I'm planning on doing the NCC100 on my recently acquired Hobie 18, which will be setup specifically for adventure racing.

One of my biggest concerns is the need to step the mast for this race and other similar races (Everglades Challenge) in order to get the boat through certain areas of the course. Currently my plan is to step the mast on the shore prior to entering the canal, however this might not be the fastest approach. Has anyone stepped a similar sized, none carbon mast on their beach cat while the boat was in the water and you can't stand on the bottom?

Here's a photo of the canal:


Harlowe Canal by samc99us, on Flickr

More photos here: http://sandybottomkayaker.blogspot.com/2009/04/harlow-canal.html

I eventually plan to add a spinnaker to the boat, probably not in time for this race as finances and time suggest other areas of the boat are more critical to get prepped for the race, however this will add more complexity to the mast stepping dilemma, or possibly provide a solution with the end of the pole useable as a winch mechanism.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Any of the TheMightyHobie18 guys who've done the Everglades Challenge have any tips?

Thanks,
Sam

Rig a spin halyard and connect it to the bridle. Tighten and cleat off the spin halyard. Disconnect the forestay from the bridle, and ease the spin halyard to lower the mast.
To raise the mast, lift the mast, tighten and cleat off the spin halyard. Connect the forestay, release the spin halyard and sail off.

Since you're not flying a spin, you can leave it connected all times to the forestay bridle.

Can't you capsize the boat to get it under the bridge?

There are 3 bridges over the Harlow Canal with low clearance. Even capsized, you might not fit a catamaran under them. The canal is also narrow and closely wooded with lots of overhanging branches. I think unstepping the mast is pretty much mandatory.

That said, There is a place in the Clubfoot Creek near the canal entrance where one can pull up on shore (or at least duckgrass) and unstep the mast. There is another spot at the canal exit where one can put the mast back up. Watch out for oyster beds, though.

There is a drawbridge over Town Creek a little farther along the NCC. It normally opens on the hour and half hour but I think they raised it on demand for competitors last time. If necessary, one could capsize walk a boat under that bridge.

Regards,
Eric

A Nacra 5.8 capsized near here before a race and was blown under a low jetty, they were able to get it under the jetty by standing on the hull and sinking the hull enough to go under, right the cat and still make the start of the race. I would think with 2 people standing on it a Hobie 18 would go under a gap of 7ft from the water.

Joleen (my wife) did the NCC with JP, and she tells me that the Harlow Canal bridges had about 4 feet clearance from the water.

Regards,
Eric

Thanks for the ideas and tips guys! My link has photos to the bridges, they look pretty dang low and the canal too shallow to flip the boat to get under them, plus the trees are too tall to keep the mast up through the canal.

Capsizing a boat and swimming it under a bridge doesn't seem like a wise idea, I could see that going south in a heartbeat, especially with all the camping gear on board.

-Sam

I would not try to step a Hobie 18 mast on the water. The mast hinge is very succeptible to breaking if the mast is allowed to swing off the centerline of the boat while raising or lowering it. I think you would have a very hard time keeping the mast centered with the boat on the water, so there would be a high risk of breaking the mast hinge.

sm

he could take his trap lines and secure them to the ends of the main beam to keep the mast straight with the boat.

Lots of good ideas, thanks guys! I'll rig something up but hopefully we won't have to use it, just step before and after the canal on-shore and call ahead to get a bridge opening.