How long to put lines up and hoist sails etc?

DipidyDoo

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Hi everybody. Just a quick question!

How long would it take a professional to take sails that have been set out, raise the lines and hoist the mast/set the sails etc? I’m sorry I have no idea which lingo I should be using! But what I’m trying to get at is: having all the things in front of you, and putting them on the boat. For a 7.6m boat with main sail and head sail

Many thanks
 

Sandy

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Hello and Welcome

Why does it need to be a professional? What makes them a professional?

Like @Refueler I'd be asking lots of other questions before giving an answer.

In my 10.1 metre boat it takes me about 15 seconds to raise the main and about 3 to unfurled the genoa. I am sure fitter people will do it faster.
 

Fr J Hackett

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Hello and Welcome

Why does it need to be a professional? What makes them a professional?

Like @Refueler I'd be asking lots of other questions before giving an answer.

In my 10.1 metre boat it takes me about 15 seconds to raise the main and about 3 to unfurled the genoa. I am sure fitter people will do it faster.
I think he means step the mast rig it the bend on the sails.
 

thinwater

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I think you mean bend on the sails and reeve the running rigging.
  • Attaching halyard and hoisting furling jib, then furling.
  • Attaching sheet to jib. Attach and reeve furling line.
  • Attaching halyard to mainsail and hoist. Then lower and cover.
  • Reeving sheets and traveler as needed.
An hours to a few hours, depending on the boat and the extent of the rigging that needs to be arranged.
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If your intension is to comunicate with vendors, you really need to learn the lingo so that you can communicate concisely. The vocabulary is not just an affectation of sailors, they are the tools we use to make ourselves understood.
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edit. Per Fr Hacket, this may include rasiing the mast, which is either simple (trainler sailer) or more complex (if this requires a crane and standing rigging requires tuning). Add a few hours just for that.
 

DipidyDoo

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thank you for responses! When I bought the boat i was told it would take 1-2 hours, then the rigging man said it would take 2-3 hours (he also stated it probably wouldn’t take that long) but in the end it took over 9 hours. I was just wondering if this was normal! I was very surprised

The boat is a Trapper Ts240. Sorry about the lack of information!
 

DipidyDoo

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And he used an A frame thing to hoist the mast up. And then tied all the lines down (sorry, I sound ridiculous lol) and then put the sails on the ropes and such
 

DipidyDoo

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And he used an A frame thing to hoist the mast up. And then tied all the lines down (sorry, I sound ridiculous lol) and then put the sails on the ropes and such
Sorry I should also mention the sails were already put together prior to this as it had been done in advance. I mean that he put them on the boat
 

Tranona

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Yes, that is a typical day's work, particularly if doing it for the first time. In the olden days when I took the mast of a 26' down each year it took a morning to "dress" the mast, an hour to step it with the crane and the rest of the day to set up the rigging, run all the lines and bend the sails and stackpack on.
 

penfold

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thank you for responses! When I bought the boat i was told it would take 1-2 hours, then the rigging man said it would take 2-3 hours (he also stated it probably wouldn’t take that long) but in the end it took over 9 hours. I was just wondering if this was normal! I was very surprised

The boat is a Trapper Ts240. Sorry about the lack of information!
You doing it having never done it before, not knowing much about boats and it taking 9 hrs is no surprise; a rigger being in charge, while perhaps not being familiar with the specifics of a TS240(a fairly typical bermudan rig with no obvious unusual features), should not take anything like 9 hrs. When I worked in a boatyard stepping the mast of a yacht of that size using the yard's own derrick with a team of 3 would be about 30 minutes, maybe an hour if we were swinging the lead. Bending on the sails might take a similar length of time. When you say A-frame do you mean a fixed A-frame on the ground or a portable one that fits on the boat's deck? The latter would add time but even then 9 hrs is pretty leisurely.
 

William_H

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I would suggest if the professional is honest then apart from his not being familiar with the boat he has run in to problems. (as said above any job takes 3 times as long as you expect) I can say having done it probably 80 times my TS 6.5m takes about 40 mins from arriving at the ramp to sailing away. Including launching and raising the mast. But then being light weight, me familiar with process and 2 people, however things can go wrong. if 9hrs is the bill he has sent you then yes you might inquire why so long but probably have to pay it anyway. Just do it yourself with friends next time. ol'will
 

MADRIGAL

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I would suggest if the professional is honest then apart from his not being familiar with the boat he has run in to problems. (as said above any job takes 3 times as long as you expect) I can say having done it probably 80 times my TS 6.5m takes about 40 mins from arriving at the ramp to sailing away. Including launching and raising the mast. But then being light weight, me familiar with process and 2 people, however things can go wrong. if 9hrs is the bill he has sent you then yes you might inquire why so long but probably have to pay it anyway. Just do it yourself with friends next time. ol'will
You and some mates could probably do it in under 9 hours, even without practising beforehand :)
One of the best reasons to join a sailing club, by the way, is to acquire mates with more experience than you have. After a month at my little club, I had 2 or 3 knowledgeable people I could go to with questions, and even 8 years later I am meeting people with previously unrevealed skills in various esoteric aspects of sailing craft.
 

srm

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It used to take me a full day, say 9 to 10 hours to launch and set up the rig on a 42 ft sloop with keel stepped double spreader mast using a commercial crane for an hour on site. However, it was my boat and well practiced as I lifted her out and took the mast down most winters with a bit of help from a fellow boat owner for the crane work. Significantly more to do than required with the OP's boat.
 
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