lifting a two spreader mast by crane

drakes drum

drakes drum

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Done it many times before but invariably end up with a problem getting the rope off the mast once installed back on the boat. I have to lift from just under the top spreaders or the mast would invert. So usually I have taken a half hitch under the top spreaders with one end of the rope to the crane hook and the other in a bowline under the lower spreader. The problem is getting the half hitch to loosen. And whilst I am happy to go up the mast when the boat is floating I am not keen when she is in the cradle

So has anyone got a foolproof system that can be easily undone when the mast is up
 
Can you not use a long strop round the mast with a loop either end on the crane hook. Lower the hook when the mast is up and release one end of the strop. If you want to stop the strop sliding up to the spreaders just have another line from the stop down to the foot of the mast.
 
drakes drum said:
Done it many times before but invariably end up with a problem getting the rope off the mast once installed back on the boat. I have to lift from just under the top spreaders or the mast would invert. So usually I have taken a half hitch under the top spreaders with one end of the rope to the crane hook and the other in a bowline under the lower spreader. The problem is getting the half hitch to loosen. And whilst I am happy to go up the mast when the boat is floating I am not keen when she is in the cradle

So has anyone got a foolproof system that can be easily undone when the mast is up
Click to expand...

I have a line with an eye splice at both ends but you could use a running bowline around the mast and a bowline on the other end of the line to go over the crane hook.
 
Use two pieces of rope. One, with an eye splice at each end, passes under the spreaders, round the front of the mast. Both ends pass through a loop in the other rope which is secured at the foot of the mast before being put over the crane hook. The second rope adjusts how far up the mast the first goes round. Once the eyes are removed from the hook the whole thing comes down easily.
rope_zpszekqipdj.jpg
 
I help with masts at our club every year. The way we do it with double spreaders (or any mast that is top heavy) is to use a rope lifting strop below the lower spreader (as normal), attach a loop in the main halyard around the lifting strop, pull it nearly to the top of the mast and secure it to a cleat at the base of the mast. This keeps the mast vertical. Remember to attach a retrieval line so that you can pull the halyard back down once the mast is up although it should come back down with the lifting rope.

Krew2 of this parish uses that method successfully on his Westerly Storm.
 
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snowleopard said:
Use two pieces of rope. One, with an eye splice at each end, passes under the spreaders, round the front of the mast. Both ends pass through a loop in the other rope which is secured at the foot of the mast before being put over the crane hook. The second rope adjusts how far up the mast the first goes round. Once the eyes are removed from the hook the whole thing comes down easily.


almost exactly the system that the yard uses except that there are no boats in the yard with twin spreader rigs.

A light line on the hook first unhitches it and hauls it back down if it's not heavy enough to come on it's own.

Sods law says that the strop around the mast will fall over the lower spreaders but a light line attached to its centre will pull it down.


Still have to climb the mast to rig it to lower the mast!
Click to expand...
 
The problem with the two loop system is that the rope gets caught either under the lower shrouds where they enter the mast or between upper and lower shrouds at the end of the lower spreaders.

I think I'm going to try the system described by dipper. The main halyards is 10mm dynema so that should be strong enough. Only worry is how slippy it is and therefore how likely are the knots to slip. Heavy mast - it takes 6 people to carry it.
 
drakes drum said:
The problem with the two loop system is that the rope gets caught either under the lower shrouds where they enter the mast or between upper and lower shrouds at the end of the lower spreaders.

I think I'm going to try the system described by dipper. The main halyards is 10mm dynema so that should be strong enough. Only worry is how slippy it is and therefore how likely are the knots to slip. Heavy mast - it takes 6 people to carry it.
Click to expand...

You can use the jib/spinnaker halyard depending on whether you are lifting from the front or rear of the mast. Sometimes it depends on where your wind instruments are fitted. What I always do is tie a knot then clip the snap shackle onto the standing end of the halyard - a sort of belt and braces approach. When the mast is near vertical, the halyard is hardly taking any strain. Just make sure some idiot doesn't undo the halyard from the cleat. It's happened.
 
Get the crane to lift you up in a bosun's chair, then you can untie what ever gordian knot you used to lift the mast.
 
snowleopard said:
Use two pieces of rope. One, with an eye splice at each end, passes under the spreaders, round the front of the mast. Both ends pass through a loop in the other rope which is secured at the foot of the mast before being put over the crane hook. The second rope adjusts how far up the mast the first goes round. Once the eyes are removed from the hook the whole thing comes down easily.
rope_zpszekqipdj.jpg
Click to expand...
This works well, so long as the crane is tall enough.
If the crane needs the hook to be close to the lifting point, you won't be able to have the strop long enough.
So you will need to get up quite high to unhook the crane.
Some yards, there is an art to getting the lengths right!
 
lw395 said:
Good plan, except the hook of the crane is lashed to the mast...
Click to expand...

OK, the crane's hook is engaged in a loop of rope/webbing/whatever to lift the mast. If you tie an extra line on to the hook, you should be able to free the hook from the aforesaid webbing once the mast is stepped. Crane is now free to carry you.
 
Malo37 said:
I lift the mast twice a year - use a spare halliard. No problem.
Click to expand...

We had our mast lifted at Middelharnis in the Haringvliet. Although our mast is not tall by modern standards it has a big section and is relatively heavy. The yard lifted it by the spinnaker halyard, perhaps the best of the many methods we have seen used. Very simple and absolutely no chance of it inverting. The only other method we have seen used that comes anywhere near it for convenience was at Royan, where they used a grab of the type used to manoeuvre tree trunks in forestry.
 
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