When raising the mast, I have always raised it partway with some speed, then hesitated and pushed it on up. The hesitation allowed the hinge to rotate back down and avoid the problem you mentioned. This year I am recovering from surgery and don't have quite the strength yet to manhandle the mast as before. I tied a small line around the hinge pin and wove it through the nearest rope on the tramp and back up. It held the hinge from rotating up yet had some give in it to prevent problems. I am thinking about devising a clip that would hook on the pin and the tramp rope. Has anyone else tried this?

Howard