How must weight will my mast take with a bosun's chair?

[William_H]

And this is how I drop the mast. It takes 3 to lower it, but about 5 to get it back up. I've dropped it several times and it always takes more hands to raise it again.

This picture was December, now, having fitted new standing rigging it's ready to go up again next week.

I am not surprised it takes so many people to raise the mast. That gin pole (is that what it is called?) should be seated at or near the base of the mast. Where it is set on the mast it seems to me is too high. As you pull on the forestay giving a downward force some of this force will translate to pushing the mast down in stead of lifting. It s all geometry and vectors of force and I may be wrong but I don't think so.
The other most useful trick is to have a A frame or post at the transom that is much higher so that you can lift the mast while standing in the cockpit as high as possible into the high A frame before you start to lift with the tackle on the forestay. Or have a tall person in the cockpit lifting as much as he can. The real load of raising a mast is in that first 40 degrees or so from horizontal. I have a single post clamped to the stern rail and sitting on the transom. It has a fork at the top about 2 metres but also a hook out one side much lower so the mast can be lowered right down. (by hand).
good luck olewill

 

[Fantasie 19]

I think you're right Olewill... gin pole is too far back to give good leverage...

I use an A frame rather than gin pole but have the pivot point on the forward lower stays (shackle the legs of the A frame to them)...

 

[Appledore]

I am not surprised it takes so many people to raise the mast. That gin pole (is that what it is called?) should be seated at or near the base of the mast. Where it is set on the mast it seems to me is too high. As you pull on the forestay giving a downward force some of this force will translate to pushing the mast down in stead of lifting. It s all geometry and vectors of force and I may be wrong but I don't think so.
The other most useful trick is to have a A frame or post at the transom that is much higher so that you can lift the mast while standing in the cockpit as high as possible into the high A frame before you start to lift with the tackle on the forestay. Or have a tall person in the cockpit lifting as much as he can. The real load of raising a mast is in that first 40 degrees or so from horizontal. I have a single post clamped to the stern rail and sitting on the transom. It has a fork at the top about 2 metres but also a hook out one side much lower so the mast can be lowered right down. (by hand).
good luck olewill

Thanks for your advice re the 'gin pole', I will move it and see if it helps. As for someone in the cockpit etc, the picture here will tell how it's done.

My son (or another helper) stands on boards placed over the scaffold tower and raises the mast up as high as is possible, whilst others pull/winch the ropes. This is different to previous times when we did indeed use a long 4x2 crutch to help push the mast up. Our mast has quite a long transom overhang which doesn't help getting it started.

 

[Fantasie 19]

I reckon that will help (moving it towards foot of mast)... also perhaps an extra foot in length as well, if it doesn't foul the pulpit????? Just a thought....

 

[Johntheyachty]

Mud sounds good, but you may well find that working above your head awkward and tiring, so I would go for lowering the mast if possible. We used to lower the mast on our Cirrus, 22', without much difficulty and without an A frame, just by extending the forestay and having someone ready to take the weight when it was within reach, though a proper arrangement would be better of course.

My wife and I did this on our Elizabethan 23 many years ago whilst on the mooring - no problem at all.