Dropping the Mast with an A Frame (Catalina 27)

[Boatguy30]

The 27 doesn't have a Tabernacle so you need the aframe to he about 1/2 as high as the mast.

I have done a 44" mast with a 19' a frame, but it's tricky.
C27 should be a breeze. May need a 2*6 or reinforced 2*4

[flyingnut40]

By "tabernacle" do you mean a fixed pivot point to hinge the mast? I do not have that, my mast has a cast aluminum base with a slot in it for the pivot bolt. That is the main reason for the side support wires not allowing the mast to play sideways at all. I use body weight only for both up and down operations and the fwd. pull and gravity keep the mast base on the pivot pin.


A larger rig might need a tackle/ winch arrangement, but for me ALL the drama is removed by limiting mast movement to only the direction required to raise or lower.

[HawaiiSailor]

[IMG][/IMG]

Update

We couldn't get the mast out of the base, so we used an engine crane to pull the mast.

The crane wasn't big enough so after the initial pull the a-frame took the rest of the load

If I were to try this method again I would double up the 2x4s for extra strength, use better blocks and rigging for dropping and stepping the mast. The working line on the A-Frame lowering and raising the mast should be centred as well, pulling from the side of the boat put a lot of stress on one side of the 2x4s. Overall it was a success, my sheaves were corroded and jammed now they are brandspanking new.