"That requires putting the boat on stern towards the car. I personally now do that with my cat and like it... but it sure took a leap of faith to lower my mast over my car the first few times... "

OK, at the risk of saying What in the unholy...???

NEVER, EVER, EVER lower your mast over anything that you value: your car, your dog, your friends... That's just waiting for a disaster to happen. I've only been doing this for 18 years, and I know two people personally that have broken arms trying to catch a falling mast. I have seen plenty of other masts fall and not hit anyone.

Point being, when the hinge/pin/ball quits, the mast comes down, out of control and FAST. If you want to use the trailer idea, just make sure the boat is far enough away from the trailer such that when the mast is lowered, just the very top foot or so extends past the trailer mast support.

If you do have a helper, be sure to remind them EACH TIME that if the mast starts flying down, RUN AWAY. People's instinct seems to be to try to catch it. I remind every person, every time I drop my mast, even people that I know have been doing this longer than me.

Hope this helps.

Mike