Unstepping a keel stepped mast

[SvenglishTommy]

Hello all,

My boat is coming out of the water tomorrow but I've been told that the mast has to come off before she can be hauled out. He also told me there is a public mast crane available near by that you can operate yourself, but I've never done this before.

I'm a little worried as the mast is stepped on the keel and I'm not sure of the process of removing it. I've never done this before and with no-one there to help any advice on the steps I need to take would be very much apreciated.

My main worry is the order in which loosen/remove stays and shrouds(and the furler), at what point you disconect the mast from it's base, and where/how you attach the crane to the mast.

Many thanks,

Tom

 

[chrisc]

the usual lifting point (where the hook on the crane goes thru the loop you will have round the mast ) is at the spinnaker pole lift pulley -this is about 2/3 up the mast. Some people lift with a rope under the spreaders (if you have two spreaders use the top set) this is not recommended by the profs and mast manufacturers, but works. Professional way is to put a rope with loop in end around mast put rope end through loop ,put crane hook onto loop ,hoist this up mast leaving a long tail of rope hanging to deck ,when the loop is at correct height (see above) tie of lower end of rope to lower end of mast ,SECURELY..... One can then take the load on the crane (this is mostly a matter of feel)and remove pins on forestay,rearstays and sidestays .mast can now be lifted vertically .Make sure before you do any of this that you have removed the electrical connections etc..

 

[gianenrico]

Tom,
why has the boat to be dismasted? May be because it will lay in a closed hangar?
As per my experience with a 31 foot sailboat keel stepped, to lift it out of the water is enough to unlash the backstay, tie it to the mast and have the crane hook (to which it ia attached a steel frame which carries the large strips which actually lift the boat): no need to unstep.
If in Your case the crane has just the hook, where is it going to be attached? Please note that many boats have a center of gravity lightly behind the mast and somewhere within the longitudinal footprint of the keel: X-Yacths for that matter have a piece of steel cable, that can be attached to a couple of the bolts fixing the keel: it is long enough to came out of the roof opening and to host the crane hook : the supended boat will lean only sligthly forward. Same provision for J 24s.
As allways, let's Keep It Simple (and) Stupid (KISS).
Cheers,
Gianenrico

 

[Lakesailor]

Also make sure the lift is vertical as any misalignment will result in jamming and possible damage.
If you can get two or three extra bodies to help, all the better.
If the attatchment point is too low the foot of the mast will try to fly when clear of the constraints of the boat so you need people ready to capture it. Even a well balanced lift will have the mast trying to spin around.

We wander down to the public mast lift at Ferry Nab this time of year and sit with a cup of coffee watching the antics.
Preparation seems to be the answer.

There's a lot to be said for a tabernacle-stepped mast

 

[Wansworth]

Not very helpful people where you live,try yacht club ,you will need several helpers.Once boat is free of the mast it may become a bit tippy(unstable).Keep an eye on possible wash at critical time.

 

[boatmike]

Frankly it's not a job to do on your own. You need at least two people. Lift point should be as high as possible and close to the aft side of the mast to ensure a straight lift. Slacken all stays and shrouds so that the clevis pins can easily be removed. Don't worry. The mast wont fall down! Then remove the rear stay and take tension on the crane. Remove all other rigging and lift making sure lift is vertical until mast is clear of boat then swing clear and lower with man on bottom to swing the mast to position for lowering. Ensure all electrical cables and running rigging are disconnected first!

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Thanks for all the advice.

The boat has to be dismasted as the trip from the water to the spot where it will be sleeping for the winter involves crossing train tracks and hence train electrical cables.

I will have an extra pair fo hands to help me, and I'm sure I can enlist the help of local antic watcher if things get desperate /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The mast is free of electrical cables and running rigging, and I like the idea of loosening off the stays before taking the tension with the crane.

So

Step 1: Get the rope that will lift the mast roughly in place, high as possible, under the spreaders if all else fails.
Step 2: Loosen all the stays enough to make removing clevis pins easy
Step 3: Get the crane ready and check that the rope looks ready to take the tension and is secure
Step 4: Remove the rear stay and take tension with the crane
Step 5: Make sure lift is vertical and remove other stays
Step 6: Lift the mast out as vertically as possible, watching for tippyness/wash
Step 7: Get mast into position for lowering and lower the crane
Step 8: Crack open a beer and wipe sweat off brow

Sound about right?

