't get to the heads of the bolts because the mast is in the way.
Do you really think letting the mast drop without a crane is safe? What happens when the weight goes back and starts lifting the mast step off the deck?
You could get some washers and nuts on there but it still wouldn't be tight. But at least it won't come flying up possibly hitting someone helping.
Boats cost $ and 200$ is nothing compared to what could happen in this situation.
In my books it's always better to be safe than cheap, cheap usually costs more in the long run anyway.
At least once you have the step properly bolted down and the compression post fixed you won't need the crane to step the mast again. So it is only a one time expense.

In my book, safe and cheap is best of all. Do you really think a 150 lb spear swinging relatively freely above a boat is safer than a mast sitting on a deck, loose at the bottom, but held by 7 or 8 stays at the top? The size and number of the pins in the OPs' picture should tell you something about the side loads (or lack of them) involved at the base of the mast with a boat at rest...

And yes, I am, as Terra Nova suggests, one of 'those guys'. In the picture below, you can see my boat, sans mast (43', keel stepped, probably 250 lbs with shrouds and winches), along with the 'crane' I pulled it out with, alone, made from sixteen foot 2"x6"s (salvaged from a hard pool cover), a used boat trailer winch (from a previous job) and some lag bolts and deck screws (new, but leftover from previous jobs). Total cost: 9.00 for 60' of new 1/4" galvanized cable for the winch (don't want to take any unnecessary chances). Saved the money (and the trip to the yard) for the crane, plus was able to work on the mast and deck at mine and the weathers' leisure. I was luckily able to get some assistance restepping it, saving a whole bunch of trips up and down those steps.

[stillbuilding]

Well done.


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[Time2Go]

Originally Posted by Siberianhusky

Dum2 - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery

This is a picture of the inside of his boat showing the mast step being held in by nothing so to speak, he can't get to the heads of the bolts because the mast is in the way.
Do you really think letting the mast drop without a crane is safe? What happens when the weight goes back and starts lifting the mast step off the deck?
You could get some washers and nuts on there but it still wouldn't be tight. But at least it won't come flying up possibly hitting someone helping.
Boats cost $ and 200$ is nothing compared to what could happen in this situation.
In my books it's always better to be safe than cheap, cheap usually costs more in the long run anyway.
At least once you have the step properly bolted down and the compression post fixed you won't need the crane to step the mast again. So it is only a one time expense.

Just looked at all the pics
How about this
Slip a washer on the bolt
Gripwith vise grips right under it
Add enough washers at least to width
Of the vise grips
Thread on a nut at least to point
Where you could get the vise grips on the bottom of the bolt
Remove vise grips from the top of the bolt, move to the bottom below the nut and then use an open ended wrench to tighten the nut
The stack of washers take up the spot on the bolt just bunged up by the
Vise grips. Then just lower the mast with a gin pole
Reverse the process to remove the bolts Make whatever repairs needed
Rebolt the tabernacle with new hardware

Cheers

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by steamgoat

Also,that is a keel stepped mast,yours is deck stepped,however,with a bit of caution,i'm sure you can do it !!

It becomes a significantly different problem when it is deck-stepped!!!

In the keel stepped case, all they need to worry about is 1 dimension of motion. In the deck stepped case, you've got to worry about all 3.

Good luck, but I'd just get the crane!!!