BENETEAU 21.7 MAST RASING/LOWERING

[rontaylor]

I'm considering buying a used 21.7 for lake and coastal sailing in the UK. Can anyone advise on how easy (or otherwise) it is to raise and lower the mast with the boat on the trailer? I've seen mention on other sites of a mast rasing/lowering kit but this doesn't appear to be available from Beneteau. Advice or comments based upon experience of this type of boat appreciated.

Rgds Ron

 

[beneteau_305_553]

I have experience of a 257 so presume its similar just shorter and lighter for the 217

The mast is hinged at the deck so slacken off the backstay and shrouds one side. Attach a line about 10 m long to the spinaker halyard and to the bow. Take in the slack and disconnect the forestay. Lower the mast on the halyard till you can stand on the coachroof and take the weight. Lower into a temporary crutch at the stern. Pull out hinge pin and move bottom of mast forward and fix to the pullpit. Needs 2 people minimum till you have done it a few times.

 

[SteveA]

I have a 21.7 and think it's a great boat but lowering the mast is a bit of a pain as there is a lot of it hanging over the stern - using a crouch at the stern puts a lot of pressure on the pivot pin - I put a fairly tall set of steps about 6' astern of the boat to be able to support the mast.
I do know thare is a mast lowering kit avaiable from beneteau but haven't a clue what it looks like.
Steve

 

[weaver_fish]

Might be worth making up something like this... saves hassle when trailing and also the roller the mast sits on makes it really easy moving the mast back forward once you have dropped it.

This was my old one on a Dehler 22.

Using the spinnaker pole on the forestay also helps lowering / raising the mast too.

Not sure of the particulars on the Benny but it worked for me!

 

[exfinnsailor]

Been there .. Done that .. Some are available with a tabernacle .. ( Factory Fitted and the bolts are in a different place so its not really an after fit ) .. This raises the pivot point so that when you lower the mast it clears the hatch .. If you have one without ( Most are ) you have to leave the mast high then remove the pin and lower it .. Ours was usually done in a F5 - F8 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif .. You can do it with the spinnaker pole and a couple of stainless strops from the side to stop the mast moving sideways as you lower it .. First time I lowered mine it went over the side .. Bent the mast foot and pulled out a few rivets .. Lot of time and planning needed .. Not a quick job or something to be done in a hurry .. Agree about the overhang at the back so you have to disconnect everything and move the mast forward .. I had two windsurfer masts lashed to a piece of wood across the transom .. Pulley on the top of one and a long line .. Drop mast to land in rope sling or use to raise mast .. Lot of weight to play with and it just balances .. Then remove / Insert pin and lower / raise .. Use to take a good 1 1/2 hours to sort and as much to put away .. Dont forget its got roller furling so you have to be careful .. Used to use black tape to hold it all in place when lowering and remove when raising .. Great little boat .. Just a large dingy with a top and just as tippy .. If you need more details PM Me .. Google Beneteau 210 or 211 they are the same when it comes to mast raising / lowering .. You also need to go in along way to get her afloat as the keel raises under the boat and sticks down about 900mm

 

[davidwf]

Be careful if you have a rod kicker fitted, the bracket fouls the deck as the mast pivots back. This then stops you taking the pin out!! New owner of my boat discovered this when despite my offering to pay for the mast to be lowered he took it down himself. Took three of us to finaly get it down, it was very touch and go.

In all honesty you really need to find a 21.7 with the mast lowering kit fitted ( Its a popular option) or plan to fit the tabernacle from Beneteau or have one fabricated, you can do an awful lot of damage to the deck if it goes wrong. I am suprised holes are in a different place but hopefully you can just drill new ones to match the mast step.

 

[William_H]

I don't know the specifics of the boat. But yes the pivot point for the mast must be high enough that the mast fittings won't foul any part of the deck or hatch.
However the secret is to lower the mast into a crutch or stern support that is both as far aft as possible ie attached to the stern rail and as high as possible. ie about 2 metres so that when standing on the back of the boat you can just reach the mast to lift it and slide it forward when you want to disconnect the pivot bolt. (or low enough to go under bridges if that is your concern.) The mast should never be lowered to horizontal until it is moved forward out of the tabernacle.. This is to ensure the mast does not foul things on the deck and if you are raising or lowering using a tackle from the bow the loads are huge as the mast gets lower. And it minimises loads from the mast hanging out the back.

So I have a crutch to lower the mast into, which leaves the mast about 2 metres above the deck when lowered. I then slide the mast forward until the base is under the bow rail and out the front by .7 metre then I lower it into a low crutch which supports the mast with the spreaders just clear of the cabin top.(for storage or towing) I can lower the mast for bridges to the high crutch with the boom and mainsail (furled) still attached and laying on the cabin roof. Of course the boom must be removed for mast right down and stowed.

I lower the mast while on the water and often under way. So it is desirable even though the mast can be managed by hand to be lowered using spinnacker poles to the forestay to improve the angle of pull of the forestay. and a 3 purchase tackle from the forestay to the bow. You also need to make some provision for keeping the ap shrouds tight as the mast traverses down. This is to stop the mast swinging sideways. This destroys the tabernacle. On dry land you cna control the mast by hand.

My 21fter has a fractional rig which means when the forestay is released all the rigging goes loose. I have a high field lever at the bottom of the forestay (in lieu of bottle screw) this enables very quick releasee of tension of the rig.

Some of my friends have a fiurling jib. (not me no way) The drum makes it difficult to fit a tackle or high field lever. No space between the drum and the deck. You can use the spin or jib halyard as the lower rope in lieu of forestay. If you crank on the halyard with the end attached to the bow you can ease the tension enough to enable the forestay to be disconnected. Use a tackle and poles at the end of the halyard.

Just try it with helpers at first. good luck olewill

 

[jack_tar]

There were some good videos on u tube concerning mast lowering on a catalina 25. the chap concerned managed his mast solo. he used what looked like a length of 4" drainage pipe with a mast sized slot cut in one end, which he positioned and fixed in the companionway, so that it formed a crutch to lower the mast into. the critical stage in my opinion is when the angle between the mast and the halyard you are using to lower becomes to acute too offer any real support. By using a crutch well forward and high enough it provides a suitable rest point mid manouver. further to this I have just lowered the mast on my boat with one person controlling the drop via the jib halyard forward to the stemhead then back to a cockpit winch. and one person on the top of the coachroof controlling the mast as it comes down. In hindsight it would have been much easier to have had a crutch at a suitable hight in the area of the Companionway hatch.

Good luck

 

[davidwf]

What about one of these from Compass may make the job much easier mast lowering kit .