DIY Mast stepping, anyone done it?

Made my own from timber. The boat was 18ft and the 2x1" timber was at it's limit. So 2x3" or alloy tube is better.

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DIY mast stepping

Around here DIY mast lowering and removal refit is very common.
Most boats have provision for lowering masts for bridges that get in the way when accessing the ocean. So lowering is done under way.
It is however another question to remove a mast from the lowered position,
I did it with a friend on his 24ft heavy mast head rig mast recently using 3 people.
The mast was lowered into a crutch the base was disconnected then mast was slid forward till be base was at the bow rail. Then after all stays were disconnected it was carried further forward on the jetty then ashore.
You might consider Lakesailer's rig but that would be pretty tall and need to be very strong for 24ft boat.
I think best plan is to lower backwards on hinging tabernacle or base. This has been described on this forum (by me) many times and as you say in U tube video. I think it worth spending a bit of money on proper deck hinge points for the 2 poles (spin poles are good) and a long 4 purchase tackle. ie at least 60 ft of rope.
A friend recently bought a near new Benetou 39. He had a hinge built into the keel stepped mast about 1 ft above the deck. This heavy mast is a bit daunting to lower in churned up water when heading for the bridges but is done often. good luck olewill
 
capetown said:
As always, looking to save a bob or two, am looking into DIY mast stepping.

There are a few vid's on You Tube about it, some look very dodgy.

On the Compass24 site they have what is called a telescopic mast derrick.

http://www.compass24.com/web/catalog/shop/technics_chandlery_mast_lift_derrick/4853195#

Has anyone used one? or similar?
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Another option, if you can moor your boat between two yachts, you can use their halyards as a make shift mast crane and do it that way :).
 
capetown said:
As always, looking to save a bob or two, am looking into DIY mast stepping.

There are a few vid's on You Tube about it, some look very dodgy.

On the Compass24 site they have what is called a telescopic mast derrick.

http://www.compass24.com/web/catalog/shop/technics_chandlery_mast_lift_derrick/4853195#

Has anyone used one? or similar?
Click to expand...

I was thinking of doing mine. Last time diy my father and I dropped the mast on the beach, him on lines behind the boat, me attempting to bring the 30ft mast down straight from the saloon roof. NEVER AGAIN, when it passed 45° he couldn't hold it and generously passed the weight over to me. No radar or other gear I now have on the mast. Christ I thought my legs had exploded. I was fit then.. I got the thing down, but had a screaming match with my poor old man who was just as knackered as me.

Anyhow, to do it again, I have thought about drying out in front of the 6m harbour wall and using a few turns of rope around the promenade rail/fence (what are they called ??? durgh brain fart). I reckon the two of us up top with a triangle of ropes from the top of the wall to the top of the mast could bring it down nice and slowly.

Downsides and why I have twice used a crane since thinking up this marvellous plan. If either of us got a riding turn it could get hairy. I would still have to get a crane to get the thing back up.

I wish we had access to a block and tackle, masts aren't really heavy, you just need height and control. I have heard that crews can use blocks and tackles on the French canals to drop their own masts, is this true?
 
capetown said:
Were you able to do this single handed?

Jim
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Yes. I did it on my own. It was a masthead rig, but without a headsail furler. Your mast will be a bit heavier. The block at the apex needs to be just above your sreader height and the sling under the spreaders so that it will lower down when you are done. I moored to a nearby jetty and waited until a ferry had passed on a calm day. The wood was a bit bendy. The mast foot just sat in an alloy shoe on that boat so there was no chance of pivoting it which is much easier.

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I managed it on my Trapper 300 with a fairly hefty 30ft mast, SWMBO and me lowered it and I raised it myself using a tripod made from uni-strut, blocks and tackle and a sheet winch. Some pics but they don't really show the method used just the set up.

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I had thought about using a long rope and a road bridge (one of the two on the Menai strait). I have resisted the temptation so far
 
How you do it depends on the size of boat, weight of mast and how fit/strong you and your mates are. We used to do it by hand on a 24ft boat with masthead rig, but it was a sweaty job for at least four people, preferably more.

Now, with my 27ft boat, similar rig but much taller, we tried the Compass sheerlegs and successfully lowered the mast. But when trying to hoist it, the tubes buckled - actually the lifting block failed, but not a lot of safety margin. There is an article on the Westerly Owners site about stepping a Centaur mast with a similar design of device but made of wood, something the size of rafters should do nicely.

