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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Unstepping the Mast

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Ken and Terry
Deckhand

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1 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/06/2005 : 01:16:52

We just wanted to thank all of you who offered your best advice, help, and congratulations. We especially want to thank Matt and Brigett for their generosity in loaning us their A-Frame setup and Jim Arnold for the use of his trailer. We got the mast down, the boat on a trailer, and with the help of my pickup truck, dry sailed it up to the Sacramento Delta from Santa Barbara by way of I-5. We expect to be berthing the boat in Owl Harbor within the next two weeks.

Thanks again.

Edited by - Ken and Terry on 01/16/2005 22:05:51

frich
Captain

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USA
418 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 07:25:51

Hi Ken & Terry

Welcome to the group, there is much information to be had here from all the wonderful people who own Cat 25's.

With regards to your question the easiast and safe way that I do it is with the "A" frame method. Basically it is home made from 1" dia. galvanized electrical conduit, some pipe fittings. I use a PVC crutch mounted to the stern rain to catch the mast, others use a wood structure.

There is a great archived article on this, with plenty of photos. If you cant find it contact me through this site and I can fax the article and e-mail photos of my structure.

Good Luck

Frank R
84 C25 SK

Edited by - on

Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 08:12:42

Look here in the Tech Tips: http://www.catalina25-250.org/tech/tech25/bsmast.html I've done this many times using this rig, except that I use jib sheets for the "Morley's lines" through the genoa blocks and aft to the winches, so I can adjust them as the mast goes up or down to keep it in line. Be sure to tape your turnbuckles vertical, lest the t-bolts bend.

Brooke

Edited by - Brooke Willson on 01/06/2005 08:22:16

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 09:03:56

Congratulations Ken and Terry!...Welcome to the fleet!

Edited by - on

ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 09:16:45

I have only done the unstepping once (to truck the boat when we bought it), so we decided against building a frame or a rig. We got the PO and a few friends to hand-lower the mast. Easy enough to do with 4-5 people that know what they are doing (the PO, not me). Then we used the crane at the marina where we put back in to step the mast. I would not want to do it too many times but worked fine for one trip.

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 09:22:45

Ken and Terry,
First off I am sure you could find someone from this forum to help you take the mast down in San Diego. I live closer to the delta, Merced area, and if it is on a week end could probably help with the set up (if the adrmial lets me go). There are a few on the forum from the valley and some in Sacramento. Let us know when you are going to be doing this.
The first time you do it count on at leats 2 hours. As you do it a few times you will drop that time down. By myself I can get it up or down in about an hour less if I hurry. I'd rather go slow to make sure I remember almost everything. Working as a team I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get it raised or lowered in less than and hour. After the first time decide who does what job and then do it. With my old boat a 21 my dad and I could be on the water in about 30 minutes from arriving at the lake. The Cat is a little bigger and takes a little more time.
Read the material and go out and do it. Even if you screw up you will get experience and nothing is going to break beyond repair.

Edited by - MattL on 01/06/2005 09:25:50

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 11:35:10

As one of the leaders of the San Diego fleet I can say we would be glad to help but Santa Barbara is too far to lend more than advice.

Its pretty easy but it gets quite heavy once about at a 45 degree angle. You got to be ready. Heres a step by step photo guide to doing it with an A Frame

http://www.indiscipline.org/cat25/launch.html

I did mine without. Here's the method with about 4 people.

I made my crutch out of 2 inch PVC using some 90 degree elbows to put a fork on one end and it was too weak! I put a metal pole inside the PVC and it worked fine. You'll see in the photos that Garys is attached to the pintles (rudder). I just tied mine to the stern pulpit (inside).

I clipped the main halyard shackle to a ring at the foot of the mast and took the end through a block at the bow, then back to the cockpit winch. I put the block on the pulpit and it was too weak! So attach it to one of your deck cleats or to the anchor roller. Without the A Frame this only works for the first few feet. However, you will be very nervous for the first few feet so it helps.

Remove the forestay and forward lowers. Keep your halyard snug (its acting like the forestay).

