How to get the mast back on the boat without help

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Tomfoolery
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How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

I removed the mast so I could use the boat more comfortably in the Erie Canal after returning from the MMOR IV rendezvous. I had my boys to help, lowering it over the side with a couple of lines. Getting it back up there without help was a whole nuther story. I did it myself once, earlier this year, using a couple of ladders and other jury-rigged staging, and it was no fun at all, and I did a little damage to bits of the boat. Probably would have been easier if I had stripped it down to a bare extrusion, of course, but I didn't, and it's not something I want to do again. Ever. My bod paid for it for weeks afterward.

This time, I decided to use my engine hoist/shop crane. An 8-1/2 ft length of 2-1/2 x 1-1/2 x .120 wall tube stuck into the end of the boom extension, pinned with the same pin holding the extension, gave me a working boom length of 11 ft. Since the load is beyond the fulcrum with the long boom, stability requires counter weighting, but I had a couple of 45 lb barbell plates laying around. While only one was actually required to safely handle the 90 lb mast (I weighed it) with roller furler and sail and all the normal rigging, I stuck them both in there to up the load capacity from 130% to 170% of 90 lb on tipping.

I lowered it from it's storage spot - hanging from the garage ceiling - onto a couple of movers dollies, rolled it out to the boat, hoisted it up and over the life line stantions, and lowered it onto the deck. The rest was pretty easy, as it's no different than normal mast handling when trailering.

I started thinking about ways to do this without killing myself after seeing what another member had done with a free-standing canopy parking spot, and a couple of block and fall systems to lift the mast off the boat. That wasn't a possibility, and a gantry would have been a pain to erect and store. But a shop crane folds up into a little package, and a boom extension is easy to make (drill a couple of 1/2" holes, plug it in), and the counterweight I had already. 11 gauge give better than 3:1 factor of safety on bending with a 90 lb load, though 14 gauge would also have worked, at about 8 lb lighter (down from about 26 lb) but with only around a 2:1 FoS on bending - a little light when inadvertently bouncing the load.

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Tomfoolery
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

Most of the deflection in the boom is mechanical lash, as the tubes aren't a great fit, so they're 'sagged' without any load on them at all, other than self-weight of course.

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And it folds up nice and small when not in use. Takes me about 1 minute to close it all up.

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I even used it to get some of the heavy stuff off, including two full gas tanks, using a hitch carrier 'borrowed' from my FIL when I brought my son home from college in the spring. Gotta give that back one of these days. Not a huge time or energy saver, but it saves my shoulders (which are grinding bone-on-bone), and a lot of trips up and down on that tiny boarding ladder.

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Oh, and total cost for the boom extension was about $20. 8) :D
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133bhp
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by 133bhp »

thumbup! - good solution

looking at one of those to get the engine off this winter.
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Tomfoolery
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

Funny you should say that, as that's why I got it originally, though in the end, I've never taken it off. :|

Harbor Freight has the 1-ton folding unit on super coupon sale for $90 off. Something like $130. The 2-ton is a bit more, also on sale. The boom is a bit short on the lighter ones, but with a 200-300 lb engine and 500 lb capacity on its longest setting, a short extension would be ok, as long as you're aware of the possible need for a little ballast in the rear, depending on how far past the front casters the load is. And used ones are everywhere. And rental houses have them, too.
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by raycarlson »

from looking at your pictures your in an all American suburbia neighborhood. Seems very sad you had to go thru all that you did, surely someone next door would have helped you for five minutes.
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Catigale »

Of course he could have. But he is a sailor, and wanted to make sure he could do it himself first.... :D
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Tomfoolery
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

Catigale wrote:Of course he could have. But he is a sailor, and wanted to make sure he could do it himself first.... :D
Actually, that's about as close to the truth as you can get. My first instinct is to do it myself, no matter what. Second is to get help from my boys, but they're both off and running these days. I don't even know the neighbors (most of them, at least) - the guy with the RV doesn't talk to anyone, those behind the boat are octogenarians, and on the other side, nice as he is, I'd be better off trying it alone. :D

I'll fab up a little spreader to pin to the end to speed things up, which will also make it useful for getting it back onto the garage ceiling. One of these days. It's not like I do this more than once or twice a year. :wink:

Oh, and I'd have just left it hanging off the garage ceiling, sail and all, if I had something else to use as the backbone for the winter tarp. That's something I should put some time into, as I'd rather just leave the mast and its rigging inside the garage, where it's (literally) high and dry. 8)

Steve - when did you finally get out of there?
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by beene »

