I've seen a billion threads on mast stepping, but none on lowering. I was able to master stepping after the second try and didn't have to mess with a winch or gin pole.

I did have some proplems bringing the mast down. I got it down to the tramp and found myself screwed because I didn't have anyone to hold it up while I removed the step pin....resulting in a broken link and my comp tip banging the ground...

Any tips?

If you go with the mast forward you can walk it out as far as you need and place it down gently on the ground.

Some of the Acat guys have a little folding X with some fabric on one end to act as a support.

Ive lowered my HT mast by myself this way lots of times, solo and if you can find a random stranger walking by and have them hold the halyard from the back of the boat it makes it that much easier. They can sort of lower it to you and you can take a few steps back, so you have more leverage and less weight to deal with.

I think the reason most Catamaran masts seem hard to step is that we've all been taught to do it from the tramp, you are lifting the mast from the bottom 1/3, you are not using a whole lot of leverage, and it seems heavier than it is, or than it should be.

Bill

ooops. sorry. H16. I wasn't aware that it would go forward. Or should I walk forward off the back of the boat.

Ryan, a Hobie 16 mast is only designed to step from the tramp, by pulling the forestay pin. If by yourself, park the boat so you can drop it slowly onto a sturdy tree branch, dumpster, fence, or something just higher than your tramp. A few folks are carrying a small step ladder, or even a wood shop roller http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00922295000P ($19.99) to set the mast on. Most of these work best if stepping from the boat on the ground instead of the trailer.

I have been raising and lowering my H-16 mast solo for years. I made a tripod out of three aluminum tent poles. I set it up behind the boat, set the mast on it, tie a line to the jib halyard and to the bridle, and put in the pin. I raise the mast and tighten the halyard. To lower the mast, I reverse the procedure and lower it into the tripod. It is almost faster than if someone helped me. I do this on the trailer.

Howard

Put the trailer behing the boat for stepping and lowering and use the mast support

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...

If you dont want to do that... i used to use a milk crate with a life vest(or even simply a cushon) on it to lower the mast onto (on both my hobie 16 and 18). It lasts for a few years. I would use several heavy bungies and secure the crate to the tramp and then the mast to the crate for transit.

In my case, it is the opposite of raising.... Or pull the pin and stand back.

"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

i use the tip over technique because my cat stays on the beach for 6 months, i have no trailer, my mast base isn't captive and there is never anyone around who wants to help

though i did raise it this year by putting the boat back together, stern to a seawall, and having my old van parked at the top of the seawall to give me the required start

work out our your own technique and continue to refine it

I too use a fold-up tripod made from approx two metre lengths of wooden battens. To be honest, it can be a bit wobbly on the drop, so I need to refine the design. However, when it works, it works well. My cat does not have a pin (it has been designed to use the spinni halyard for raising and lowering, and thereby keep downward pressure on the ball). I don't trust that either, and I tie the mast foot to the beam, using the downhaul lines, etc. It's saved my bacon a couple of times. I take a car tyre to rest on the rear beam, and the mast can rest on this if I miss the tripod, or knock it over as the mast is lowered! Having said all that, a helper is better!

To protect the car or the mast? It it's the car, you can also take the trailer out, face it forward to the sterns so the mast support is closer and gives support in a better angle, that reduces a bit the possibility of popping out or at least reduces the distance of the fall. Though it might be worst to let the mast hit something on it's center rather than on the tip. My experience is that the risk of popping out is at a quite low angle, very similar actually to the angle given by the mast support at short distance of the sterns. That means two things for me:
- I'm not too afraid of damaging the mast because of the short fall distance.
- The chances of popping out (mine is uncaptive) are actually very high, so it's not really e very good option for me, a higher support is better or probably just drop it to the sand or to the water, I manage to make it smooth enough, poppig out included (with a safety line of course)