Date: 11/5/2008
Name: Tom
email: tom.gerla@csi-posdata.com
subject:Stepping the mast
For those of us(or those of me) older single-handers that dont want a sore shoulder, i have rigged-up an even easier system for just a few bucks. When I get to the boat ramp i slide the mast base back and pin it, put a snatch-block on the bow pulpit, remove the trailer winch rope and clip from the bow eye and run it up through the snatch-block and clip it to the end of the forestay, then just crank the mast up by it's forestay with the trailer winch. No sweat, no strain, and no other people necessary.This is my first year with the boat, but i have done this at least a dozen times so far with no problem. I bought David Eastbury's boat(1975 markII)last winter. I single hand most of the time. My first trip out i spent several hours at the boat ramp, sweated through 2 sets of clothes, and was sore for a week from putting the mast up(and down). I keep the boat in my garage and launch and retrieve each time - salt water sailing in south Puget Sound. After that first sail i had to come up with a better system, which i practiced in my driveway to perfect before going out again. I can now step in less than 10 minutes with very little effort.
I have quick-release pins on everything, forestay, backstay, tiller, boom, kick-up rudder pin hole, to minimize time and effort at the ramp. I also have a pretty tall mast crutch which fits in the rudder fittings(gudgeons or pintails or something?? sp??) which came from Dave with the boat and to which i added a roller at the top. The tall mast crutch makes the whole system work easily by giving a good angle to pull on when i winch the mast up/down, very liitle effort required, and the roller at the top makes it much easier to slide the mast base back to the deck plate for pinning. These things all make it easier to raise/lower the mast when there is only one of you.
Blessings to all,
Tom
Oasis 1507
"Those of us" is accurate. - jh
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