Loosen the mast pin.

Two or three people push the mast back. You've got 2 or 3 strong people on the cabin roof holding the mast, one in the cockpit on the winch. Let the line slack.

When the mast gets about 45 degrees it gets real heavy. 2 people on the roof hold it and 2 in the cockpit stand on the seats and take as much load as possible.

Bow line now useless. If you had the A Frame you would just keep sliding line through the winch while it came down (it supports it the whole way down).

People in the cockpit now take the full weight and lower mast to the crutch.

Remove all shrouds. Take to mast and tape on with masking tape.

Remove pin, lift mast out of deck plate and off crutch. Set on stern and bow pulpits. Tie down.

You're done.

With the A Frame 2 people can do it without breaking a sweat.

Edited by - on

Doug C.
Navigator

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USA
146 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 12:15:59

We were just in your neck of the woods on our way to Templeton. Would have been willing to stop and help, of course it was during that nasty storm on the 27th.

As Jim said it is a little far from San Diego...

Dropping

the mast is not so bad, raising is when you encounter stays and turnbuckles that insist on getting tangled, trapped, pinched, and bent. A couple of things I would add to Jim's comments. If you have a furler take the sail off of it it. One person on the bow to manage the furler is a good idea.

It is a little daunting the first few times you raise and lower the mast but once you have your system down and a few aids rigged, it is much easier. We use the mast raising kit that consists of baby stays, a gin pole and an adjustable mast crutch. With this my wife and I can raise or lower our tall rig with little or no problem.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 01/06/2005 : 12:35:34

Egaads,there are a lot of Catalina 25 owners in California. Up here in the fozen Northern UP of Michigan there are only two in my area, three counting John Vining somewhere near Neemish Island, about two hundred miles south east. Glad you are all just an email or web post away though. I consider you all neighbors.

Al
GALLIVANT #5801

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2005 : 09:59:23

Ken, Terry;
Those of us who sail inland lakes and pull every season put our masts up and down anually and consider it no big deal. One man on the shackle end of the head sail halyard, (yes, make off the other end to a cleat on the mast), One man on the cabin top to help contol sideways motion and one guy (taller is better) in the cockpit as the catcher to take the load that the foredeck man and cabin top man hand off to him at about 40 degrees. First Loosen the uppers and aft lowers. Next take the forestay loose from the bowstem fitting, (the bow man now uses the halyard as a safety line to keep tension on the mast) then take the forward lowers off from the chainplates and let them hang (the cabin top guy does this). This is no big deal. Just do it. A fourth man is a great help going up incase any rigging hangs up.

If you are going to trailer regularly the A-Frame is a wonderful device, for what you are doing it is not justified.

Edited by - on

ct95949
Captain

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Aruba
300 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2005 : 11:14:11

Ken and Terry-Do you have a slip on the Delta or will you trailer? We will be back at Delta Marina in Rio Vista this spring after all our projects are completed.Hope we see you on the river

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2005 : 14:34:47

You can stop of at my place on the way south and pick up my A frame if you want.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 01/08/2005 : 13:21:07

When you arrive in the Delta, do you have a spot picked out to launch? I usually use Brannan Island State Park, but since your boat is a fin keel, you probably should have your boat launched by a travel lift, which means using a boatyard. The ramps at Brannan Island aren't deep enough for a fin keel 25. Vallejo has a travel lift (or at least they did several years ago), and they are within a half-day cruise of most of the Delta. There is also a travel lift at Walton Marine on Bruno's Island, right in the middle of the delta, and I know a Catalina 30 owner who has hauled there, so I know the lift would be plenty big enough for your Cat 25. Which marina will you be calling "home"? I live in south Sacramento and would be glad to help you with your mast raising and launching if you will be doing it on a weekend that I am off work.

