PabloPicasso
Well-Known Member
Anyone got ideas on how to move a 36foot mast from wales to east coast/harwich area without breaking the bank?
how to move a mast
- Thread starter PabloPicasso
- Start date
William_H
Well-Known Member
Moving a mast
Mast people around here have a specially built trailers to carry a long mast. It requires a long draw bar and the mast is often angled to extend over the towing vehicles roof and of course extends aft from the trailer. You might be able to hire a trailer from these people.
I have cheekily carried my 27 ft mast on the roof of my largish estate car (we call them station wagon) in some fairly busy traffic. It extends about 6ft out the front and 6 ft out the back of the car with a red flag on front and back. I don't know how legal it was. It was not too heavy so padding on the roof took the weight.
I tied the ends of the mast to points under the car at the back and in the engine compartment at the front to stabilise it sideways and fore and aft.
This is probably not much help to you as yours is probably quite heavy.
I am sure transport companies can do it ... for a price. good luck olewill
Mast people around here have a specially built trailers to carry a long mast. It requires a long draw bar and the mast is often angled to extend over the towing vehicles roof and of course extends aft from the trailer. You might be able to hire a trailer from these people.
I have cheekily carried my 27 ft mast on the roof of my largish estate car (we call them station wagon) in some fairly busy traffic. It extends about 6ft out the front and 6 ft out the back of the car with a red flag on front and back. I don't know how legal it was. It was not too heavy so padding on the roof took the weight.
I tied the ends of the mast to points under the car at the back and in the engine compartment at the front to stabilise it sideways and fore and aft.
This is probably not much help to you as yours is probably quite heavy.
I am sure transport companies can do it ... for a price. good luck olewill
Searush
Well-Known Member
Set up a longish trailer with a ladder rack style frame. There will be a fair bit of unsupported overhang over the car, but it shouldn't matter too much & you could support it with a chunk of 4x2 or similar.
If you can find a flat bed truck doing the trip anyway, the mast could easily be fitted on that with legal overhangs fore & aft - and without it costing an arm & a leg.
If you can find a flat bed truck doing the trip anyway, the mast could easily be fitted on that with legal overhangs fore & aft - and without it costing an arm & a leg.
Strathglass
Well-Known Member
I moved a 50' mast from the south coast of England to past Inverness behind a Escort van.
The trailer was a modified 4' x 3' Erde which I extended to 7 metres using a welded frame.
The mast projected 1 meter in front of the van and 2 metres behind the number plate on the trailer.
For shifting your 36 foot mast you could borrow a trailer less than 4 metres long and fit mast suports on it. It does not need to be a braked trailer. Perhaps you could find a car trailer or even a large dinghy / yacht trailer which would be suitable.
I can mail you a photo of my trailer with the mast if you PM me.
Iain
LittleSister
Well-Known Member
There was an article in one of the sailing comics (PBO or YM, I think) some years ago about someone moving a big-ish mast across Europe. The front portion of the mast was suspended on ropes from a frame built on the roof rack of a car, while the rear portion was suspended on ropes from a frame mounted on a trailer. Obviously if going down this route you would need to ensure there is enough 'slack' in the suspending ropes to cope with the changes in the distance between the two frames when the car/trailer combination is turning, and also to prevent the mast swaying backwards and forwards excessively.
VicS
Well-Known Member
I remember that so must have been PBO. Not the sort of article I would have cut out and kept though. It was cleverly thought out as I recall
Lakesailor
Well-Known Member
I sold a 30' mast to a guy who collected it on a Defender 130. The mast was attached to the roof and the tilt frame (less canvas) with the larger part of the overhang behind the vehicle. Just tow a dingy or boat trailer behind the vehicle to establish the vehicle length and the overhang should hardly be beyond the trailer lightboard. Helps if it a tapered mast.
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Indevisable load? Wonder if that would count.
If carrying it on a trailer, one of the problems is to make it visible. I have twice had people nip into 'gaps' occupied by my empty trailer. So sticks and tape at eye level help.
If carrying it on a trailer, one of the problems is to make it visible. I have twice had people nip into 'gaps' occupied by my empty trailer. So sticks and tape at eye level help.
petersboats
Member
You could speak to a few boat transporters to see if they have an empty return load or indeed a full load that you could tag on to?
Or cut it in to managable lengths then join it back together. (joke)
Or cut it in to managable lengths then join it back together. (joke)
ProDave
Well-Known Member
Perhaps here's another angle on this.
Most suggestions have been trying to support the mast on a trailer, with a long overhang over the roof of the car. That will surely result in a large unsupported section of mast unless it's a very long trailer.
How about putting the mast on the roof of a decent length car, with the maximum legal overhang at the front of the car. This will result in a long overhang behind the car which would be illegal, but probably less length of unsupported mast.
