Proper Care of Unstepped Mast, Furler, etc.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Soon I will be unstopping the mast on S/V Bali Ha'i in preparation for putting her on a Triad trailer and bringing her home for the Summer months ("H season").

I have never done this before and am looking for some guidance on properly storing the mast, furler, etc.

Someone at the sailing club I talked with suggested that I leave the Genoa on the furler and have the rigger unstep the mast, forestay, furler, etc. as one package. I was planning on removing the Genoa and bagging it. I would think that being laid out on top of the deck, cabin roof, pulpit, pushpit, etc. the weight of the Genoa is probably not good for the furler but I am new to all this.

Thoughts

I will remove the main and boom and bring those home together.

Anyone have any recommendations on "dos" and "don'ts" for storing the mast, Genoa, furler, etc. for 3-4 months

Thanks.

[David van den Burgh]

Definitely remove the sail!

I've discovered that unstepping the mast goes quite smoothly - especially with a furler - if you do your best to secure the furler and all rigging to the mast with sail ties at regular intervals. Have a couple ties handy as the mast is being lowered to horizontal so you can lash the furler to the mast and make sure the furling drum is supported so it doesn't bend the foil. Keep lines, rigging, etc as organized as you can. Try not to let turnbuckles hang on the rigging unsupported; bundle them together and lash them to the mast.

Take your time and make sure things are done to your satisfaction. Good luck.

[tjr818]

Our biggest problem with this on Slainte is supporting the forestay, furling foil, and drum unit. This assembly is longer than the mast and will be unsupported. We have tried building a support out of two 1x4's screwed together to form an "L" shape and we have tried slitting a piece of 3" PVC pipe, both methods had some success and each had a few drawbacks. I will probably go with wood the next time. Our forestay/furler assembly is about four feet longer than the mast. I think that an "L" shape out of 1x3 slumber about 12 feet long should do the job. Use lots of bungees or Velcro straps to secure everything. I would not want to leave the jib or genoa on the fuller, that is no place to be storing a sail and it will just make things heavier. I would unstep everything as "one package".
One man's opinion

[RC James]

Agree w/removing genoa, supporting and tying off shrouds and halyards. Support of RollingDrum and foils is essential. Easy enough to figure a way to support the extended furler foil/drum for the short trip home.

Personally, I removed the boom prior to unstopping mast (Less weight when unstepping, and easier to handle).
As you remove the boom (single nut at gooseneck), take pictures or make notes of how reefing lines are run for later in the Post-H season's rerigging.

Once home, a number of padded saw-horses (Carpet? Foam?) will easily support the mast..be sure to use enough to prevent any unnecessary sag.
This is a great time to inspect all rigging points, work on any in-mast electrics, and replace all lightbulbs (steaming/decklight/anchor light) to be sure they're good to go for another few years.

Best of all, removing the mast from the trailer will allow you free access to all points on the boat w/out the need to duck and cover as you move from Stbd to Port/ Fwd to Aft.

You make me want to start saving up for a trailer!
RC

[Bill Goldsmith]

I also agree with removing the sail. The sail will be easier to store in a protected location, and won't get wet, dirty and suffer unnecessary sun and exposure to the elements. And it won't flap around while being trailered.

I have used a long 2x3 and bungied it to the mast, with enough protruding from the base to support the roller furler.

If the trailering is for any significant distance I would remove all the stays and shrouds and label them and coil them for the off season. The spreaders, too. I do this without a rigger, and find it to be a very simple DIY process. It's a bit of a judgment call and personal preference, though, and i'm sure you can find a way to secure them while trailering should you prefer to leave it all rigged.

[tjr818]

... Support of RollingDrum and foils is essential. Easy enough to figure a way to support the extended furler foil/drum for the short trip home....

The support is essential, but not just for the trip home. The foil will need to be supported until it is back on the boat. I don't mean to scare you. It is not hard to do, you just can't be careless.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Sorry for the delay in responding. Back in sickbay with virus/flu. Yuk

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

My plan is to remove the boom and main and the Genoa while still at the sailing club and bring these items home with me. I have done this before and it is not too difficult with another person (younger )

I will motor to the "haul out" marina with no sails, no Bimini, nothing.

With the furler and foil I am not sure exactly how I will support it. On a CD 25D the mast is about 34' and deck stepped. It should swing backwards so that the furler/drum will be at the bow. Perhaps I can use the bowsprit to support the furler and tie a 2x4 across the bowsprit (port to starboard) for further support.

The problem will be at the top of the mast (which should be at the stern when lowered) since the foil/forestay is longer than the mast height.

I do have a bunch of long (24" and 36") heavy duty tie wraps that I had planned to use to secure the shrouds, etc. to the mast and protect everything with a bunch of old towels, etc.

Hopefully, the rigger will also have experience with making sure nothing gets damaged.

Thanks VERY MUCH for all of the above thoughts, recommendations, suggestions, etc.

[tjr818]

Roberto,
The top 34' of foil will easily be supported by the mast, it is the 4 or 5 feet that extend beyond the mast that will need an almost continuous support. Think of the foil as a piece of Al Dente spaghetti.
a support perpendicular at the end would not be as good as an extension of the mast (wood) parallel to the spaghetti to provide a nice bed for the length not supported by the mast.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Roberto,
Think of the foil as a piece of Al Dente spaghetti.

Tim:

Thanks This is all a LOT clearer to me now. Pasta is a language I understand.

I will figure out a way to attach a 5' - 6' piece of 2x4 to the bottom of the mast and then attach the furler drum/foil to the 2x4. Will that be sufficiently "al dente".

Anyone have any photos of how they store their furler drum/foil on their Cape Dory

[tjr818]

Perfetto!

[Astronomertoo]

I too would never leave any kind of sails on to be tied down against metal and wire rigging. In addition, I have travelled with old pieces or carpet rolled up over the mast so the rigging will not scratch up the mast. I found my dock lines and sheets were best to use to rope it all up so nothing moves, or abraids against each other or the boat. If you find your spreaders want to rub on the deck you can take an old blanket or big towels and rope them onto the spreader boots to prevent abrasion. You definitely need a very good safe, long ladder with a tie down rope topsides to use at least 4 dozen times and you will likely find it handy to tie it securely onto the trailer rails for travel. Eventually you will find out your preferred method of putting it all together. Even for such a short trip.
AND, remember, safety first!
Best wishes.