Hi Tom

When I removed my M mast for my trip up and downt the Trent Waterrway system, I launched the boat.
Brought her along a high dock wall and tied off
At this point, the distance from the mast in its down position to the ground beside the boat was only a couple feet.
I just picked up the mast at the balance point and walked off the boat
I set one end down first so I only had to hold on to the other end while stepping off
I then brought the mast over to the trailer, strapped it down, drove it home, carried it around back and left it there for my trip.
When I got back from my trip I just put the mast back on the trailer and brought it back to the boat
Once I had the boat at the high dock again, I set one end into the mast arch, and stepped onboard while holding the other end
Set it into the bow pullpit mount and put the pin in
Done!
Just had to attach the rigging again and I was ready to go sailing again

Cheers

G
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Ormonddude »

I love my engine hoist if you troll craigslist you may find a deal i got mine for $90 with some extra's like a v8 engine stand
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by DaveB »

We call them Cherry Pickers, used the 1ton from harbor freight 3 times to remove my Honda 50 with ease.
We take off mast ever year during the summer and put it back on with roller furler and sail with all standing rigging attached.
We just slide it aft on the stern bracket that supports the mast with one person on the ground and other on deck.
Slide it aft until top of mast is 3ft. from roller, deck person goes off boat and grabs other end.
Takes my girlfriend and me 15 min. to undo standing rigging and secure to mast and set it on 3 high cinder blocks.
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Tomfoolery
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

beene wrote:I just picked up the mast at the balance point and walked off the boat
I set one end down first so I only had to hold on to the other end while stepping off
I then brought the mast over to the trailer, strapped it down, drove it home, carried it around back and left it there for my trip.
As much as I'd like to do something like that, I'm not physically able any more (took a lot to admit that :cry: ), and I needed to put the mast on in the driveway. Which leads to
DaveB wrote:We just slide it aft on the stern bracket that supports the mast with one person on the ground and other on deck.
Slide it aft until top of mast is 3ft. from roller, deck person goes off boat and grabs other end.
Takes my girlfriend and me 15 min. to undo standing rigging and secure to mast and set it on 3 high cinder blocks.
I considered doing that, but the bimini hoops are in the way, and they're a royal pain to put back on without help. I'd also have to pull the boat way forward, which adds time to the effort, since I don't normally leave it hooked to the car. I'd also have to do something about a dolly to hold the end of the mast that's on the ground while walking it back. Alone.

This is the best I could come up with, and it should go even quicker the next time, though it was pretty quick and painless as it was. 8)
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Catigale »

To Tom....2200 hours, way too late to drive back to Ithaca that night. Ended up staying at the Institute Directors house ( personal friend)

How about this for a solution?

Firmly attach block to top of garage.
Lift one end of mast up by 10 feet, swing mast sideways to clear driveway
Back boat up to garage.
Lift front end up from on board and rest mast on :macx: carrier in cockpit
Roll mast forward.

You are never lifting more than 75 pounds that way.
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by raycarlson »

from your post on the other mac board, my recommendation is a good orthopedic surgeon, he can fix those rotator cups and in 3-4 weeks you'll be stowing that mast like you were 33 again.really no need to suffer shoulder, hips or knees in this day and age of miracle medicine.
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Tomfoolery
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Tomfoolery »

raycarlson wrote:from your post on the other mac board, my recommendation is a good orthopedic surgeon, he can fix those rotator cups and in 3-4 weeks you'll be stowing that mast like you were 33 again.really no need to suffer shoulder, hips or knees in this day and age of miracle medicine.
Yeah, I'm slowly moving in that direction. I can lift and pull mostly without issue, but raising my arms even a little is a problem. I first noticed it in my early 20's when I driving trucks - a sharp pain in my right shoulder when reaching out to grab the shift lever(s). Never gave it much thought, but over the decades since it's gotten really bad. I saw a specialist seven years ago, who shot me with cortisone and sent me to PT. Cortisone helped, after the initial inability to use my arm at all, but the PT did nothing . My GP, who I haven't seen since he referred me seven years ago ( :? ) just referred me back again, so maybe it's time to do something.

In the mean time, jacking the engine hoist is painless and it rolls easily, so all-in-all it's a pretty easy and quick operation to get the mast on or off the boat without moving the trailer.
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Re: How to get the mast back on the boat without help

Post by Gazmn »

T'is the season :)
I had torn rotator cuff repair surgery in Jan. Did 4mos PT; managed to do all sorts of mods in May & June. & got the boat in the water 1st as trawler [mastless, July] & then drove the mast to the marina, on trailer. Dropped mast off on ramp & grunted it onto the boat while it was temporarily on the trailer [ala Dave & Catigale- one side at a time]; then dunked her back in the water [August] :P

Get ur surgery scheduled now for after the holidaze. Get Better over the winter & have some fun next year 8)

Painlessly
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