mast lowering info, video, etc...

[w1651]

I need a video or instructions on lowering and raising a Boyce deck stepped mast with Tabernacle. I want to check and replace my lighting at the top of the mast but have never lowered a mast before. My boat is a contest 33 and has the gin poles already mounted to the deck to do it. I just need a little help as to what shrouds need to be loosened and come down before I get started and how many people I should have involved to steady it as it comes down.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[Snowpetrel]

I raised my mast on a 33 footer by hand using the spinnaker pole as a gyn pole. Loads where pretty heavy for the first part and then got progressively lighter. Would be the reverse in your case while lowering the mast. Scary for an untested System! I did mine singlehanded and now would be happy to do the same lowering. Its all in the setup. I can dig out some pics of my setup if its any use.

I used a bridle from the lower fore and aft chainplates to lead a single inline lower and the caps at the same hingepoint as the mast tabernackle. Stabilisers ran from this bridle to the spinacker pole. Worked flawlessly.

In your case probably just as easy to do the work from a bosuns chair?

[w1651]

Thanks Snowpetrel for your response. I have this pic though not of my boat and it's a good one and it is the same make and set up I would use but the detail isn't that great.

Is this mast foot designed for lowering without a crane? - Page 2

[Snowpetrel]

This picture shows the set up I used, looks like its much cruder than what you have, but it worked. I didn't use the caps, just the lowers to support the mast as it was raised, then I tightened the caps.

The most important thing is to get hinge points all in line, in my case I used the chain bridle supported by the guys for the gyn pole. Looks like you have a stainless plate, which needs to be held up by something to stop it collapsing to the deck.

[exkma367]

Here is how we did it on our Columbia 26.

We fabricated a gin pole out of 1" rigid conduit. It attached to the mast and came out to the attachment point of the of the forestay on deck.

We also cut a peice of alluminium that would ride in the mast track. The part outside the mast track was got a 5/16 hole.

We also attached tombstone peices of 1/4 inch stainless plate to the cabin sides in line with the mast base. The stainless plate had 5/16 holes in the center of the rounded part of the tombstone.

We then flattened the ends of two 10' sticks of emt conduit drilled 5/16 holes at each end. We bent the flattened ends so that when bolted to the tombstones it could also be attached to the alluminium that rode in the mast track.

We would attach the jib halyard to the top of the jin pole and a block and tackle with pleanty of line to the bottom of the jin pole and tighten it up.

We would then loosen the turnbuckles and remove the forestay.

We would then lower away unit the mast sat in a crutch in the cockpit.

I have some video somewhere and will try to post.

Raising is just as easy but you have to constanly monitor the shrouds as they want to catch on anything they can.

We raised and lowered the mast a few times without the side supports. Once on the water a knuckle head with skier decided to circle us when we had the mast half way up. I tried to lower it back down fast as we rocked back and forth but it got sideways and busted a spreader. We were lucky no one got hurt and the mast didnt get wet.

[w1651]

Thanks Guys I appreciate all the pics. I really like that video I just wish my mast wasn't as tall and heavy as it is. The weight is what is bothering me. I don't know how much it weighs and if it is a one two or four man operation to lower it.

[Panope]

Panope's mast is very heavy - at least 200 pounds. The loads on the lowering/raising rig are very high when the mast is horizontal - perhaps 1000 pounds. I use a 4 to 1 block and tackle and my manual windlass drum.

My tabernacle and gin pole are stout enough to not require any side "shrouds" provided that the boat is on the hard. I believe that if I attempted raising or lowering while floating, the rocking of the boat (while the mast is horizontal) would create catastrophic twisting loads on the tabernacle.

I raise and lower the mast by myself.

Steve