Then to make it "legal", tow an empty trailer behind the car, to ensure the rear overhang behind the "vehicle" (now car / trailer combined) does not exceed legal limits.
Assuming you are allowed 1 metre overhang at the front and back, then you need a car / trailer combination of about 30 feet long. That shouldn't be too hard and shouldn't need a particularly big trailer.
Just a wacky thought to solve the problem from a different angle.
EDIT. Should have read the thread more thoroughly, Lakesailor already suggested this idea
Most suggestions have been trying to support the mast on a trailer, with a long overhang over the roof of the car. That will surely result in a large unsupported section of mast unless it's a very long trailer.
How about putting the mast on the roof of a decent length car, with the maximum legal overhang at the front of the car. This will result in a long overhang behind the car which would be illegal, but probably less length of unsupported mast.
Then to make it "legal", tow an empty trailer behind the car, to ensure the rear overhang behind the "vehicle" (now car / trailer combined) does not exceed legal limits.
Assuming you are allowed 1 metre overhang at the front and back, then you need a car / trailer combination of about 30 feet long. That shouldn't be too hard and shouldn't need a particularly big trailer.
Just a wacky thought to solve the problem from a different angle.
EDIT. Should have read the thread more thoroughly, Lakesailor already suggested this idea
Last edited:
pvb
Well-Known Member
Surely a 36ft mast exceeds the max roof load for most cars? I reckon a trailer is the answer, or a friendly haulier.
Searush
Well-Known Member
Brilliant idea, ProDave, excellent, should work really well.
Woo Hoo! (throws hat in air) - I've lakesailored Lakesailor!
Always wanted to do that! ROFLMAO!
Woo Hoo! (throws hat in air) - I've lakesailored Lakesailor!
Always wanted to do that! ROFLMAO!
DownWest
Well-Known Member
The problem with huge rear overhang is the leverage on the roof rack and, if tied down to the front, the compressive load on the roof rack. It would need to be a commercial wt one.
We moved a 50ft wooden mast. Tied a small trailer to the middle, screwed a hitch to the foot and..........did it at first light on a Sunday morning, when the local plod were likely nursing a hangover and their first cup of coffee. Bout 20km, so not Wales to Harwich.
We moved a 50ft wooden mast. Tied a small trailer to the middle, screwed a hitch to the foot and..........did it at first light on a Sunday morning, when the local plod were likely nursing a hangover and their first cup of coffee. Bout 20km, so not Wales to Harwich.
nimbusgb
Well-Known Member
Borrow an open glider trailer from the local gliding club. they are around 10m long so with a couple of frames to support the mast you are in business.
sailing school and spars
New Member
Mast deliveries
Tony Ainsworth would give you a price, I think his web site is www.ainsworthdeliveries.com he moves most masts for Selden, Sailspar etc.
Tony Ainsworth would give you a price, I think his web site is www.ainsworthdeliveries.com he moves most masts for Selden, Sailspar etc.
richardabeattie
Well-Known Member
Fix the mast to a hull and sail it there?
BAtoo
Well-Known Member
Try your local riggers, some have suitable trailers and may hire one to you
coliholic
Well-Known Member
Have a look at www.shiply.com. It's a sort of auction shipping website. You put on there what you want transported from where to where and when and various transport companies or even individuals come back with a quote. Couple of my employees used them to good effect. I tried them for moving a car back to UK earlier in the year and the prices quoted were OK but in the end I drove it back but that's all BTW.
Talulah
Well-Known Member
We transported a 40ft mast on top of an old Ford Escort with a trailer behind.
The front of the mast was supported by an A frame we attached to the front bumper.
We than had an A frame at the back end of the small trailer.
The mast projected 10ft in front of the Escort and 10ft behind the trailer.
We made up those yellow/orange signs for 'long vehicle' and attached to front and back of mast on both sides.
As we arrived at our destination there was a traffic accident with loads of plod around. No one stopped us re length of load.
I believe the maximum you can legally protrude infront of the car lights and rear of the trailer lights is 1500mm. However, you can mitigate this by having an extra trailer board attached to the rear of the mast.
The front of the mast was supported by an A frame we attached to the front bumper.
We than had an A frame at the back end of the small trailer.
The mast projected 10ft in front of the Escort and 10ft behind the trailer.
We made up those yellow/orange signs for 'long vehicle' and attached to front and back of mast on both sides.
As we arrived at our destination there was a traffic accident with loads of plod around. No one stopped us re length of load.
I believe the maximum you can legally protrude infront of the car lights and rear of the trailer lights is 1500mm. However, you can mitigate this by having an extra trailer board attached to the rear of the mast.
ProDave
Well-Known Member
How did you deal with the relative movement between the trailer and the mast as you went round corners, and up and down hills?
