Mast rising detail

[Scott]

Some questions were posted re: The mast crane. I was working on my masthead this AM and took a few pics of my system and posted them on our website. I made a page for "mast raising and lowering / rig tuning" I say again "I was alone so not many pics." I would appreciate if some of the old salts would e-mail/post me what sorts of pics and info to include. I will try to get my wife in the pictures to act like shes doing the work and I'll take the pics because she's a little more camera freindly than I am. P.S. Ive updated our mod page with most of the winter '04 mods. Check out my dodger and enclosure, NO WAIT, thats the one I couldnt afford, damn you Duane!

[Mark Prouty]

Check out my dodger and enclosure, NO WAIT, thats the one I couldnt afford, damn you Duane!

That Duane can be a real problem. Just when I think I have my wish list complete, he comes up with another really cool thing!

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

That's an interesting approach to use the mainsheet upside down. Seems like it would be hard to go down with the cam cleat in the way. I have a separate tackle for the gin pole that is the same as the mainsheet minus the cam cleat. Are you pulling the line by hand? I'd worry a little bit about the off center pulling load on the end of the pole. I have my line exit the fiddle block at the deck end and then run it back to the starboard winch. The winch does all the work. Similar to what you do, my wife manages the furling drum using the furling line, but she does this from the ground standing on the trailer tounge. Once the mast is up and she has the drum in hand she puts in the pin and the ring ding. During this whole time I am standing in the cockpit at the winch.

It also looks like you are starting with your pole at quite an extreme angle. When my mast is all the way up my pole is near horizontal with the tip about 12" above the deck. When the mast is laid back in the down position this puts the pole just tilted a little back over vertical. Perhaps this is why you are finding you have no leverage for the last/first few feet going up and down, you have your pole tilted to far back. Rigged as I do the pole and tackle will carry the load all the way down into the crutch, no muscling required.

Why would you take the jib halyard to the deck to tension the rig for pinning? With the tackle on the pole you have far more mechanical advatage to tension the rig than you would get with the jib halyard rigged like that. I would also think making the switch from the pole and tackle to the halyard at the deck without the headstay pinned would be a dangerous time. I just leave it all connected up until I am pinned and am sure the mast isn't going anywhere. I just winch a bit more until my wife tells me she can get the pin in. The 4:1 tackle can easily apply enough tension.

[Scott]

Duane, I am usually left to the task of raising and lowering the mast on my own. I may try it with the winch and lower crane angle but when I did it by hand with the crane low years ago there wasnt enough leverage to get it off of the deck. I have it at that angle specifically for the leverage, and yes I have the mainsheet setup upside down so I can cleat it in and take a breather or to stop short to check my stays and shrouds prior to fully raising. As for the jib halyard to the padeye, I use this if I am working on the furler or tuning my rig so I dont have to break out the entire assembly, never for raising or lowering the mast. Mark, youre right, Duane has cool toys.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I'm in the midst of the 04 mods as well.

Here's a taste:

• 24 gallons of gas. I have just completed installing 4 Tempo value 6, only $14.99 each, $59.96 for 24 gallons capacity. It takes a bit of modification to the lockers, but all 4 fit, now I can easily hand carry the tanks ashore, all the fills are easily accessible without even pulling them out from the lockers, the feed tubes are right on the front for easy tank switching. All for less than one 12 gallon tank cost, no deck plates or holes in the seats needed.
  
  Rear hatchboard storage, no not just the board dangling of the back, fixed slots for the board, fits fully under the seat.
  
  Aft propane storage for the grill.
  
  Outboard bracket for the 6hp dingy motor that also lets the motor power the mac. Lifting arm for moving the motor to the dinghy.
  
  Bow lifting arm for moving the dinghy to and from the fore deck.
  
  Cockpit hanging bar for wet coats. Cockpit LED light.
  
  New rewired power and data connections for GPS, Autopilot, Pocket PC, Laptop PC, and cockpit light. Expanded main panel.
  
  120v shore power.
  
  Additional inside hooks and fixed storage bags.
  
  Forward removable galley extension.
  
  Port side fold up Navigation/Entertainment center for the laptop.
  
  Additional reading lights.
  
  Privacy panels for the vee berth and the aft berths.
  
  Interior curtains.
  
  Air bed for the dinnette. Stiffen the table with steel tube.
  
  Inside table mount for the BBQ table.

I'll have pictures of these along with some from last year I never posted at my new revised web site in about a week.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Just a word of caution, don't trust the mainsheet cam cleat or the winch cam cleat when the mast is partially up. Accidents happen, people trip and snag lines, lines in cam cleats slip out.

This is why I think using the winch is a better way. You won't need a breather, because it's not work to begin with. You never have to muscle the mast anywhere. When ever you want to stop and work on things you can easily take the tail of the line back to the aft starboard dock cleat and secure it so an accidental release can't happen. This was strongly impressed on me by my dealer who has seen a number of masts come down when a cam cleat slipped.

I think you'll find the straighter pole give you more leverage, not less. While it's nice to have my wife pin the headstay, it's just as easy to tension the line at the winch, cleat it on the aft cleat, and then go forward to pin the headstay myself. I keep one bungee on the furler at the mast to keep everything in control as the mast goes up. If I'm alone I'll cover the drum with a towel and bungee.

The bungee's I use are great, infinetly adjustable, any length, no metal hook. Bluewater Bungees. I've never seen them anywhere else and they are so useful. I have about 20 of them.

[Scott]

Duane try this site. We re going to order a short one with a pole mount and knurled tensioning nuts. www.laptraveler.com, that way I can mount it on the galley pole and place it high for DVD's or turn to view from the cockpit, or low and swing it around to the nav seat. By the way, I love networked instrumentation. I have raymarine navigator on my laptop and it brings up a graphic Identical to my plotter making it very easy to use. Seatalk is very cool in that it is truly plug and play (sail)

[Scott]

www.laptraveler.com/marine.htm