How to use mast-stepping hoist?

[s calder]

I've always stepped and unstepped my mast with a boom and block/tackle system I built into my trailer, but this time I want to use the marina's self service mast hoist. My system is just too freightening to my wife/helper. The marina's hoist is a tall pole with a boom at the top and a cable operated by a hand winch. Anybody have experience with those things who can outline the steps for unstepping my CD25? Thanks.

[Duncan]

This is what we use every season.

1. Tie a bowline with about a 18" loop around the mast. Put the hook from the crane through it and hoist until it stops (snug, but not tight) at the lower shrouds.

2. Undo your lower shrouds, then the backstay, then the forestay. If you have roller furling, you may want to take it off at this point, since it flops around and gets in the way. You should at least pull it aft, since that's the way you want it to go as the mast is lowered.

3. Station someone at the mast, to control it. Check again that the hoist is up snug, check for powerboat wakes, then undo your upper shrouds. (It's nice to have three people, one at the mast, one at the crane winch, and one undoing the rigging. The one who undoes the rigging can also crank the winch, though, so you can manage with two).

4.The mast is free now, so hoist it maybe about a foot, then start walking the base aft, lowering on the hoist as you go. If you have three people, one of them can be gathering and controlling the shrouds and stays. If there are two of you, the person on the winch can stop, do some gathering and organizing, them lower some more. It's nice to get a bungee around the rigging as soon as you can, about halfway between the spreaders and the base of the mast.

5. Don't forget to collect up all the clevis pins that you don't drop in the water I keep mine in a pill container, and stow them in my rigging box right away, before I forget.

[Jdpmus]

So, what is under the mast on a CD25 once you lift it using the hoist?

[Oswego John]

I've always stepped and unstepped my mast with a boom and block/tackle system I built into my trailer, but this time I want to use the marina's self service mast hoist. My system is just too freightening to my wife/helper. The marina's hoist is a tall pole with a boom at the top and a cable operated by a hand winch. Anybody have experience with those things who can outline the steps for unstepping my CD25? Thanks.

Yes, I have used them quite successfully. They come in various shapes and configurations. Some people call them cranes, others call them gin poles, hoists or other names.They all do basically the same job, step and unstep masts.



On this certain crane/gin pole there are two variable parts. The white verticle upright is the mast which is permanently anchored in cement.

The white boom pivots at the base of the mast and its angle is controlled by turning the large wheel on the right side. The boom angle changes the hook plumb line in or out.

Another wheel is on the far side. This second wheel raises or lowers the lifting hook attached to the end of the cable that is controlled by this second wheel.

Different boat owners use different methods to unstep their masts. What I usually do is tie a loose bowline around the boat's lower mast with a short piece of line. Then I drop the gin pole hook down to where I can reach it from the boat's deck. I next attach the other end of the short line to the lifting hook.

I winch in the lifting line until the bowline slides up the mast to the spreaders and I snug it up until it will support the mast upright while I undo the stays and shrouds. I try to gather the standing rigging and attach it to the mast with short ties or plastic ty-wraps in order to prevent the cables from flopping around and catching on something. The longer stays can be doubled up in a loose u-turn before attaching them to the lower mast.

Then raise the hook until the mast butt is clear of everything. A second person should take the mast butt and walk it to the stern as you lower the hook. Continue lowering until the entire mast is horizontal. Then unhook the short line and untie the bowline.

It is imperative that the mast section below the spreader weighs more than the mast section above the spreader.

When stepping the mast in the spring, attach a thin downhaul line to the bowline while lowering the hook after the mast is erect and the standing rigging is secure.

Good luck
O J

PS: That's Mike Ritenour raising the mast on LaVida after he, Ed Haley and I left the east end of the Erie Canal near Albany, NY. That's the Hudson River looking south, downstream, toward NYC.

[steve shapiro]

I do not believe it a good idea to hoist from the spreaders. I attach the pole to the mast below the spreaders with a strap (properly moussed to keep it coming undone). I secure a line from the strap down to the mast winches, adjust the strap to a point at least a foot or two below the spreaders and hoist using the pole. The weight of the mast is then transferred to the winches and the strap acts as a guide. Do not lift the mast using the spreaders.

[Duncan]

Do not lift the mast using the spreaders.

I don't think OJ meant spreaders, literally. When you slide the loop up, it comes to rest under the tangs for the lower shrouds. Those tangs are just under the spreaders, so I can see how someone might say "to the spreaders", meaning that general area, not literally that hardware. Good point of clarification, though, thanks.

The tangs can easily carry their part of the mast weight, since they are designed for the much greater loads involved in holding the rig up under stress. I would therefore not complicate things by lifting by the winches - if the strap is too low, you could get below the balance point of the mast, and lose control of it. Lifting by the loop around the mast itself, held in place by the shroud tangs, is safer and less complex.

Where people generally get in trouble with the spreaders is when they hoist the mast too close to the tip of the crane. After that, a twist that pushes a spreader against the crane arm can easily bend or bust a spreader - I've seen it done at least a couple of times, and a number of close misses. I should have mentioned that in my post above - leave a few feet clear, and don't let the mast twist on you.

[Oswego John]

Hi Duncan, Hi Steve

Well, another instance of my brain emitting gasses. Steve's point is well taken, that is, never lift the mast by the spreaders. They are too tender for the weight involved. The pick should be in as close to the mast as possible.

I wish that I had a nickel for every time I've picked a mast by the loop loosely around it. As I said in an earlier post, it is critical that the butt end of the mast weighs more than the portion of the mast that is above the pick.

Duncan is right when he mentions keeping the crane away from the mast. I have a sad story to tell concerning our fleet of Flying Scots. They are used by the local high school sailing club and also by those Jrs and adults who are taking sailing lessons.

Through some fateful circumstance, the regular dockmaster was away for a spell. He was relieved by an unexperienced assistant. The dockmaster's duties included launching the Scots for the sailing period and then hauling them and loading them back on their trailers till next time. The masts are never removed.

Our facility has an "L" shaped permanent crane located dockside. The electric chain hoist is higher than the spreader hight of most boats using it. The assistant and another helper would position each Scot under the crane, attach a preformed set of slings under each boat and proceed to launch it.

After the boat was floating one of the hands would climb into the Scot to undo the hook and slings. What was happening unnoticed was that as the helper moved around, the boat would rock back and forth and the upper half of the mast kept slamming into the "L" section I-beam and made heavy dents in every upper mast. They didn't follow procedure. Chalk this boo boo up to inexperience, ignorance or whatever, it was a very costly event.

Keep the mast away from the crane.

Until next spring,
O J