Settin up and De-rigging

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Is there some deja vu going on in this thread?

Personally, I like to do a bit of everything...which is in my nature (why I eat a lot of combo platters too...lol).

I am lucky enough to have a slip at my house, so most of the time, the boat sits there, ready to go in 5 minutes. This is really fun for those windy days when you might have a couple hours here or there to go for a quick sail. I am not on open water though and I have a 0.5 mile canal to go through and then a 3 mile somewhat narrow channel before I get out to good sailing grounds (although I usually sail the channel in one direction or the other). The Mac cut about 1-1.5 hours off of my quickie sail time that I used to have with my former keel boat...with that boat, there was a 3 hour minimum time to have any fun.

But another thing I will do at times is rent a short term slip somewhere else..like out in the Gulf. Beaches in my part of the bay are not all that nice, they are ok for a while, but they get old compared to what is available in the Gulf. Many marinas don't like to do short term rentals (up to 1 month) but if you find one with empty slips, you may be able to talk them out of their usual "policies". So, this is kind of cool, put the boat at a new place, explore for a few weeks, and then go home. This also makes it easier to do "day sails" from a more exotic location.

Of course, the trailer is nice too and we will sometimes keep the boat on the trailer for a couple months and during that time, take it someplace just for the day. We are still working on a multi-day trailer trip. Good point above with the people who come and talk to you on the ramps though...a real time killer that is..but I hate to just cut someone off too, when they are enthusiastic and interested in my boat. So, in reality, it does take longer than the "checklist". I know all about checklists as I am a pilot too (although inactive these last few years)..by the time you do all the hangar talk, park the car, pack your lunch, etc..it always takes longer than the operational "checklist" you have to go through to actually get the plane off the ground. Yes, if I were really disciplined, put some blinders on and didn't do anything other than what was absolutely necessary, I could go fast...but how much fun is it to rush..this is supposed to be a leisure activity afterall.

Anyway, I have been systematically modifying my boat now for 1.5 years to make things go faster and this is helping considerably. But still, there are a lot of peripheral activities required to get a family of 6 out on the water, and the preparation time is proportional to the amount of time you will spend on the water. Everything from planning the meals, packing the coolers, finding all the cords for the cell phones, emptying the pottie out because your 3 year old must use it, even if only on the boat for 5 minutes, etc. Those of you without kids have it pretty easy as far as this goes, you don't have to pack all the beach buckets, shovels, containers for the shells, etc.

I know, they will get older and hopefully start helping more. See, unlike Duane and his family, I have this mentality that if I don't make it fun for them..ie, in terms of doing most of the work, they won't want to go anymore. With younger kids, you also get caught in this quagmire that it will take much longer to teach them something than to just do it yourself and get out on the water. I know that this is wrong in the long run, and I am slowly trying to remedy it..mostly by going out with one kid at a time so that the frenzy of the whole family isn't there to raise the stress level.

But then there are also the safety issues, for example, I can't have my 4 year old daughter helping me raise the mast...even though she is probably the toughest one of the bunch. She was great last weekend when we would get caught in 22+ mph puffs and heel over to 35 degrees for a bit. "see Daddy, I'm holding on tight" she will say as she grabs the lifeline with both hands and things that I didn't secure well are flying around in the cabin....my wife would have have had us heading back for home with the engine about then. I pretty much have to keep it around 10 degrees or less when scream-o-meter(s) are on board..otherwise, they don't have any fun and I don't get to do what I enjoy.

[MarkStanton]

Duanne,

I will have a look through your list - certainly looks comprehensive !

I know I really have to write my own but that is certainly a good starting point.

You didn't say what time you get with this list ?

It doesn't look like a 20 mins job to me ?

And Randy, Why no slip ?

In the UK where I live the nearest bit of water is The Solent. Due to the fact we are a small island, lots of people, near to London and too many yachts ...

Could be 3000 to 4000 Pounds to have one all year (6000 ish USD)

This is too much ! One of the good reasons for owning a Mac in the first place !

Added to that if I DID keep a boat in a Marina berth all the time I probably wouldn't own a Mac in the first place.

Anyone else with a checklist for a 20/30 minute rig ?

Or maybe you don't even have time to look at a checklist

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

My list is 30-45 minutes depending on our energy level. As you can see it encompasses a lot of things not everyone has on their boat from the full enclosure, safety stuff that has to be mounted, to the dinghy motor. This adds to the setup time but also the onboard comfort level. The core mast setup and boat prep is 20-30 minutes.

