Mast winter care

[dr2owen]

I had the yard remove the mast on Consort (Cape Dory 330) for the winter so we could rewire and inspect the rigging. The boat next to mine has it's mast sitting on sawhorses and all wrapped up with plastic wrap. That seems like overkill to me and leads to the question about what should I be doing for winter care on my mast?

[tjr818]

All we do is remove any mast top equipment and the halyards, then plug the bottom of the mast so that animals do not make the mast their winter home. I would think that if you are near salt water that the mast should be washed down with fresh water before storing away.

[Megunticook]

My CD manual advises storing out of the weather if possible if you live in a freezing climate. I think water/moisture freezing and thawing is best avoided.

Standing rigging should be removed, rinsed/washed if in salt water area, inspected, WD40'd and stored carefully coiled indoors. Running rigging gets washed, inspected, coiled and stored.

[Jim Walsh]

I had the yard remove the mast on Consort (Cape Dory 330) for the winter so we could rewire and inspect the rigging. The boat next to mine has it's mast sitting on sawhorses and all wrapped up with plastic wrap. That seems like overkill to me and leads to the question about what should I be doing for winter care on my mast?

I had my aluminum masts stored in a mast shed for 24 years, primarily because all the old yards (the yard where I kept my boats was a family owned turn-of-the-century operation) had mast sheds to protect the wooden masts and boat sheds, with dirt floors, to store the wooden boats during the off seasons. This level of protection is no longer necessary in the era of fiberglass boats and aluminum masts.
Most of the old boatyards have long since removed, or repurposed, the old sheds and put them, or the square footage they occupied, to better use.
Currently my mast has been stored seasonally in a rack which offers no protection from the elements. This will be the twelfth year and I see no negative issues.
An aluminum mast and stainless standing rigging can safely be left to the elements in the off season. That is not to say that it is wrong to treat your mast and standing rigging to a more pampered off season storage regimen, it is just not a physical necessity.
Removing your running rigging and replacing them with messengers for the off season is a personal choice. I replace my running rigging at regular intervals, rather than try to get the longest possible service life, so I choose not to remove it during the off season.
Some choose to have their masts placed in a plastic sleeve to protect it from the elements, but be aware, the plastic sleeves hold moisture.
The great thing about boat ownership is the ability to weigh the positives and negatives to decide which course will best serve your purpose.

[Paul D.]

I reckon with modern aluminum masts there is more risk of damage pulling them and storing them each winter than leaving them up for the winter. Especially for us far from any salt water. I used to work in a marina and it is rather hard to do carefully. If your yard crew isn't experienced, you can get little scrapes and breaks that are actually a pain to fix properly.

As our mast is left up, Important to me is to inspect the masthead during spring fitting out. I run messenger lines in the fall, as it does not take long to do and our boat is five months on the hard with lots of snow and sun. I usually pull down the spinnaker halyard so I have to go up in the spring. Then I can inspect/lubricate, etc. Hitting the main sail slot with Sailkote makes my main come down all season like a Turkey in a 'WKRP in Cincinnati' episode.

If your mast is down for the winter, I definitely would stuff the ends to prevent bird's nests. It is also a good time to replace or silence wires in the mast and closely inspect shroud tang bolts, spreaders etc. Old painted masts could use a painting or at least a nice paste waxing.

[Brimag]

I have been rigging sailboats for some time, I believe that it is much better to unstep every year if possible. We cannot properly inspect and service the mast in place. Salt water boats need to remove old hardware and check corrosion . Salt Stainless and aluminum can compromise the mast structure.We don't have new boats and it's better to be safe than losing your rig.. It's no fun!!! I know

[Chrisa006]

Our yard has a rack all the masts go on then they shrink wrap the whole thing.

[fmueller]

I just run messenger line up while bringing the halyards down - mostly to keep them from slapping all winter - but the mast stays up.

Boom too because the boat gets wrapped. Dodger comes down. Batteries stay in place. (Over the winter I'll periodically plug the charger in and top off as necessary - but fully charged batteries will not freeze and stay adequately charged for months anyway) Run antifreeze into the engine, muffler, and exhaust; open muffler drain. Pump holding tank, then run antifreeze into it via head. Empty fresh water tank by draining into the bilge, then clear bilge with the bilge pump, then throw a few gallons of antifreeze into the bilge. Open all seacock weep holes. Take sails over to Quantum in Bristol.

Go home and have a Jack Daniels on the rocks - dream of April.

[mashenden]

I just run messenger line up while bringing the halyards down - mostly to keep them from slapping all winter - but the mast stays up.

Boom too because the boat gets wrapped. Dodger comes down. Batteries stay in place. (Over the winter I'll periodically plug the charger in and top off as necessary - but fully charged batteries will not freeze and stay adequately charged for months anyway) Run antifreeze into the engine, muffler, and exhaust; open muffler drain. Pump holding tank, then run antifreeze into it via head. Empty fresh water tank by draining into the bilge, then clear bilge with the bilge pump, then throw a few gallons of antifreeze into the bilge. Open all seacock weep holes. Take sails over to Quantum in Bristol.

Go home and have a Jack Daniels on the rocks - dream of April.

Good plan - Who is April?