Tabernacle conversion...

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jpay

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On my Gallion 22 I have a slot fitting for the mast, it drops down around an inch.

I de-masted the other week and although simple and easy enough for two people it was not a job I could have done by myself.

What challenges and considerations do I need to make when converting the fitting to a hinged tabernacle. One which is simple enough for me to lower the mast on a length of rope by myself.

Thank You
 
Just fit the tabernacle. On 22' not much else is necessary, small spar. But this is not necessary, and will not solve the problem of mast wandering around when lowered.

To lower the mast only an axis to turn it on is required.
With slot mount, like this http://www.sailboats.co.uk/images/products/medium/849800.jpg you may put a bolt in the mount behind the mast, on which it will turn, another forward to keep it when standing.

Or mast hinge http://www.wdschock.com/boats/harbor20/images/mast_hinge_480.jpg
http://www209.pair.com/wwpotter/images/Stacey's MastHinge.jpg

One pair of shrouds may be made to pivot on about the same axis as the mast - level of chainplates must be same or just a bit lower, shrouds going parallel to mast (usually tops). This way they will support mast both sides when lowering, no side movement. With such you do not need to change the mast mount.

Other tricks in case you want to lower underway:
A-frame or some other method of raising the forestay above deck - so the tackle have an angle to act.
Tackle (4 part) shackled about the forestay fitting and to forestay itself, operated from cockpit. You have to stand there, higher - on bridgedeck or something, to catch the spar on your shoulder at the end and guide it into support.
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/at...101-lowerable-mast-40-45-foot-yacht-masys.jpg
 
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I devised some work-arounds for some of these issues to raise and lower the mast (without a tabernacle) on a Hurley 22 some years ago, which might be of interest to some.

Lifting the mast the first bit from the horizontal is easy, if a bit heavy, as it also is once it is almost vertical. It's the bit in between where you need some assistance. An A frame is the best solution, but as a temporary measure I rigged the spinnaker pole perpendicular to the mast from the normal pole fitting on the front of the mast to the bottom end of a line led to the spinnaker pole uphaul fitting on the mast (I could most easily have used the forestay, but didn't for reasons set out below). Lines were rigged either side from the 'front' end of the spinnaker pole to the chainplates. Although these couldn't hold it dead centre all the way through the lifting (because the chainplates weren't in line with the mast pivot) it couldn't go far to one side or the other. From the 'front' end of the spinnaker pole I rigged the mainsheet tackle to the bow roller fitting. As you pull the mast up using the mainsheet the spinnaker pole falls a bit, but not too far, to either one side or the other, then stays on that side - it worked fine.

As said by another poster, it is vital that the mast cannot swing to one side of the centre line of the boat. Best done by raising the chainplates to the mast mounting pivot point, but I didn't want to go to that trouble. Instead the mast end of the line that was lifting the mast wasn't fixed at the spinnaker pole uphaul mount I mentioned before, but went through a block there, then down the mast a little, where it was tied to two equal length lines, one going to each chainplate (i.e. the lifting effot on the mast was going thorugh these lines). As I hauled up the mast, any tendency of the mast to depart from the centre line would result in more of the tension falling on one of the lines and pulling it back to the centre. Again, this worked fine in practice.

It helped that the Hurley had aft lowers. The were fitted to the aft chainplates while the mast was down, carefully ensuring they weren't at all tangled. As the mast came near vertical these tensioned up, and the mast was held in the correct vertical position by the combination of the aft lower and the lifting tackle while I fitted the babystay forward. The mast was now secure and I could remove the lifting and centreing lines, and fit the forestay and cap shrouds at my leisure. (Or at least, could have done if we hadn't then discovered that the idiots, sorry, renowned rigging supplies company we had commisioned the new standing rigging from had failed to make the new shrouds and forestay the correct lengths we had specified, so it all had to come down again!).

There is the potential to do great damage to the cabin top/hatch if the mast comes down heavily on it while it is fixed at the foot pivot (most of the height of the mast is aft of hatch). We put a roll of carpet across the hatch to protect the GRP moulding and spread any weight across the cabin top a bit, but tried our best to not put any of the mast's weight on the cabin top at all. With just two of us this was difficult and not very satisfactory when lowering the mast, especially if something got caught and it took a while to disconnect the mast pivot bolt. If I ever did it again I would definitely rig up a temporary gallows at the aft end of the boat to take the weight of the mast and centre it.

In fact, though we had demonstrated it was all doable, it was all a bit fraught in a tightly packed boat yard surrounded by boats both taller and worth many times ours. We subsequently bit the bullet and paid the boatyard to crane the mast each year.
 
Really nothing to worry about or be afraid. Here in Poland this is routine maneuver inland. In fact I used to sail canals, lowering rig (with sails set and all) every few minutes to pass under bridges. Takes some practice, as everything :) Nowadays everyone is motoring instead...

A-frame is easier: any two sticks, like boathooks, tied together will do; legs attached to some points on deck, somewhere about the mast but not important where, may be to chainplates or stanchion bases.
To keep the mast in line some lines may be tied to it high or hallyards used, tied to something at the axis of pivot, so probably on the coachroof - for instance to handrelings. Not too tightly, just in case...
But mast support, on which it will lay, is important and must be ready - on the stern, high enough so mast will not touch the coachroof or companionway etc. Mast landing somewhere on coachroof will pull it's step up, tearing it from deck. It's quite a lever.

