Taking mast down for first time - any tips?

Donheist said:
Thanks for the advice. I am getting the yard to do it - I’m just trying to get as much prep done as I can : I’m not out here for long.

I was going to get the boom and spinnaker pole off, take the running rigging to the mast and tie it up nearly, unfurl the furler, disconnect electrics and loosen two turns on all the shrouds and remove the pins. Then it’s all theirs.
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OK, that makes sense. Your profile says you're at Woolverstone, is that where the mast work will be done?
 
Dipper said:
I wouldn't loosen the final shrouds or remove the split pins until the mast is supported by the crane. Loose rigging can result in very rapid metal fatigue. I was helping to unstep a mast on a 27 ft boat at my club one year. The mast was loosely supported at the spreaders by the crane and I was slackening the forestay at the bow (whilst preventing it from turning). As soon as it started to go floppy, there was a loud bang from the top of the mast and the forestay came crashing down. Later inspection showed that four of the seven strands had failed earlier and the remaining three gave way as soon as they went floppy.
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The rigging is coming off this winter and being replaced but that’s no reason not to mark it - good point : plans can change. Great tip. This way it could go back up if need be. Replacing all lights for leds and probably the wind transducer. Active radar reflector uninstalled itself (but we caught it!) thanks.

maybe I will see how I get on with boom. If it goes well great, if not I’ll leave it to the yard. Helpful to know there’s not a convention/expectation.
 
Donheist said:
The rigging is coming off this winter and being replaced but that’s no reason not to mark it - good point
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The rigging on the 27 ft boat was 9 years old and was club raced frequently. It was being unstepped so that they could renew the rigging. They were going to leave it until it was 10 years old but decided to be cautious.
 
Donheist said:
Sorry. Mast end of boom. My bad.
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Not a problem - its a forum, no-one, or not me, expects perfect use of English - its a bit like a conversation in a pub - not a PhD thesis. If I misinterpret - I'll not lose any sleep, if I was to get upset - I should not reply to posts (its voluntary) - but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Its a a bit nerve wracking watching your first mast removal - but 'entertaining', or gripping and educational.

Enjoy

Jonathan
 
Not wishing to question the unanimous advice given to the OP in this thread, I still think it is interesting to note how much traditions and habits play into a subject like this.
Just to offer another perspective, where I live and sail, stepping and unstepping of the mast is mostly an annual event and a normal part of sailing boat ownership. Everything in connection with this task is geared towards DIY.
The reason is no doubt that most boats here are lifted out during winter (often to be covered) and that doing so with the mast up is still unusual, although less so today than 20 years ago.
However, as boats are becoming bigger, 40' and over, an increasing number of owners turn to professionals to get the task done.
For the size of boat of the OP, DIY with a hand operated mast crane and a couple of friends, is still very much the norm.
 
Epilogue: all went smoothly. Actually I e still got the electrics and the marking of the threads on the stays but all the running rigging and boom and spinnaker pole and kicker removal went very well. 2 hours start to finish including tidying up the lines around the mast. Thanks for the tips on boom removal and towels and for being a sounding board. Gave me the confidence to crack on.
 
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