How easy is it to lower and raise a mast.....

Dropped the mast on our old 23' Hunter Horizon once to replace a broken tricolour mount, was a bit of a faff and if we did it again I'd definitely want a better frame to help raise it again. Wouldn't even think about doing it ourselves on our current 30 footer as we'd almost certainly damage something - we climb the mast for simple fixes and would go to a boatyard for anything more involved. I think the yard used a cherry picker to fit our radar reflector, which we had done whilst ashore.
 
Neeves said:
Or pays for someone to replace a bulb etc.

Why is mast work considered unusual, difficult or dangerous?

Jonathan
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It depends on a variety of factors including the general fitness of the boat owner, their weight and how good a head for heights they have. Personally, I'm significantly overweight and get an attack of the vapours as soon as I'm more than five feet off the ground - the services of a professional are definitely called for. Our neighbour in the marina has a teenage daughter who is a keen sky-diver and a slip of a girl - she'll go up the mast at the drop of a hat and hang up there for hours watching the world go by.
 
graham said:
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If you have two friends who would raft up with you in the middle you can use a halyard from both to lift and lower.
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I've seen that done - good trick, but it does require that you can find two helpful people owning similar size boats, both a fair bit bigger than yours.
 
maby said:
It depends on a variety of factors including the general fitness of the boat owner, their weight and how good a head for heights they have.
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I have a 16yr old son who only needs a slight suggestion that there may be a need to go up the mast and he is at it.

I'd recommend anyone who *doesn't* have a head for heights and is planning on any serious cruising to go up the mast a few times and spend some time up there. It is completely safe when done correctly, and once you have done it a few times, it becomes a non-event. The last thing you want is to be needing to go up there for the very first time, a long way from home and in less than great conditions. Go and have a dangle for a few hours, the view is pleasant and a little familiarity removes a lot of the fear.
 
We dropped the keel stepped masts into a ketch. I put an A frame on the back of my pickup and slung them off the fishing dock, so a bit of height over the water.. Main was a bit over 50ft and wood. It was a while back and no insurance considerations or Marina hassle. But can be done.
 
DownWest said:
We dropped the keel stepped masts into a ketch. I put an A frame on the back of my pickup and slung them off the fishing dock, so a bit of height over the water.. Main was a bit over 50ft and wood. It was a while back and no insurance considerations or Marina hassle. But can be done.
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Sure, it can be done, but equally people can do damage trying to raise or lower even quite modest masts. There was a thread on here not long back...
 
I raise and lower the mast on our 24ft trailerable sailing cruiser. The mast is 10M and probably of a slightly larger section than normally used on boats of this size. I would not do it without rigging some tackle, temporary stays to the side of the mast, a gin pole to the front and high pole with a roller on the top to the transom. I use a block and tackle with 2 sheaves on one pulley and 3 on the other (until I broke 1 ) and take the rope around a winch. I can raise the mast in a controlled manor myself or with my petite wife with this. I would not like to handle a mast on a 28ftr unless it had been designed with that in mind.
 
lw395 said:
Sure, it can be done, but equally people can do damage trying to raise or lower even quite modest masts. There was a thread on here not long back...
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What I meant was, if you get organized and plan the job, then it is practical. davidpbo's post^^ is an example. The bloke who dented his mast admitted it was a silly mistake.
 
Sandy said:
There speaks a man who has never had a bulb go on a masthead light, a halyard jam on something, a sail that has never got stick or a halyard that has never got entangled in stuff when somebody has not kept it taught.
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Sandypoos - that's not true. I've had all of those and more besides happen to me - I just choose not to go climbing masts because there are alternatives.
 
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