Do you have a depth sounder on your boat? I highly recommend one for sailing in the Delta. The water is so turbid that you can't visually see the difference between channels that are 50 feet deep and shoals that are only 6 inches deep. I had my boat at Owl Harbor for 6 months last year, and have known Cat 25 owners who used Hidden Harbor. Depends on what part of the Delta you want to sail in. If you want to be closer to San Francisco Bay, Benecia might be a good choice, but the water there is salt rather than fresh. The boundary line between salt and fresh water fluctuates with rainfall, but is generally in Suisun Bay between Pittsburg and Antioch. Since your boat is a '78, it will have a cast-iron keel with carbon-steel keel bolts, so a fresh water marina would be preferable if you have a choice.

If your boat's trailer has been used around salt water a lot, and I assume it has since you are moving it from Santa Barbara, I recommend you have it gone over by a trailer repair shop and at least have the bearings repacked, and the brake hydraulic cylinders replaced if they are showing corrosion. Corrosion in the brake cylinders is the Number 1 cause of boat trailer breakdowns, I know from personal experience

. Corrosion causes the pistons to stick, which in turn casuses the brake shoes to drag and overheats the brakes very quickly. You can have a full-blown brake fire within 2 or 3 miles of your departure point at freeway speed.

Edited by - lcharlot on 01/08/2005 13:30:29

dbehling
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 01/09/2005 : 02:31:59

We previously owned a Capri 22 which had a 4 ft keel, and a high trailer. We have launched and pulled from Brandon Island State Park. Even though the Catalina might be a little longer in the keel and deeper boat. If you wait for a high tide it is possible to launch there. Hopefully your trailer has an extension. You will be out at the end of the docks. Having had a fin for many years, and taking it on alot of cruises. We always had to wait for high tides in any of the salt water marina's. Good luck. Sounds like alot of people out there along the way to are willing to help. Remember watch the tides.

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 01/10/2005 : 04:47:55

Ken and Terry congratulations on your new boat. We keep our boat on its trailer and so step the mast each time we use it. We use an A frame as described above. The first time we just used muscle to lower the mast. We do not disconnect any shrouds or the backstay but carefully coil them and tuck them into pockets sewn into the cover my wife made for the companionway. For traveling I would urge you to heed Larry's advice and check over the trailer before you start. The other lesson learned is that things move around alot on the road. Make sure everything is stowed away. On deck you will have 55 mph winds so secure or remove everything you can. When do you plan to make the trip? I'm in San Luis Obispo so if you get so far and discover that you have a problem you can't correct with the tools you have you can call me. email me and I will give you my cell number. I am gone most weekends right now at soccer tournaments but I'm still in the county.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 01/10/2005 : 07:51:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tmhansen
 We do not disconnect any shrouds or the backstay but carefully coil them and tuck them into pockets sewn into the cover my wife made for the companionway. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

For a Catalina 25 the forward lowers must be disconnected from the chainplates if lowered aft or the aft lowers must be disconnected if lowered forward. Lowering aft is most common.

Edited by - Frank Hopper on 01/10/2005 07:51:42

gnorgan
Admiral

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USA
563 Posts

Response Posted - 01/11/2005 : 22:14:16

Ken/Terry: I don't know if you clicked on JimB517's link but that's my boat

. What he (Jim) didn't mention is that I use the trailer winch and cable, attached to a big hog ring at the apex of the A-frame to raise and lower the mast, making this process REAL easy on me (re: "one finger on the mast"). Plus, the winch is moving fairly slowly, allowing one to check lines and other hang-ups as the mast is raised/lowered.
I'd highly recommend using an A-frame...you could use mine but it's here with me in Hemet.
Trailering? Just take your time, stop and check tires and brakes for high temperatures and....take your time/don't rush. Did I say, "Don't try to break land speed records"?
Great to have another California Catalina out on the waters. Someday my wife and I will trailer ours up to your neck of the state. We will someday retire somewhere near the delta. We are up that way 2 or 3 times a year visiting relatives.
When will you do the moving? Maybe Todd Hansen in Morro Bay area has an A-frame to borrow, then someone up on the delta might have one, too....

Save you having to put one together (pretty easy).

Edited by - on

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