Unstepping Mast on Typhoon when it's on stands

[gusto]

Sorry; looked for this subject under headings but couldn't find it. I've owned the Gusto for a number of year but have never had to unstep the mast myself. I couldn't find instructions in the owner's manual posted on the CDO website either. I will most likely have to unstep the mast with the boat out of the water. Can anyone provide instructions (e.g. remove stays before shrouds?). Thanks.

[Markst95]

I've done it this way a couple of times by myself and its doable but I'm a big guy- 2 people would be better.

1. hook a dock line to the front end of your jib halyard and tie it to a secure spot on the bow. Tie off the jib halyard tightlly to the jib halyard cleat.

2. disconnect the front stay.

3. have your friend stand behind you in the cockpit, near or on the stern, untie the jib halyard keeping it tight and have your friend hold the rope, keeping it tight.

4. standing in the cockpit near the cabin opening take both hands and hold the mast. have your friend slowly start to feed out the jib halyard. as the mast starts to drop work your hands up the mast supporting it as your friend feeds out the jib halyard. It will get heavy about half way down so work together to help support it. Work your way backward towards the stern until you friend can reach up and help support the mast. lower a little more and then slide the base out of the mast support and slide it foward. it helps to have some cushions to place it on at this point. Unhook the rest of the stays and your good to go.

If your by yourself, you have to lower the jib halyard with one hand and walk the mast down. it would help to have a support at the stern about head height to guide it into for the last couple of feet. Again I recommend having someone help you and make sure they know what your doing first, walk it through a couple of times. Doing it by yourself is not for the faint of heart...

[bamabratsche]

I will second the recommendation to get a friend help you. I have done it myself, but will just go ahead and say that it's plain scary when the whole rig is coming down on top of you, even when it's under control. That mast is small compared to larger boats, but it's still a lot bigger than me, and even when it's horizontal, most of its weight will be behind you until you get it out of the step.

I have also tried it standing in front of the boat, but that doesn't work because often the mast wants to come down off-center, and that can make it pop out of the step and cause all kinds of other problems. Don't ask how I know.

What I have usually done is stand in the companionway as Mark has described to support and guide it down, and have the friend with a long rope attached to the jib halyard out in front of the boat to lower it. This frees up the whole cockpit to deal with wrestling the mast, and also keeps the friend holding the rope a lot calmer. With two people it is really not that big of a deal.

It does make it easier to leave all the standing rigging attached (except the forestay), with the shrounds just loosened, as this will prevent the whole thing from falling all the way over the side if something goes wrong.

[sloopjohnl]

while on the trailer, in addition to my wife handling a line attached to the secured jib halyard from the ground in front of the bow, i position an eight foot step ladder about six feet off the stern to support the top of the mast as i in the cockpit manhandle the mast into a resting position between the mast step and the ladder. the mast then gets moved forward and is supported aft by a mast crutch at the aft end of the cockpit and a smaller crutch on the foredeck for travel down the road.

[gusto]

Thanks; the explanation and ancillary suggestions are straightforward and make sense. I'm donating
the boat to a sailing school so will have someone from the school to help out. In the years I've owned the
boat, the CDO website and the knowledgeable group of sailors who support its message board have proved a valuable resource and rendered what might otherwise have been daunting tasks doable and enjoyable. Really appreciate the help!

[Skeep]

Although a newbie to the Typhoon, I've stepped many a mast and find the Typhoon stepping a real easy process. It does help to have a good upper-body strength to lift the mast, but it is certainly not too much for one person to do alone. The first time I stepped her I had some "help" and the pulling and huffing was so intense I failed to monitor my portside toggles and bent two of them, not seeing the damage until my huffing was over. I kicked myself for being in such haste.

After replacing those little jitnies I have since been mindful of them during all stepping events.

Other than that I've simplified the process since to a simple deck line attached to about 5 feet up the mast, running it through the bow cleat to my position in the cockpit hatchway. I then lift the mast, it's my upper body workout lol, and once my toggles are behaving, I lift up and into the pulpit. Once that mast is sitting upright I take the deckline, pull it taught, then cleat it to the foredeck cleat and calmly attach the forestay.

It is so simple I often remark to myself, why I put so much energy into fretting over it.

[sharkbait]

Before I sold my Typhoon I always stepped the mast by myself. I used a proceduce similar to SKEEP's only I tied a deck line to the forestay and pulled on it while lifting the mast. The boat was always on the trailer when this was done so I ran the deck line via the bow post on the trailer. An innovative person could use the electric trailer winch to assist instead of brute force.