better ways of dropping a mast

[dylanwinter]

The slug mast was light enough to allow me to drop it fairly easily for bridges



if you look at the rig here it had a two part purchase at the bottom

a smaller jib to clear the bikes

but the slug had an aluminium mast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeWRsWS3trI

the minstrel mast is an old tree trunk of some sort

any suggestions about a rapid drop system

I did think about making a lighter rig using the boom or the gaff

could it be better to have the purchase from the top of the mast

Dylan


mast raising 13.40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uj3wZaQS3Q

 

[Lakesailor]

Well it didn't look that difficult. However to make it easier, take a line from the bottom of the furler under the bow roller and back to where you are stood. Once you have the mast halfway up you pull on the line and the mast is up. I used to put the line around a winch on the mast but really it doesn't make a lot of difference. You can just make the line off at some handy cleat and as long as you have the shrouds connected, even if loose, the mast will stay upright whilst you sort it out.

You are halfway there with the bucket hanging from the bow, just take the line back to where you are and you have it all to hand.

I made a bar that went from the tabernacle to the bottom of the furler, which gave me purchase to raise the mast from fully down, but you don't seem to need that much help with it being a shorter mast.

 

[VicS]

I should think that the first requirement is a good tabernacle for the mast.

A good gallows to support the lowered rig a great help too.

You ask if it would be better to have the purchase from the top of the mast. Yes, but isn't the forestay virtually at the top of the mast anyway?

Stick with a 2 fold purchase if you can. Increasing to three will generate a load more rope.

Can you get to the Norfolk broads and have a good look at the systems they use on the traditional broads boats ... or is there none left?

"Sailed" under the bridge at Grt Yarmouth with BIL many years ago. Just lowered the entire rig CW sails with a 2 times purchase on the forestay but no furling spar to make things difficult and it was a smaller boat.

 

[William_H]

mast lowering

The video highlights some shortcomings of the slug system. You now have a taller mast and certainly heavier.
I would suggest a forestay which runs to a 7X19 wire cable around a pulley at the bow as the permanent forestay attachment. This wire can then come back down the sidedeck a little way to a 3 purchase or even 4 as necessary to raise the mast. (or lower it slowly from the cockpit.
You must have a pole or poles to improve the angle of pull of the tackle on the forestay. I call them gin poles. At least one local guy uses the bow rail hinged adjacent to the mast so the whole rail goes up in the air as mast comes down. But any pair of p0oles can be bent and fitted to remain permanently on fore deck.
I use spin poles but any poles will do just pivot them on side deck I have like U bolts through deck for them to pivot on.
As Vic says all this depends on a suitable tabernacle and you much have a decent support for the mast at the back. Although with good sideways support for the mast I have seen a 25fter mast head rig where he just hung the mast on the tackle without an aft support.
You will need some sort of arrangement to make the cap shrouds tight as the mast comes down to provide sideways support.
No you don't have to lift from the top of the mast even a baby forestay half way up can be used. The weight of the mast will be greater with puling from lower down but the mast should be stiff enough to be lifted from the middle.
Now from your video (which I enjoyed) you do get some pretty low bridges. The gin pole or poles of course stick up when mast is down. For that low bridge you would have to stop the boat and lower dismantle the gin poles once the mast is down. If you use the forestay then the gin poles usually run from abeam the mast base (or the mast base for one) to the forestay attachment which usually means a pole or poles 2 metres + long so 2 metres sticking up. If you used an inner (baby) forestay then this pole or poloes can be much shorter. meaning they could stay up for some not so low bridges. However bear in mind that these poles make the weight of the mast more manageable when near horizontal so shorter poles will mean more load on tackle etc when it is near down.
The answer is to try out your method for mast lowering. if you can do it easily single handed when the boat is on the hard you will be able to do it while under way. Do not skimp on supports and tackle purchases. Just imagine the mast is twice as big as it really is and you will have system which is easy to use under difficult conditions.
i reckon for you you should end up with a system where from sailing up to a bridge all you have to do is..
Start the motor
drop the mainsail
furl the jib
Release the tackle for the forestay
lean on the backstay and down she comes into the mast crutch.
All done one handed while steering.

Note this will require the mast step pivot to be high enough above deck that the boom can just lie on the cabin top or side with out stressing the gooseneck or the mast pushing on the boom. I may be a compromise as this will be difficult with mast horizontal.
I think you will have to have 2 regimes one for low bridges ie 4 metres clearance and another for very low bridges. 2 metres. have a 2 level mast support for the 2 different bridge heights. For very low bridges you will have remove boom and remove the mast gin poles. Higher bridges will be a lot easier by leaving boom on gin poles in place and not lowering the mast so far so that it is easier to raise again.

IMHO you should get an Ali mast and bermuda rig. But I guess you don't wan to change every thing.
good luck olewill

 

[Zagato]

Yes this seems to be the accepted method...Drascombe Drifter22 using the launching winch or mainsheet winch Very easy & KISS

It is also used on some Crabbers using the existing bowsprit instead of an extra spar. Crabber26 for instance...

 

[seumask]

Here's a thought that could be developed. A second hand windsurfer mast (many are two piece for storage with a U piece to catch the mast, you stand at the back of the boat and simply prod the mast up or catch it with the prodder on the way down. You could also use the winsurfer mast for various other activities, poling off the mud?, poling out the jib etc.

 

[dylanwinter]

as luck would have it

we have several windsurfer masts here

I shall explore this possibility

D