Mast Raising/Lowering gear for Hunter Horizon 27?

[RobW]

Hi folks,
Does anyone have a mast self raising / lowering gear for a Hunter Horizon 27 (or similar)?

I am currently in the process of buying a 27 and this is certainly something I would want to buy / make up.

I had a similar system on a Centaur we used to own, it consisted of an approx 6ft scaffolding pole which slotted onto a stainless steel fork, which in turn was bolted to the tabernacle, using the through mast pivot pin (boat was fitted with a 2 ft high stainless steel tabernackel, not standard kit on the centaur).

Spinnaker halyard was attached to an eye at the other end of the pole, along with a 6:1 block and tackle, the other end of which was shackled to the stem fitting, with line led back to a jib sheet winch.

It all worked a treat! The mast could be lowered or raised in a very controlled way by just myself and my wife.

The only slightly worrying bit was pulling out the mast pivot bolt in the tebernacle, with the mast up, to attach or remove the fork - this means the mast is free standing while you work - never moved though!

If anyone has a similar arrangement for a Hunter Horizon 27 I would be very interested to know:
How you attach the pole to the mast?
How long the pole is?
Have you had any problems?
Is the tabernacle on the Hunter 27 high enough to contemplate this sort of kit?
Is the mast any heavier that a centaur's?

Any help much appreciated! Particulalry any sketch or photos!

Many thanks

Rob

 

[graham]

Compass 24 Marine do a telescopic A frame mast raiser for about GBP250
Mast Derrick

 

[Lakesailor]

I cobbled up a very similar arrangement for my slightly smaller boat. I put a hinge in one cheek of the yoke (nothing as flash as S/S). In the piccy the hinge nearest the pivot bolt is welded solid as I discovered the angle was wrong to get onto the bolt. Putting a hinge further away reduced the angle of the plate to the bolt thread. It all looks a bit of a mess, but I just used some off-cuts I had to hand. Worked a treat though and as the pivot bolt was threaded at each end I didn't have to remove it to fit the yoke. All I had to do was to remove the nuts and pop the yoke on.

 

[SAWDOC]

That looks very interesting. What and where is the lifting line? Where do you position yourself?

 

[mikegambling]

I always found that an A frame was the best for lowering and raising mast on my 273

 

[mikegambling]

One other aspect of the Hunter tabernacle is that it is not very securely held on the coachroof. You will find that the front is held by screws and the rear through bolted but with a very thin bolts. Aparently designed not too cause too much damage in the event of a dismasting. Nowhere near as strong as the Westerley centaur. Therefore go for an A frame Mike

 

[Scillypete]

We took the mast off our Horizon 273 in december, now if I remember correctly its not a straightforward swivel on the bolt. I will go and have a look tomorrow to see.

You could always ask on the Hunter association website

 

[Lakesailor]

The device had a tab welded on it that I secured the forestay strip to with a nut and bolt before removing the pin from the stemhead fitting.
Then a bit of line from the loop at the end of the device, under the bow roller and led aft. I stood on the foredeck to pull in or pay out the line. I actually used the main halyard winch on the mast to control the descent. which gave a sort of extra control as I had to pay out more line to lower the mast as the winch was moving away from the bow roller as the mast laid down. It also gave me extra power when raising the mast.

As the others say, a solid base for the tabernacle or mast step, would be needed. There isn't as much danger of the mast moving sideways as you may imagine if you merely slacken off the cap shrouds and disconnect only the forward lower shrouds (if it's a masthead rig) the cap shrouds begin to slacken as the mast comes down, but as it gets lower there is less "heel" likely as gravity is working against the lowering line.

 

[Slow_boat]

The stemhead fitting appears to be lifting.

 

[RobW]

Thanks for all the info.....
Interesting point about the strength of the tabernacle.....I have never seen an "A" frame in use. I assume its the same principle as the pole attached to the tabernacle....can you explain, where do the bottom ends of the "A" attach to?
What height does the "A" need to be?

Many thanks

Rob

 

[Lakesailor]

Now. Knowing me as a finnicky sod, do you think that is likely?. Look at all those setscrews clamping it down. The dark area is merely some sealant that previous owner had squished in there.

Rest assured there was no lifting going on there.

 

[William_H]

There are 2 kinds of A frame so described. The style described in the link is guyed fore and aft and used to lift the whole mast from a point near the middle much like acrane would lift the mast. It is the only way to self lift a keel stepped mast. However the A frame must be much higher than 1/2 mast height so is not practical for bigger masts.
^The other kind of so called A frame is where instead of using one pole pivotted at the mast base you use 2 poles. Spin poles are ideal provided both are same length. In my case (most cases around here) I have fitted purpose built rings on a flat base bolted to the side decks roughly abeam the mast. The position is such that the poles meet about level with the forestay.

It is more desirable to use the forestay to lower the mast I have a high field lever to take the tension of the rig and use a 4 purchase tackle between the end of the forestay and the stem fitting to lower the mast.
If you have roller reefing gear however it is more convenient to use a hlayard to allow the forestay to be disconnected and tied away.
If you use a halyard it must be firmly secured at the base of the mast. But you often have to winch the halyard on hard to allow the forestay to be disconnected.

Use a 4 purchase and winch to lower the mast. At first you have to pull the backstay to get it moving but as the mast passes 30degrees or so the weight comes on the tackle and you may need it around a winch to control the fall or to lift it again.

IMHO the secret is to have a high A frame lashed to the pushpit or transom to catch the mast. The higher this is the less load you get on the lowering tackle. It should be low enough for any bridges if that is what you need or if you want to remove the mast it should be ;low enough for you to reach the mast to lift it by hand.

Once the mast is down into the A frame at the back you disconnect the pivot bolt and with 2 or more people lift/slide the mast forward until the base is at the bow rail. You can then lift the mast top out of the A frame and lower it to closer to the deck. A rope lassooed around the top of the A frame can support the mast at a lower point as a tempory measure or have a lower A frame..

Raising the mast is the opposite. The top is lifted into the high A frame then the mast is slid back until the tabernacle pivot bolt can be fitted. Then set up your pivot post or A frame onto the halyard or forestay and with a copmbination of manual lift and winching the tackle the mast is raised.

Yes there is a huge force pushing the tabernacle or pivot base forward as you crank on the winch. Check the bolts and attachment. On one boat I was helping a friend with the brass bolts of the pivot base simply parted through loss of zinc. It was never a problem until the mast was lowered.

You need to be careful to support the mast sideways especially on a fractional rigged boat as the cap shrouds go very loose.

As I type this our club has had an outing overnight to Rottnest Island. This means about 25 boats from 21ft to 40 ft will have lowered their mast for bridges to get to the sea and even now will be returning to do the same thing again. Mostly they do it while under way. All use the 2 pole method.
No I didn't go myself, lazy? too much sailing or I like my own bed? I have done it many times though. good luck olewill

 

[Gubbo]

I had an A-frame on my Hunter 27 that I used successfully.

It was designed by the previous owner for use on the Broads and as such was a permanently-fitted stainless construction. I removed it when I converted the boat back to coastal use but still retained it for the winter layup.

I have a few photos that I can e-mail if you want to PM me with contact details