Taking mast down for first time - any tips?

D

Donheist

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 Mar 2012
Messages
266
Location
Marina Sant Elmo Alghero Sardinia
Visit site
Evening all,

having a jobs week and biggest is getting the mast down in preparation for new rigging. I think it’s a first for the boat too.

I have never taken the mast down but have read around and watched some YouTube videos.

the thing I’m trying to visualise is getting the boom off. I’m on my own so want to do it nice and safely.

I have a 39ft beneteau with rigid kicker. Is this the order…?

Tie outboard end of all reefing lines and outhaul to outboard end of boom

Bring working end of those lines to the mast

remove main sheet and rig temporary line to stop boom swinging.

Haul up on topping lift.

Remove boom end of kicker.

tie main halyard round mast end of boom to support it while I unpin it

Lower mast end by easing main halyard and rest on cushions

lower outboard end by easing topping lift

any top tips?
 
Sounds about right, although I'd lower the outer end to the toerail after the kicker is disconnected. Old habits maybe but I can see that the boom will be very keen to move forward once the gooseneck is off if you do it your way round - If you've still got the sail on that could be a bit overwhelming!
 
Tranona said:
In my experience best leave all this to the yard staff who are lifting the mast, or at least talk through with them what you have to do to prepare for them to lift. They do this for a living after all!
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Let the yard guys fiddle about with it. The mast on a 39ft boat is a substantial lump.
 
Over whelmingly listen to advise

Do not do it yourself. The mast for a 39' yacht is so heavy you will not be able to lift it. I assume its deck stepped and sitting in a casting that is the same size as the mast extrusion at the bottom - the mast only needs to slip from that 'saucer' and at best you will need a new mast and lifelines, at worst you, or someone else, will be seriously injured. The room alone is heavy -its another task for a team of professionals.

You don't say where you are doing this but I'm appalled that any yard will let you do it.

I'd have the yard do everything - then if anything goes wrong your insurance company can discuss with the yard - if you are involved the yard might pass some of the buck to you.

By all means check that everything is done how you want, or the alternative done by the yard meets your approval.

I'd stand well back - boatyards do this all the time.

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
Over whelmingly listen to advise

Do not do it yourself. The mast for a 39' yacht is so heavy you will not be able to lift it. I assume its deck stepped and sitting in a casting that is the same size as the mast extrusion at the bottom - the mast only needs to slip from that 'saucer' and at best you will need a new mast and lifelines, at worst you, or someone else, will be seriously injured. The room alone is heavy -its another task for a team of professionals.

You don't say where you are doing this but I'm appalled that any yard will let you do it.

I'd have the yard do everything - then if anything goes wrong your insurance company can discuss with the yard - if you are involved the yard might pass some of the buck to you.

By all means check that everything is done how you want, or the alternative done by the yard meets your approval.

I'd stand well back - boatyards do this all the time.

Jonathan
Click to expand...
I'm looking around my boat in the marina now to check there isn't a 39ft Bene near me :ROFLMAO:
 
Reading your post suggests you are removing the boom in prep for a YARD mast lift

The boom will be fine
Trick is to lower the aft end first then take a halliard around the mast end weight before dismantling the gooseneck pin

Before you can remove any rigid vang use a halliard to lift the aft end of the boom , obv )
 
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.
 
The mast on our Najad 400 is being unstepped next week , prior to copper coating , Allspars will be carrying out the standing rigging replacement , they have requested I remove the sails and disconnect the electrics - they take care of the rest including decoupling the boom , all the lifting responsibility stays with them and the re stepping , rigging connections and tuning.
 
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.
Click to expand...
Again, all makes sense but I'd leave the bottlescrews to them because the riggers will have their own favourite number of turns so that it can be re-tensioned exactly as before. If it's all floppy they won't have a benchmark.

ps. I assumed you meant split pins? Some might be having palpitations.... But even if you slacken the rig I'd leave those for them because events may conspire and your boat gets left for a fortnight.
 
In contrast, our (41’) boat is moving by road in Dec and the Ts&Cs I’ve agreed to at both ends inc. boom off (obviously the boom will be off when it arrives! But that yard also specifies in the terms for their un-step service). Plus sails off…

And I will also crack the bottle screws beforehand - but leaving them the exact number of turns at which I found them (they don’t need to be loosened).

Don’t remove the pins entirely. But you can prepare them for removal (straighten legs).
 
You seem to have it sorted. Take photos of everything ,esp the mast foot if you have a slotted footplate. You could mark or put tape on the bottlescrews so you get the approx trim when it goes up again. Many yards have no idea and will simply tension up the rig and leave it at that.

Make sure you can get at each fitting esp back and forestay, double check no electrics are connected.

Replace all pins and small parts when the mast comes down or you will mix them up or lose then ( I would anyway) Make sure the yard puts the mast where you can carry out the work in comfort and the mast is supported in three places at least. Don't leave any expensive kit, which could be stolen, at the mast, tensioners and the like are very expensive.

It's all very easy particularly if you have a deck stepped mast. Before it goes back up I would take photos of the mast head and all fittings. If you have to climb the mast in future it is very handy to recall exactly what's up there.

.
 
That's not what you posted:



Donheist said:
Evening all,

having a jobs week and biggest is getting the mast down in preparation for new rigging. I think it’s a first for the boat too.

I have never taken the mast down but have read around and watched some YouTube videos.

the thing I’m trying to visualise is getting the boom off. I’m on my own so want to do it nice and safely.

I have a 39ft beneteau with rigid kicker. Is this the order…?

Tie outboard end of all reefing lines and outhaul to outboard end of boom

Bring working end of those lines to the mast

remove main sheet and rig temporary line to stop boom swinging.

Haul up on topping lift.

Remove boom end of kicker.

tie main halyard round mast end of boom to support it while I unpin it

Lower mast end by easing main halyard and rest on cushions

lower outboard end by easing topping lift

any top tips?
Click to expand...

You said

'Lower mast end by easing main halyard and rest on cushions'

Apparently now you are not taking the mast down, someone else is doing it.

No wonder we got it wrong.

Jonathan
 
Donheist said:
.... loosen two turns on all the shrouds and remove the pins. Then it’s all theirs.
Click to expand...
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.
 
prv said:
The mast end of the boom. It was perfectly clear to me from the context, and I was baffled why everyone suddenly started telling him not to take the mast down himself.

Pete
Click to expand...

Maybe because the OP said

'I have never taken the mast down but have read around and watched some YouTube videos.'

Some of us take words at face value - and worry. We don't guess, we don't read between the lines - we hope we offer advice before......

We don't mind getting it wrong. There is no shame in being cautious.

Jonathan
 
I can see no reason not to do several hours of preparatory work first, before getting riggers to remove the actual mast. I first took down boom, disconected electrics from the mast, and removed and moused mast lines, before having my mast removed. This was on a 35 ft boat: work took well over 2 hours. As far as I can see this is exactly what the OP was suggesting. You just have to support the "mast end" of the boom as you unpin the gooseneck.

Once mast itself was down I took the opportunity to change a msthead light, and thouroughly clean every inch of it and it's attachments, spreaders, mast track, radar reflector etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top