Our goal is to get closer to they setup time when we launch on the local ramp without the mast. We are able in this case to have all the canvas up and installed, the safety things like life rings and Life sling dangling on the sides, the cockpit cushions in, etc. Everything is pre-done at home before we leave, even the dock lines and fenders (flipped in-board) are in place. You pull up at the ramp; take off the tie down strap; pull the rudder lock up pins; flip out the fenders and lines; back the boat in and off you go. It's really nice.

[Murv Barry]

This is Windbarry's set up and a follow up to my original post in this forum. Although clear to me, it may be difficult to follow. My set up has been taking 25 minutes so hopefully I can get it down to 20.
Good sailing, Murv

AREA 1 - GROUND - 2 minutes
1. Untie mast-raising line @ bow pulpit
2. Remove tail lilght bar & hang it on trailer sideboard
3. Remove rudder bolts

AREA 2 - COCKPIT - 2 minutes
1. Attach Windex to mast
2. Untie backstay and release mast from mast crutch
3. Bring headsail and boom topside
4. Release preventer lines & 3 small liness that secure
forestay & backstay

AREA 3 - FOREDECK - 10 minutes
1. Remove center mast support
2. Remove line that secures all shrouds fw'd
3. Attach mast to tabernacle - raise mast
4. Attach forestay & secure mast raising line
5. Hank on headsail, attach halyard & downhaul to sail
6. Secure gin pole to stanchions
7. Bring halyards, sheets, backstay, topping lift & boom
vang lines to cockpit

AREA 4 - COCKPIT - 6 minutes
1. Place boom on mast crutch and sliding hatch, attach topping
lift & backstay
2. Attach boom to mast, insert sail slugs, attach halyard, boom
vang & preventer
3. Attach mainsheet to traveler
4. Secure halyards & sheets

Mods having a positive effect are:
1. Eliminated need for wrenches - use snap or hitch pins in bolts
2. Increased length of gin pole, can now raise mast standing on
foredeck. No winching. Mast raising block & tackle remains on bow.
3. Shortend each spreader 12"
4. One line secures shrouds fw'd along mast when de-rigged. 3 other
lines secure backstay& forestay in cockpit area. No other lines or
shockcords used
5. Shroud lever tightens/releases forestay
6. Backstay unsnaps from backstay adjuster
7. Use a pin instead of sailstop. Preventer lines secure center mast
support when trailering
8. Can move from Area 1 thru Area 4 without backtracking
9. If two people - one does Area 1, other Area 2. Both in 3 & 4

[Catigale]

HAvent finished my 2004 log yet but..

we pay $1000 for a year on the Hudson

In 2002 we trailered everywhere and logged 159 miles

In 2003 we slipped Catigale and logged 800 miles...

so I used her 4x as much when she was 25 minutes from the house.

Since I got to be a much better sailor, I took more trailering trips too!!!


Catigale

[Greg]

I purchased the Speedy Rigger Video and was disappointed that it dosen't cover the roller furler setup/takedown, which is more cumbersome. I have wondered what could be done if something happened to the jib halyard, say it broke or slipped out of the pully. I read somewhere that the main halyard should not be used.

[Moe]

Because we got a roller furler with our new-to-us X, and I read here that it doesn't cover it, I didn't order the Speedy Rigger video.

I had even considered figuring out how to do it quickest with the roller furler, and offering that video via Internet for free, but at my house, I'd have to pull the boat out into the street to get the mast far enough from to house to move it back and step it.

Especially with the M here now, with its different mast-raising kit, the Speedy Rigger video is pretty much obsolete.
--
Moe

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

The 26X can be a very easy boat to rig. Some of the things I did to simplify it are:
Turnbuckle Boots (1-1/8" I.D.) on the shrouds. Keeps the shrouds from kinking on the adjusters. Plastic plumbing pipe can be used.
I shortened the forestay and put a Quick-Release Lever, from Johnson Marine (page 1015 West Marine cat., with the 1/4" pins), on the bottom.
Did not use the Mast Raiser to raise the mast (but did use it to lower it). Squatted down and used my legs.
Halyards aft to the cockpit.
Kept the mains'l on the boom all season.

[Don T]

Hello:
Well that settles it, we all congregate at Dimitri's house and enjoy the time sailing and hanging out. COOL!!

[dclark]

I went with option 2 - put it in a slip. It's the best thing I did. I get a lot more use out of it that way. My reasoning was not just that launching and rigging was a pain (althouogh that was a lot of it). But also because I have no good place to store it. Local dry storage was almost as expensive as the slip. The trailer I store cheap, it's just a bit of a drive to get it.