Day Sailor mast stepping

[nprice]

There is a similar style day sailor in Maine we launch each year in a similar fashion to Dan & Chris but we get the mast vertical next to the boat with two on the ground and one on the boat. When it's vertical, one from the ground joins the one on the boat and we lift it and rest it on a towel on the deck before the next step of lowering it through the hole. having the 3rd person join you if needed to get it on the mast step. Having the stays attached with some extra length, seems prudent.

[Baysailer]

I've raised the mast on my Rhodes 19 solo a lot of times. It has the same setup you have where you feed the mast through a hole in the cuddy to a fitting on the floor/keel. I'll try to describe it here:

Basically I use an old mast as a crane. I stand it up next to the boat. I tie the mast to the chainplate so the top doesn't move around. Next I move the mast foot until the top of the mast is over the hole in the cuddy. I use two tie downs to secure the base to the trailer or cradle. Make a triangle so it can't move left-right or kick out. One item I missed in the setup was attaching some blocks and line to the mast head before you set it up. I use 3:1 purchase but 4:1 or even 6:1 would probably be better.

Now with the mast laying down (bottom side forward) tie a loop on the mast just below the stays to the block. Standing on the deck pull a few small lifts to check everything out-make sure it's tight. before you go much farther. After your sure all is well you can start lifting. This part takes a bit of dexterity, the bottom will lift up first so you have to hold that down a bit plus pull on the line. I haven't found a way to cleat the line while doing this. Eventually you'll get the mast lifted and upright and you can lower it into the hole. You'll need to keep tension on the line until you make sure the mast is on the post, requires going below for me.

I know all this sound cumbersome and a bit spooky but it's really not if its all securely set up.

For an alternative method you might want to look at how they do it on the ensigns at Saratoga lake Sailing Club.

http://www.sailsaratoga.org/old/mast%20step%20intro.htm

Oh Yeah congratulations and good luck.

Fred B

[sfreihofer]

I read somewhere (was it on this board?) about an old-fashioned barn raising method, which (if I remember correctly) sounded fairly simple, but entailed the use of two friends and their boats. Basically, you raft the dismasted vessel between the other two, each of the outside boats using a halyard in unison to raise the mast of the center boat suspended between the halyards. Maybe with a cow hitch under the spreaders? I suppose calm weather is a prerequisite.

Never tried it, never seen it, but it sounds easy enough. I offer it here as food for thought.

Stan Freihofer
1981 CD 25 #794
Ft. Lauderdale
www.ReefRoof.com

[Oswego John]

Whichever method you use to hoist the mast i.e. crane, gin pole, etc., I would caution you to use a loose knot tied below the spreaders, maybe use a bowline.

After the mast is erect and properly supported, the lifting line must be disconnected from the mast. By the use of a loose, noose type knot, after tension is released, the lifting line will be able to slide down the mast and then be untied.

For safety reasons, some people tie a light line to the noose knot to be used as a downhaul.

Good luck,
O J

[NevisTyphoon]

Wow, Dan - your wife is better man than me! Me and three buddies did manage to step it today using your technique, but I have to say we would never do it again! We ended up tieing the backstay to the mainsheet and running it through one of it's blocks to finally get her up, and lifting her up in place was pretty dicey. It left four old guys wide-eyed and their hearts beating far more than they should.

I've also got a Windrider 17, and me and another buddy have no problems at all stepping the mast to the hinged mast point without drama, but the Typhoon Daysailer has it's unique set of issues I discovered today.

I shoulda known better than to use the Iwo Jima approach. I was trained as an engineer, and by our basic nature we hate to see manual labor used for a quick solution when countless hours can be spent making a lazy way of doing it. Next I'm going to try the approach recommended of using another mast tied to the chainplates as a crane to dismast her, and see if I think that will work as well to step her again.


We did this about a mile from the sea to make sure that we had a technique (wouldn't want to fail in public!) and to make sure that everything was in place to float after 20 years on the hard, and I'm glad we did. The main halyard is jammed (have to to take down the mast to see why - it was fine after I cleaned and reassembled it), I had forgotten to put the new battens into the new sail, and still have to cut one to make it fit, and have to make the connection to support the boom end to the back-stay. On a fresh restoration of a boat you've never sailed before, and as a total newbie, I expected these kinds of issues. These would have been hard to deal with had I found them after floating!

And bet most of you have never had to deal with cleaning up monkey-poop off your deck before putting your boat in the water, either.

Life in the islands, mahn.....

[Dan & Chris]

It left four old guys wide-eyed and their hearts beating far more than they should.

Ah, I see the problem: four guys involved in an engineering challenge... I'll bet it got way more complicated than it needed to. Too bad we can't see the video!

You did take the radome off before attempting this, right?

Dan (and I'm not sure Chris will feel complimented)