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The next IT services client I land I've promised myself I will buy the mast raising system before I throw my back out raising it by hand...

The Mast Raising System may not be a MUST.. but it sure is a desirable addition.. My wife and I are both retired : ) and she is only 5' -3/8s" and 115 lbs.. and it enables her to raise the mast by herself..

Divecoz wrote:The Mast Raising System may not be a MUST.. but it sure is a desirable addition.

When your bod is as shot as mine, it's a MUST, believe me! My shoulders are pretty much bone-on-bone. Just imagine dried out pin joints, screeching as they move. That's what I hear in my head when I move my arms. That MRS, with 5 parts of line and ball-bearing 'oversized' blocks, and rope clutch so I can stop anywhere, is a life (bod?) saver. I wouldn't be able to raise that mast myself otherwise, and I can't ask my 80 YO FIL to pick up the slack. The admiral, well, that's not part of her 'enjoyment' of 'my' boat.

So, the little inexpensive hand-winch from Harbor Freight is still working quite well. I've abandoned the idea of using an electric winch to pull the mast up...you guys were right, it's really not needed. The little winch is MUCH easier than the stock block-and-tackle mast-raiser deal too. Since it has a brake on it, you can stop in the middle to go untangle something if necessary.

I'll post the link again...this little winch fits everything perfectly...bolt holes on the gin pole line up, the hook in the strap fits the stainless hook on the cabin top perfectly...I even fold the whole thing up against the mast and hook it there with a bungy cord, and it's out of the way...AND it's cheap enough that if it gets rusty after a few years you can just toss it and buy a new one.

Here's the URL again: http://www.harborfreight.com/manual-str ... 95541.html

Cheers!
Dave

has any one came up with a electric winch so that I could just sit in a little chair with all my scuba gear on and winch myself out of the water right into the cock pit. The M is just not a scuba friendly vehicle at all.

That sounds like a challenge. That small ladder isn't easy to get up on without heavy scuba gear on. Maybe a block-and-tackle connected to the boom? Tie it to your BC, then pull yourself up? Re-use the 26X block-and-tackle from the stock mast-raising kit.

Dave

Think outside the box - if there is not anything strong enough to lift you out of the water and onto the deck, figure out a way to tip the boat over and just roll into it

Flood the boat, swim in, turn on 12v waterproof pump, wait 14 hours. What could be simpler?

Definitely some “thinking outside the box” going on here.

Another option for diving...

I have one of these- they have their advantages and disadvantages, as do tanks.

https://yachtdiver.3dcartstores.com/Bro ... _p_82.html

It easily tows behind to the dive site (a Seadoo is perfect for that too) and while I haven't yet used it from the back of the Mac, it would make getting in and out of the water an easier matter of getting your own body weight in and out (if you can do that)! No heavy tank to climb into and clang about in the cockpit with.

And no need for a winch. (I had to say that to feign some semblance of topical relevance here).

I have one of those hooka's sitting in the shop,have used it twice since new. Is no good near shore (50") or in any kind of waves. Mine is for sale very cheap if anyone wants one. they are good for working on your pool or cleaning your boat bottom.