Urgent help

[david_e]

the guy who bought my boat has just called and he has lost the main halyard up the mast. He wants to know is it safe for him to go up in a bosuns chair?

The boat is a Beneteau First 211, 21 ft trailer sailer, and he weighs 15 stone.

 

[chippie]

If it is a trailer sailer, why cant he just lower the mast?
15 stone is a lot for someone to winch up. Maybe he could bribe a 10 year old.

 

[david_e]

I think he wants to be out sailing 2mo. Lowering the mast is not as easy as said without the gear, which I know he doesn't have.

I am inclined to agree that 15 stone is alot.

 

[Guest]

Maybe he just needs to temporarily extend his boat hook so he can reach it from the deck?


Lash

 

[Strathglass]

Why not pull the boat on its side using a halyard from the top of the mast. It may not need to be pulled too far if you can find a pontoon beside a high pier. Even at that it should be possible to pull that boat on its ear fairly easily using a mooring ring on a harbour wall. or by using a 15 stone weight on the masthead. I am talking of doing this with the boat in the water.
Iain

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by iainsimpson on 05/10/2002 21:46 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[david_e]

Tis quite a tall mast. He has tried berthing up against a tall harbour wall but still couldn't reach it.

 

[david_e]

Thanks, will suggest it. think they might struggle to do this at Pwllheli though. They could get at it at low water but that isn't until 15.30hrs.

 

[AndrewB]

Probably.

Sailed on a Ben 211 a couple of weeks ago with a guy who claimed to have been up to the top. Probably weighed about 12 stone. Make sure the centreboard is down though!

It might be possible to careen one if put ashore with the CB up, but I'd hesitate to recommend this!

 

[snowleopard]

I did the calcs...

for a 7m sonata which should be quite a bit more stable. the result was that it should capsize when i got just over half way up!!

 

[david_e]

Re: I did the calcs...

My thoughts as well, together with a vision of the mast poppoing the spreaders or similar.

Anyway, after a bit of chrome dome scratching, recommended that for the week-ends light winds using the topping lift as a halyard would suffice, seems it worked out OK in the end.

Thanks all.

 

[jamesjermain]

Don\'t do it!

We had a Sonata with a lifting keel some years ago. My boat owning partner, who then weighed, I guess, 12 stone,went up hte mast a few times but on one occasion only quick work by me running to the uphill sidedeck kept the boat upright. The Sonata, even with lifting keel, is much more stable than the Ben 211.

Your successor should be able to haul the mast down easily enough or alternatively it is not hugely difficult to lower the mast, but the boat should be out of the water when it's done.

JJ