BTW - for illustration look at this http://seadog30.webs.com/photos/Summer-holiday-2010/Masts lowered 5.JPG
http://seadog30.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=109580700
 
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Much has been written on mast lowering. Certainly you need a crutch of some sort at the transom to catch the mast. The higher this is the better comensurate with you being able to reach the mast to lift it by hand from the cockpit. This to allow the mast to be disconnected at the base to be moved forward.
The mast base hinges pictured are very nice and popular around here however when made in cast aluminium they are very susceptible to being broken by side swing of the mast when in transit. The spacing of the 2 lugs is such that the leverage of the mast swinging is huge but the spacing is such as to give a large amount of movement so tending to break things. If you go for this style use the smallest axle (bolt) for max free play so less likely to seize in place and more toperance of mast swing.
My boat has a pivot that is just one centimetre gap between 2 lugs at the back of the mast pivoting on a spine that slips into a slot in the mast base. With lots of slop in the bolt size it can handle a fair bit of mast swing with out damage.
Any effort with gear you make to facilitate mast lowering will be well worth it. I have a 2 level crutch for the transom, purpose made rings in the side decks to take 2 spin poles, a high field lever in the forestay for quick disconnect and a nifty stainless steel rod clamped to the forestay which takes the tackle for lowering while the forestay is still attached.
So it is more faffing about removing boom and hlayards from cabin top than actually lowering mast.
For bridges we do it on the run with boom and furled mainsail still attached lowering only to the high level crutch. Piece of cake.
For full lowering I disconnect the mast base and slide the mast forward while it is resting in the high crutch. Once the mast base is tied under the pulpit I lower the mast down by hand to the low crutch for towing or working on top of mast.
Don't try to do it with minimum gear this can only cause you stress and risk damage. good luck olewill
Sorry I have no idea how to attach photos with this new format.
 
I had two issues with my Viv 24. The mast foot plate was too weak to trust and also the pivot point was too low, as it would crush the companion hatch. So I fabricated20120705_104846.jpg20120628_135800.jpg a tabernacle to raise the pivot point and also stop side swing of the mast. That means that single tube can be used rather than an 'A' frame. The pivot is set backwards from the mast centre, which banded to pivot, so that the mast base is in compression onto the original step. My only concerns are the forestay anchor plate strength to hull. The extra weight of the foresail and furlling mechanism are quite considerable. I remove the pivot pin when mast is stepped, allowing the original base to be used. As this is a proto build, I'm sure it'll not be the final design. Stainless steel from dairy scrap + aluminium tube scrap.
 
**** Slight thread drift warning ****

We do our Jaguar mast using a 10' length of 4x2 timber as a gin pole, braced against sideways movement with lines. Lower back shrouds are loosened but left attached for bracing. We then use the main halyard passed through a single block shackled to the bow-roller (where forestay is normally fitted) led directly back to a winch in the cockpit. Easy enough to raise/lower mast to lie in a crutch fitted to pushpit.

The mast is a little short of 30 foot. Not sure of weight, but SHMBO and I can shift it around with no problem (guess only 70lbs or so).

Long-shot I think, but does anybody have an idea of any of the loads involved at various points?
 
If anyone wants a tabernacle I have a mate with a dead Lysander yacht in his garden with a tabernacle which is probably the only bit worth rescuing.


Like this (not his boat. This is royalty compared to his)

Lysander.jpg
 
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If not going to a tabernacle, Sailspar do various pivoted mast steps and are very helpful, they may have one to suit a Galion mast.

If pivoting the mast at the foot means it will foul the main hatch garage - this happens on my boat - the crutch to ' catch ' the mast on lowering should be high enough to avoid this, it can still be quite low, and something like a pillow on the hatch front helps.
 
I converted to a tabernacle on my Westerly Centaur when I first got her. At the time I had two bridges to go under and had to lower the mast each time I went sailing. I made up a pattern and then had it made in stainless, I then made a bracket which sits on the pin with a spigot on the front for a 3M stainless pole to attach. From this I had a line each side to the shrouds to steady, the spinaker haylard attached to the top of the pole and a block and tackle on the lower side. Have now moved the boat but it worked fine for years and I still use it to lower the mast to carry out any work. A mate of mine uses the same system on a 37 foot Fisher to lower both masts.
 
It's time to raise the mast and I havent fitted a tabernacle.
I am going to go ahead with the Gin pole technique to raise the mast and as I have a clear run to the sea I will leave it this year for my own singlehanded raise and lowering.

I'm going to get some help from hands around the yard but I want to have a clear understanding of what I'm doing firstly and have everything ready for the day!

What width and length should my Gin Pole be?
How long do I need my mast crutch?

When I removed my mast I unscrewed all the bottle screws and cleaned them all up... so they are not the same length as they need to be. Whats the best way of having them ready, (I intend to fit the shrouds and backstay before raising so when the mast is up I can get it secured as quickly as possible.

Thank You
 
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