Pirate Express Mast head

[Luke11011]

Hello,
This is my first post on this forum, so apologies in advance if it’s in the wrong section. I’ve recently acquired a Pirate Express, bilge keel. I’d just like some advice on stebbing/unstebbing the mast. The mast head on this one is a simple wooden block, does anyone have any experience of these and could anyone offer any tips? Worst case scenario the local marina has a crane, but I was just curious if this could be done by hand. Many thanks
Luke

 

[Stemar]

Welcome to the madhouse!

From a quick Google, your boat seems to be an overgrown dinghy, so it should be possible for you to step and unstep the mast yourself. I can't believe you'd need a crane - that sort of boat is designed for one person to arrive with her on a trailer, launch and rig alone, but it would certainly be a lot easier with two - one to hold the mast, the other to deal with the rigging. If you are stuck with doing it yourself, my plan - use at your own risk! - would be to remove the sails and boom, slacken the backstay and shrouds, then disconnect the forestay, keeping it taut so the mast is under control. Now go back to the mast and lay it down towards the stern, allowing the foot to come forward. Now you can undo the rest. Stepping would be the reverse. The rig should be as tight as you can comfortably get it. Close hauled in a good breeze, the leeward shroud should be just starting to slacken, but shouldn't be loose.

Someone will be along in a moment to tell you why this is entirely the wrong way to proceed...

 

[SteveG]

Hi Luke. I built an Express Pirate from a kit in 1980. I don't recall what was at the masthead, as it was such a long time ago. However, my crew and I had no difficulty raising or lowering the mast by hand. If you attach the jib halliard to the stemhead before removing the forestay one person can lower it under control while the other stops it falling off to one side. Once low enough to grab it you can lower away and lay it on desk while you undo the shrouds. It is remarkably light. To step the mast, attach the shrouds and do the same thing in reverse. Just be careful that the shackle/bottlescrews or whatever do not get twisted or caught on the way up or you might kink the shroud. I had mine for 5 years until I sold it, only to find her sailing in to Brading Harbour on the IOW 20 years later, still going strong. Best of Luck and enjoy! Steve

 

[VicS]

Hello,
This is my first post on this forum, so apologies in advance if it’s in the wrong section. I’ve recently acquired a Pirate Express, bilge keel. I’d just like some advice on stebbing/unstebbing the mast. The mast head on this one is a simple wooden block, does anyone have any experience of these and could anyone offer any tips? Worst case scenario the local marina has a crane, but I was just curious if this could be done by hand. Many thanks
Luke

Be lying down before you ask the marina how much they will charge.

I'm not sure of the relevance of the masthead , but did you mean the mast step If found a picture that looks like the mast is simply located in or on a wooden block

A photo of your mast step and the heel fitting if any would help but as new member you cannot upload pictures

Anything like this

 

[Stemar]

Be lying down before you ask the marina how much they will charge.

I still don't think you'll need it, but there's likely to be a club near you with a derrick you could use for a lot less than a marina would want - my club charges £20 for a non-member. Joining the kind of practical sailing club that would have such a thing could be a good idea anyway, as a source of help and advice.

 

[Luke11011]

Thanks guys for the replies, I must admit I was expecting to be able to raise the mast at home. I’ve got a mooring at the local club, just with the current situation it’s current closed. I did think if I could launch her independently, I could at least get some time in the water this year.

apologies! I was referring to the mast step, rather than masthead and it looks identical to the picture above. Thanks for that Vic

 

[LittleSister]

From a quick Google, your boat seems to be an overgrown dinghy

No, the Pirate is an 'under-grown' proper yacht, with quite a high ballast ratio: the smaller (17'3") sister to the near identical (19') Prelude, and a very capable little boat that sails well.

The Pirate and Prelude were designed by Ian Proctor, with various keel options available - fin, drop, and - originally Prelude only? - bilge.

The 'Pirate Express' was a later, more basic bilge-keeled version of the Pirate promoted by the Express newspaper. I don't know for certain, but suspect the bilge keels on the Express Pirate were not designed by Proctor (compare the simple, cheap to build, parallel encapsulated bilge keels on the Express Pirate to the shapely, semi-bulb bolt-on bilge keels of the Prelude).

I had an Express Pirate (downsizing from a larger boat), and was surprised how capable it was (though we were always the smallest boat in any anchorage!).

Getting back to the OP's question, it can definitely be stepped by hand, but I would not attempt it without at least two reasonably strong people to do it, especially the first time.

If I remember correctly, it has no backstay (just aft set shrouds). Lay the mast on the boat with its foot forward and front upwards. Connect up both the shrouds and forestay to the top of the mast. Make sure you have all the halyards in place. Connect the shrouds only to the boat, taking care to not get the various wires tangled, and set the bottlescrews to near maximum length to give you some slack. Lift the mast up and the foot back and when fully upright and in position one person needs to hold the mast up while the other connects the forestay to the bow fitting on the boat. Once the mast is upright and held in place by the three wires you tighten up the bottlescrews to get the mast as vertical as possible (you can do detailed adjustments later if need be) and the wires tighter than you would think.

Lifting the mast is easy when it's either near horizontal or near vertical: it's when it's half way up that it's easy to loose control of the mast and damage it (and potentially any boats around you). Do not be surprised if you have to raise the mast twice the first time you do it, either because you've got things tangled, or you've forgotten something.

 

[VicS]

Thanks guys for the replies, I must admit I was expecting to be able to raise the mast at home. I’ve got a mooring at the local club, just with the current situation it’s current closed. I did think if I could launch her independently, I could at least get some time in the water this year.

apologies! I was referring to the mast step, rather than masthead and it looks identical to the picture above. Thanks for that Vic

I think you will be able to lift it into position yourself provided you have someone to connect the rigging.
I stepped the mast of my 19ft Seawych at home like that ( there was not enough space behind the boat to utilize the mast step pivot) and that is not a light mast for a 19ft boat

Mind you I couldn't do it now

 

[Phil the Cowman]

While my Pirate has a fin keel ( as described by Little Sister above), the mast arrangements seem to be the same. I would concur with Little Sister's advice about raising the mast. The only thing not mentioned is that after connecting the shrouds, if you attach the foot of the mast to the fitting on the cabin top, then you raise it by pivotting it around the pin ( if that makes sense!). Definitely easier with two people, but I've done it solo many times. The " grunt" moments are 1) when you've got the mast partially raised, so you're bearing most of the weight whilst climbing out of the cockpit onto the cabin top, and 2)when the mast is vaguely vertical and you have to attach the forestay without letting the whole thing drop back again. Hope this is helpful.
Great boat! Enjoy.

 

[William_H]

Take a rope from the forestay around something on the bow and back to where you can pull it tight hence forestay tight from your position behind the mast.
Depending on the weight of the mast you might find difficulties with the mast staying in its place while pivoting upwards. Hence on bigger boats a proper hinge is fitted so that you can put forward force on the mast and the base does not slip forward. Currently on this forum a whole lot of comments re mast base hinge arrangements. Probably you won't need anything else. Many dinghies are set up like yours with little problems of mast raising or lowering by the armstrong method. They usually lift the mast from standing next to the dinghy then walk forward to attach forestay. But your boat is probably too big for that. As said get a helper for first time until you know what is involved. ol'will

 

[langstonelayabout]

Be lying down before you ask the marina how much they will charge.

The boatyard where we berth charges about £170 for a raise and lowering of a mast.

The OP with their 17' yacht should use 2 people and raise it on a non-windy day with no problems.

My 22' E-Boat had a pivot at the heel of the mast and using the spinnaker pole I could raise/lower it single handed.