| Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side #142176 05/05/08 11:52 AM 05/05/08 11:52 AM |
Joined: May 2008 Posts: 13 roccats OP
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Posts: 13 | Does anyone have an opinon on stepping the mast while the boat is resting on its side on one hull? Obviously the ground would need to be flat and soft and the hull would need to be propped up by a helping hand but it seems like this would remove most of the lifting involved. Is it easier in practice to just step the mast by walking it up the tramp?
Bimare Jav2 18HT
| | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: fredsmith]
#142179 05/05/08 01:41 PM 05/05/08 01:41 PM |
Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 3,969 brucat
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Posts: 3,969 | I knew I was being baited... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
EDIT: Or not. It took 10 minutes??? It takes 15 seconds to walk a mast up a tramp. It usually takes longer for the crew to get the pin inserted and secured than it does to raise the mast...
Mike
Last edited by brucat; 05/05/08 01:44 PM.
| | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: brucat]
#142180 05/05/08 01:42 PM 05/05/08 01:42 PM | Anonymous
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Unregistered | Or... you could dig a 33' deep trench and turn the boat upside down. That way, you could swing (or hang) the mast into place. Then all you would have to do is get a crane to pull up the boat and somehow swing it around 180*.
Or, if the trench was long enough (40' est.) you could get about 10 people to help rotate (right) the boat from upside down to right side up.
But in my opinion... If the mast is to heavy for you to handle solo, I would ether get a helper on the tramp to help me walk it up, or on a safety line pulling the halyard, or purchase an Easy-Step Mast Stepper from Murrays.com.
Last edited by andrewscott; 05/05/08 02:20 PM.
| | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: roccats]
#142182 05/05/08 03:17 PM 05/05/08 03:17 PM |
Joined: Oct 2002 Posts: 1,226 Atlanta bvining
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Posts: 1,226 Atlanta | My favorite way to step the mast is with the mast in front of the boat, between the bows, boat on the ground (not on wheels or wheels under the bows works too) Attach the forestays loosely if possible and point the bows up a slight hill and into the wind. Tie the trap lines to the front beam so that the mast can only pivot on one direction, front to back. Walk the mast up and at some point gravity takes over. Once the mast is up gravity and wind should keep it there, but a helper can hold the halyard at the back of the boat to keep the mast back. Then attach the shrouds. My HT mast is pretty long and I can raise it easily this way solo.
On a lighter weight boat, the boat will want to slide, so its helpful to have someone sit on the boat.
Most of the time you can find someone walking by and say, hey, can you sit on that? And then hold this (the halyard)
Make sure you have the mast step pin in before starting.
Taking the mast down is the reverse, but having someone lower the mast to you using the halyard makes it easier, after about 45deg's its all you, the halyard wont do anything.
The key is having the trap lines tied off to a short piece of line in the beams, then you are only dealing with one plane, the mast cant wiggle side to side and it takes less muscle, you are only pushing in one direction.
Bill | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: bvining]
#142185 05/05/08 03:31 PM 05/05/08 03:31 PM | Anonymous
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Unregistered | Bill.... I dont get it at all....
I got the trap lines..
but have the mast infront of the boat? huh?
most boats have a pin or pivot that would not allow a mast to be infront of the boat...
besides the pin/pivot.. i still can't picture this at all.... | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: catman]
#142188 05/05/08 04:12 PM 05/05/08 04:12 PM | Anonymous
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Unregistered | Mike, I love it!!!! Can you please bring the pumpkin launcher this weekend so we can shoot them at the powerboats and yaks? | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: fredsmith]
#142189 05/05/08 04:28 PM 05/05/08 04:28 PM |
Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 1,252 California mmiller
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Posts: 1,252 California | Watched Ben Hall rig his wing sail just that way.It took about 10 minutes and just two people. That's the only way you can do it with a wing mast I would guess. The A cat and wing mast are also VERY light. A typical cat would be a huge pain to tip on its side... and then hold it there. Then wire the mast etc. Then lift the heavy thing up. Naw... not easier on its side in most cases. Now... if you had a special trailer or... I do recall the Americas Cup cats when they were in San Diego... one of the 60 foot boats had a wing mast. They had a rack, I would guess was Hydraulic, that would tilt the boat on its side for maintenance or for storage. http://www.americascup.com/en/acclopaedia/boatdestiny/index.php?idIndex=0&idContent=5171 | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: mmiller]
#142190 05/05/08 04:56 PM 05/05/08 04:56 PM |
Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 1,200 Vancouver, BC Tornado
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Posts: 1,200 Vancouver, BC | Tried dropping the mast sideways on my Tornado while tilted 45 deg. on a tilt trailer. Used a Block&Tackle (mainsheet) to extend the shroud. Once it got a bit past horizontal to the ground, I propped the mast tip on a saw horse and un-stepped it (non-captive base with no hinge system).
Turned out to be more trouble that it was worth. Also, because of the way the lower forestay connects to the bridle, it tries to bend the lower stud at an ungly angle.
Never tried it again.
Mike Dobbs Tornado CAN 99 "Full Tilt"
| | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: catman]
#142191 05/05/08 05:22 PM 05/05/08 05:22 PM | Anonymous
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Unregistered | Also difficult if you have a self-tacker. | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: Andinista]
#142193 05/05/08 07:31 PM 05/05/08 07:31 PM |
Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 224 Cincinnati, Ohio Tri_X_Troll
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Posts: 224 Cincinnati, Ohio | I've discovered that a tight tramp works better than anything.
Ryan - H16
I prefer to go sailing because baseball, football, tennis, and golf only require 1 ball!
| | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: Tri_X_Troll]
#142194 05/05/08 07:38 PM 05/05/08 07:38 PM |
Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,921 Michigan PTP
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Posts: 2,921 Michigan | I've discovered that a tight tramp works better than anything. saw one guy who built a wood platform that went from the front beam to the back so he could put up his 6.0 mast easier. That mast sucked | | | Re: Stepping Mast with Boat on its Side
[Re: ]
#142195 05/05/08 08:21 PM 05/05/08 08:21 PM |
Joined: Oct 2002 Posts: 1,226 Atlanta bvining
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Posts: 1,226 Atlanta | To do the mast in front of the bows thing you need to have a step that will work from the front of the ball so that the mast can pivot to the front.
On the ht we had to move the mast step hinge from the back of the mast base to the front, and then it would pivot to the front.
So, the mast base is pinned into the ball/hinge, with the mast in between the bows. Take the rest of my instructions from the first post.
Does that clear it up?
I think its easier to work from the ground when raising your mast, as opposed to the tramp. You have way more room to walk the mast up, as opposed to a clean a jerk kind of motion from the tramp. Plus you are putting a lot of stress on the tramp, plus the tramp isnt that solid a surface to work off of. The ground is much easier, your legs dont have to work as hard keeping you steady on a spongy surface.
And the HT mast isnt light, its about the same as a i20 mast.
On the Acat we do it the same way, mast forward. Actually the light weight of the Acat mast makes it harder to use this technique because the wind is a greater factor, the mast doesnt weigh enough to stay back while you pin the shrouds, the wind can blow it the other way if you are not careful.
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