 

[Vara]

Plus <ul type="square"> [*]Ensure that strop or crane hook is padded and angled so that it doesn't scythe of wind exes etc [*]Have some sail ties ready to stop rigging flailing about. [*]Have some supports on dockside to lay mast on(couple of crates or saw horses) [*]Attach a couple of lines to base of mast with helpers manning to guide mast as it is lifted. [/list]

Good luck.

 

[Lakesailor]

And don't in the melee forget to keep an eye on the shrouds so they don't get trapped/kinked as you move the mast about.

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

As said this is a job best taken on by at least four and preferably have somebody who has done the job before in attendance. Somebody should be appointed for want of a better name safety man who calls stop to the crane, otherwise you can end up with everybody shouting instruction and the end result will be damage to your mast and boat.

Good luck
Trevor

 

[chrisc]

I have always insisted on a maximum of two people to do this (my wife and I) if any more get involved it invariably gets confused.Must have done it about 17 times now.

 

[Dipper]

Lots of good advice has already been given. Having helped out at the sailing club over many years (but mainly deck stepped masts and always using the spreader point for lifting) I would add the following comments.

Usually the rope runs up the front of the mast to the crane hook. Mast instruments are often fixed behind the mast head so this avoids damaging them. Make the bottom loop in the rope fairly loose (but not the knot!) so it runs freely up the mast as the crane hook rises. Some people fix a lighter line to the loop so they can flick the rope around obstructions from deck level if necessary. Ensure the lifting rope is long enough to reach above the mast by around a metre otherwise the crane hook smashes into everything.

Tie as much of the rigging and cables as possible to the mast before you start. The fewer loose ends the better. It should be possible to do this with all the running rigging. You only need forestay, backstay and two shrouds so any other standing rigging can also be removed and tied to the mast. The rest can be loosened just before you start and once a slight amount of tension has been taken by the crane, detach these as well.

I suspect your mast will not be top heavy even if lifting at spreader level. Some masts are slightly top heavy (mine is) and can catch you unawares as they try to invert. As has been suggested, a short piece of rope tied near the base can provide a good handhold to control the mast.

Also previously mentioned, you need to watch the free ends of your shrouds. It is surprising how often these catch on the guard rail wires when no-one is looking. It has happened to me several times and if it goes unnoticed, could cause some damage. Roller furling gear is also quite difficult to handle so one person needs to be given responsibility for this.

No one has commented on refitting the mast. If you have removed and secured the running rigging and excess standing rigging as I have described above, you will only need to loosely attach the four stays/shrouds that were removed last and your mast will then be stable. You definitely need several people especially since one person will need to be inside to guide the mast into position.

If you have removed or replaced rigging whilst the mast was off the boat, you need to ensure any replaced items pass the correct side of the spreaders. It is surprising how often a mast is refitted and the owner then discovers a halyard or other rope passes the wrong side! If it is standing rigging, this is even worse! Running rigging can be repositioned by hoisting a heavy item attached to the faulty halyard up to point where the error has occurred (usually the spreaders) and by carefully swinging this weight (using a second line down to deck level) and dropping it under control at the crucial moment, the rope can be threaded back the correct way. I have successfully used this method using a small plastic water container which is nice and heavy when filled but won’t damage the boat if dropped.

Good luck.

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Well I didin't manage to get it down today and so missed my hauling out appointment The mast crane turned out to be only about an inch higher than my mast. It did make me chuckle when I saw a row of benches all directly facing the crane though, I guess demasting is a popular spectator sport in Sweden too.

Eventually I found another crane at a private yacht club near by which is more than high enough, but I was a bit worried about it getting dark so posponed it till tomorrow.

One thing that concerned me a little while preparing for the lift was that there are no fixings at the base of the mast. Is it normal that the mast just litterally sits on its base without any securing, and simply lifts off?

 

[Vara]

No probs that's normal,the downward force from the rigging holds it down,but most mast steps have some sort of profile to stop lateral movement either a socket or a tenon arrangement.Look out for the Gold Sovereign placed under the step for good luck!

 

[SvenglishTommy]

Just thought I'd update you all on the progress.

It all went surprising smoothly and my boat is now mastless. Thank you all for the good tips and advice, it made the task easy rather than a nightmare. It would have been 10 times harder if I hadn't followed all your instructions, and in the end was much easier than I expected.

Stay tuned for the next installment, which will be coming to a thread near you around April. The title will be something along the lines of "How to step a keel stepped mast?" /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks again,

Tom

 

[Dipper]

Thanks for letting us all know. It's nice to have feedback.

 

[Lakesailor]

Was there a gold coin under the foot of the mast?

 

[SvenglishTommy]

No gold coin unfortunately. But I did find some blackish sludgey stuff, not sure how much it's worth though /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif