France, mast transport, pros and cons

[pcatterall]

We propose to demast at Roen for a trip to Sette and having some seasons in the Med.
Our yacht is a 33' ketch, the main is around 38 and the mizzen 28.
I guess we need to budget around £150 to demast and the same to put back?
My reading to date suggests that transport would be around £850 plus storage?
Can anyone confirm/improve these ball park figures please?
Would we get charged double as there are two masts?

Regarding travelling with the masts on board; is this a serious hassle if the masts are well wrapped/tidied and supported. We are planning a very slow sight seeing trip so the masts will be on board for some time.

Are old tyres a requirement or just 'better' than fenders ( I can see that an 'apron' +tyres+ fender board could work well)
Thanks for any advice

 

[nimbusgb]

I was quoted €600 for transport of a 14.5m mast across France so sounds about right.

Grehan's site is the best source of data about moving with your mast I think.

 

[merlin3688]

Mast Transport

Tony Ainsworth may be worth trying http://ainsworthdeliveries.com/ He travels all over Europe delivering yachts and spars.

 

[Hoolie]

We had our mast and boom on stands along the centre of the deck, but it was set quite high to allow access in the cockpit. If you do that you should check your air height is compatible with your intended route. We had 15cms to spare at one point!

Tyres don't seem as common now, probably because they make a terrible mess of your topsides. Polythene bags etc just rip off and foul props. We used fenders in Wilkinson cheap pillowcases to protect them and chucked them when we arrived.

We also had a problem with draught as many of the canals don't have the advertised depth. As stated, check on Grehan's site.

 

[MrCramp]

This topic is often discussed on the liveaboard forum, together with loads of details of where/wherenot to stop. Some of the people who post on that forum are in France now. This is a trip that I want to do some time. Good Luck.

 

[whiteoaks7]

The subtleties

If you do transport your mast try and think of the subtle points: for example your radar dome is only watertight when it's in it's correct plane so seal it with tape, ditto lights and maybe wind sensor. You also may have a tricky time dealing with the roller-reef foil for your headsail, this was the longest item in our mast arrangement, not the mast itself.

 

[prv]

I heard that tyres are frowned upon by the canal authorities, as unlike fenders they sink if they fall off.

Never taken a yacht through canals (except the Kiel Canal which is a bit different) but I did spend a week on a hire boat on the Midi this summer. Can't see any reason why normal fenders wouldn't work perfectly well.

A gangplank to get ashore on unmade banks would be a good idea. Even on our canal boat (which is T-shaped underwater, very shallow draft at the sides so it can get close to the bank) it was useful, on a yacht whose keel will hit the bottom further out I'd assume it's essential in some places.

Pete

 

[pcatterall]

Thanks guys.
Air draft minimum is quoted at 3.5m which ( subject to the tape measure) means we could store them at a reasonable height ( standing up in the cockpit and reasonable bending under on fore and after decks)
So our own portage may well be on the cards.