Luckily in my club, we have a contact at the local scrap yard who drives round with the Hiab lorry and does the job on his way home, very neatly and for very little cash. Never known him to rush the job or do any damage.

Whichever way you do it, choose a dry day (no slipping) with nil wind! Only a boat with tabernacle system on a swinging mooring can weathercock to avoid sidewinds.

Rob.
 
I do it easily on my boat (24 foot). Take the throat and staysail halyards to a point either side in line with the pivot bolt, to act as shrouds on the way down (the geometry would be wrong on the actual shrouds). Use the jib halyard (with jib removed) to steeve the bowsprit up to 45 degrees. Make sure the bobstay is nice and secure, and take up any slack in the jib halyard. Then give the mast a good shove - it's always reluctant to start moving. Stand on the foredeck, ease out the jib halyard, and lower the mast down into its crutch. If there's a second person, they can help guide it into the crutch, but this isn't strictly necessary.

Nearly all of this will probably be irrelevant to your boat, but you never said what it actually was.

Pete
 
Yes forgot to mention, it will be a Hunter Ranger 265, we have a Pageant at present.

Three of us, (when we were young and fit) could manhandle our Sonata mast whilst afloat.
Have still got the crutch to fit on the transom.
 
We always step and unstep the mast ourselves on our little 18ft boat. Easy job for two with no extra equipment.

If the boat's on the trailer when stepping the mast (it usually is) then I use the trailers winch. If not, I use a block and tackle to give enough mechanical advantage.

I don't use a tripod or any other type of jig because it's only a small boat and short mast. One person standing in the cockpit walks the mast up as high as he can. It's then high enough for the winch, or block and tackle over the bow roller to pull it up the rest of the way.

Ditto when lowering, lower on the winch or block and tackle until the person in the cockpit can reach it to take the weight. Lowering is potentially more dangerous, because if you lower it too far on the winch, the effective angle that it's pulling at gets too low, so you have to lower it slowly and make sure the cockpit man is ready to take the weight and lower it into the cradle. Lowering is also more hazardous because my trailers winch is not auto braking, so it would be bad news if the winchman let go of the handle on the way down.

I guess a cradle of some sort, or a gin pole is probably more worthwhile for lowering the mast rather than raising it, just to give that bit more control.

I don't even use side stays. I know the shrouds go slack but surprisingly not that slack, and once more than about 50 degrees over it's within reach of the man in the cockpit to steady it. Next time I will experiment with a couple of bungees on the shrouds (pulling them outwards) to try and maintain more tension on them, but we won't be putting the mast up now until the Spring to do some modifications for next year.

Obviously the larger the boat, the higher the forces, and the more men and equipment you need.

Re post #11, there was a post on another thread showing a you tube video of someone using a road bridge. The local plod turned up near the end and gave them a ticking off.
 
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You don't say if it is once a season or a regular on board effort.
The 50ft wooden mast in the thread about moving masts, we made a derrick from two 6mt. metal tubes hinged off the back of a pick-up. Using the extra height of the fish dock, dropped it (and the shorter mizzen) with a block and tackle into the boat. Keel stepped, so the rigging, though attached, was set up later. No drama, just the two of us + wives, who watched and held ropes.

This came up a short while ago from a quiery by Boo. A search might get the other answers.
 
DownWest said:
You don't say if it is once a season or a regular on board effort.
The 50ft wooden mast in the thread about moving masts, we made a derrick from two 6mt. metal tubes hinged off the back of a pick-up. Using the extra height of the fish dock, dropped it (and the shorter mizzen) with a block and tackle into the boat. Keel stepped, so the rigging, though attached, was set up later. No drama, just the two of us + wives, who watched and held ropes.

This came up a short while ago from a quiery by Boo. A search might get the other answers.
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This would be a once a year job for winter storage.

Will search for Boo, Thanks.
 
If the mast is not too heavy, consider finding a high quayside at low tide.
If the mast can be lifted by two people, you can probably step it from the quayside by putting the heel in place while the middle of the mast is supported at quay height.
Get the forestay on with plenty of slack, have a line to a big bloke on the quay for control.

If you can't muster 4 helpful fit blokes on the quayside for 10 minutes, consider joining a better club!

Other clubs have mast cranes you can use for a few beersworth.
 
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