Is it possible to remast without using a crane?

[yoda]

Have you seen this done?

Yoda

 

[burgundyben]

whilst reciting some of R Burns finest?

Is there a whim-inspired fool,
Owre fast for thought, owre hot for lifting mast,
Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool,
Let him draw near and toss his rig,
And owre this grassy heap sing dool,
And drap a sail upon yon boot.

Is there a bard of rustic song,
Who, mastless, steals the crowds among,
That weekly this area throng,
O, pass not by fear their heeds.
But, with a frater-feeling strong,
Here, heave a sigh and lift ye rig.

Is there a man, whose judgment is poor
Can others teach the course to steer,
Yet runs, himself, life's mad career,
Wild as the wave,
Here pause-and, thro' the mast aloft
Survey this gravest task

The poor inhabitant below
Was quick to learn the wise to know,
When the mast fell on his brow
And softer flame;
But thoughtless follies laid him low,
And bashed by swede his furrowed brow

Reader, attend! whether thy soul
Soars fancy's flights beyond the pole
Or darkling grubs this spinny hole,
In low pursuit:
Know, prudent, cautious, self-control
Is wisdom's root.

 

[Gordonmc]

Yes.
At a club lift-in.

 

[reginaldon]

We do it every year at the club, but we're all bilge keelers on drying moorings and sub- 30 '.

 

[r_h]

[ QUOTE ]
This method requires the help of two other boats of comparable size. Park each of the helper boats either side...

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the method I've used in the past - it will work for any size boat, within reason - although the largest I've tried so far is a 35 footer, with keel-stepped mast.

 

[Sailfree]

On square riggers I am sure they would have managed to restep a mast or top section on their own if they came unstuck say in the Pacific (Master & Commander!).

My imagination says start by anchoring boat in shallows facing shore. Put a stop at mast foot position and side restraints. Place mast foot in position. Use guyed boom say 2/3 along mast, lift mast to the height of boom (must be over 1/2 way or at least past C of G so that mast foot stays in right place! Lifting can be assisted by two long ropes with blocks etc set at say 60 deg to each other pulling mast upright. These will work better if they could be fixed to a tall object on land (tied to a large rock in a cliff face or near the top of a tree! After lifting mast to top of boom all final lifting must be done by the two ropes tied to the shore.

I imagine lifting the mast with the boat under a cliff must be easier. Finally getting it vertical using shrouds /forestay etc.

This answer is for people stuck in a desolate place but for a hyperthetical person from a hyperthetical race that were renowned for being tight and that refuse to pay for a crane- moor boat fore and aft under a bridge late at night and lift mast using block and tackle from bridge. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[capt_courageous]

Yes to Jimi and Savageseadog . In the old days when things were a lot quieter a member of our then club did it with a bridge. He and his mate tied his mast to Northam Bridge then waited for the tide to be right and motored up to it. Beggars belief but true.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Our frends in western OZ do it all the time as they have 2 low bridges between the swan river and the sea. Orwell may be along and explain how they do it on quite big yachts.

On my new yacht I have built a fitting that clamps around the mast and bolts to the deck with a hinge type of arangment to allow the mast to be raised using twin booms attached to the chain plates to keep the mast from swinging sideways.

Saw a simular arrangment when I was in Perth OZ a couple of years ago.

My mast is 15 metres long and the twin booms 6 metres long. I use my power windlass to raise the mast to near vertical then connect up the standing rigging. I then remove the clamp-on hinge arrangment.

The tricky bit is getting the clamp-on hinge in the right position on the mast so the base of the mast fits into the fixed mast step correctly.

Next time I have it fitted up I will post some pics.

 

[claymore]

I used to step the mast on my Hunter Delta (25ft) without a crane
Fix the uppers and the backstay and pu the bolt in at the rear of the mast foot then get the mast onto your shoulder, walk slowly forward raising it all the while. The tough part was getting up ontop the coachroof from the cockpit but a plastic chair made all the difference. Dear Heart used to take a line from the forestay around a foredeck cleat.
Worked a treat. My nuts used to take a bit of getting back into place for a day or two.

 

[castaway]

I was along side a Dutch boat a few years back and the owner had a company producing s/s gear for yachts.

He had the most impressive set up with a substancal tabernacle the pulpit was also an 'A' frame and the shrouds were taken to raised chainplates so that the tension was kept steady as the mast was raised or lowered.

Boat was modern about 38ft and looked really tidy.

Nick

 

[pheonix]

I did on my 22 footer

 

[paul_williams]

yes, We've done it on boats up about 26 feet, lots of hands make light work. plan it out first, and if you can get someone with a hi-ab (the things on the back of building materials wagons) or similar all the better. you might find a banger racer who has one who'll help out cheap.

 

[kds]

I raise and lower my 30' mast each year, using two 12' bars shackled as an A frame and a ladder structure to receive it. Secret is to tie A frame to cross-trees - NOT mast head. Otherwise the forces as the mast approaches horizontal get out of hand.
Ken

 

[luddites]

Have done this in the past with some pretty big wooden boats with heavy spars. Its not difficult once you get organised. You need to attach the capstays or two halyards to strong points close to the deck edge in exactly the same plane as the pivot bolt in the mast heel or tabernacle, that stops sideways movement and retains the right tension on the capstays all the way up. You then use the spinnaker pole on the front of the mast with a halyard from the mast head to its end then a tackle down to the stemhead or windlass if you've got one. Soemthing needs securely lashing across the base of the mast to provide a base for attaching stays to steady the spi pole.
Once years ago we substituted a ladder for the spi pole when lowering a very heavy pine spar and halfway down the top rung, over which the halyard passed to the anchor windlass, went ping and broke, followed by the next and the next till the spar came crashing down whipping like hell but it didnt break. Her indoors just ran but she did come back.
We also used to have a boat on a wheeled cradle and park it in the middle of the road between two big elm trees long gone with dutch elm. With a rope slung between the trees and a tackle it was easy. If you did it now in the same spot, there would be queue of 4 wheel drives screaming abuse and threatening legal action. In the old days people stopped and helped and you returned the favour some other time.

 

[stevebrassett]

I did it on my 23-footer with a few mates, but, by the time I had paid for petrol, beer and lunch, it would not have cost much more to get the yard to do it. Sideways movement is the one to stop, or you can easily damage the mast foot.

 

[Neddie_Seagoon]

 

[jimi]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jhr]

 

[StugeronSteve]

Pop yer Zeppelin on the vhf ariel and then where will you be? Hey? Hey?

 

[jhr]

Probably Dazed and Confused......