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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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mast raising my way

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/14/2005 : 00:56:09

With a week off, we headed to the lake, a five hour drive. We got out on the water and developed a jammed halyard at the top of the mast. Unable to get the jib down, we did a manual furling job. Sailed for another day. It began to rain and the forcast foretold two days of rain followed by sun and wind. We sailed back to the marina and drove home to get the A-Frame and the mast crutch. 10 hours of driving later, we were back at the boat waiting for a break in the weather. We worked on interior projects, we read, we listened to the rain, we drank tea, we burned the curtains. When the rain let up, we assembled our mast lowering tools on the dock. Hooked up a line to the forestay, ran the line to a winch, removed rudder and attached crutch, released shrouds and forestay, lowered mast. Mast seemed heavier than last time but no big deal. With mast resting in the crutch we unjammed the wire part of the halyard - jammed between mast head and roller-, added some new items to our must have list as a result (all rope halyards, new mast head parts), we tiddied up the spreader boots with rigging tape, checked other connections. Time to raise the mast. I'm at the winch, Admiral at the mast. She's to keep rigging tangle free and mast going straight, I crank the winch. For some reason, I could not winch the mast up. We checked, we doubled checked - there was no reason for the mast not to go up. We tried again. No way. This is our fifth mast raising this year, this should be a cinch. I remembered what the PO told me about how he raised the mast - he said, 'I just put my shoulder into the mast and walk it up' So for the first time, I tried his method. I did the snatch and jerk with the mast, got it to my shoulder, then simply walked it upright. Admiral went forward and attached the forestay and the forward shrouds, I removed the crutch and put the rudder back in and we were done. This whole exercise took about one hour. We were very proud of ourselves. A job well done. That was the fastest and most efficiently we've ever lowered or raised a mast. We decided to go for a celebratory beer. Getting off the boat, stepping onto the dock - I stepped on the A frame. We drove 10 hours to get that stupid A frame then forgot to use it!
We had a good laugh, went for a beer. Not sure if I'll bother with the A frame next time.

Edited by - on

John P
Captain

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USA
324 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 06:40:27

I have seen several times where we were able to raise an E-Scow mast with only two people. BUT, in times of heavy winds or tight lot congestion, it always pays to have more bodies on hand. What were the weather conditions when you lowered/raised? I have not raised mineyet, but feel I will do the same as you did. Did you ever find out why you could not raise it with the winch?

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 10:53:53

Ta Da!
The only way I would ever bother with an A-frame would be if I were traveling alone and needed to be completely self reliant. I have always maintained that most of us make way too big a deal about raising our sticks.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 12:02:02

Since I have a tall rig I find using an A-Frame necessary if I'm by myself, or with one other person. I have raised it when there were three of us. Having roller furling also makes raising/lowering more difficult.
I wonder how much easier it is on the standard rig folks.
Are the masts the same cross section on tall and standard? I'll bet Frank Hopper knows the answer to this one

Edited by - on

John P
Captain

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USA
324 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 12:16:32

Frank Gloss,

How do you raise the mast with an A-frame, with the furler attached? I have yet to put mine up, so any insight is greatly appreciated.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 12:48:13

The weather was good. I have raised and lowered in windy conditions, I angled the boat into the wind and had no problems.
I believe the problem with the winch was the angles and/or because I was using a new anchor line as my mast raising line. Could not gain any purchase on the winch.

Frank, you are absolutely right about making too big of a deal about it - all of my perseverations were related to not having done it before.
The mast weighs 60LBs, I walked it up without breaking a sweat. I weigh in at 172 Lbs. (150 Lbs of chiseled muscle and 22 Lbs of beer belly)

Edited by - on

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 15:25:22

Stampeder, you are the man! I must be a lightweight, cuz that mast seems mighty heavy to me. I love my a-frame. While it is more work to set up, I like being able to go as slowly or as fast as I want. One of the nice things about the a-frame is you can stop it part way up to check for binding turnbuckles or other snags.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 20:26:57

"... using a new anchor line as my mast raising... "

Anchor lines are deliberately made of very stretchy nylon. You could probably crank in 10' before the mast would start to move! ;>)

IMHO: 1 reaonably able bodied mast raiser + one person tailing on the winch = no worries.
If you're doing it single handed, some sort of lifting assist is real handy.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 20:27:37

Hey John,
I have a Schaefer Snapfurl CF-700, which has a flexible foil. I do not take it off the mast, hence the need for an A-frame. One trick I have learned is to loop a long line around the foil mid way up and over the spreader and then down to the bottom of the mast and tie it to one of the cleats, or your whisker pole pad eye. This keeps the foil close to the mast and does not fall off to the side. After raising, untie the line, and then pull one side and retrieve the line.

Do any of you non A-frame folks have a tall rig with a furler on it? If you raise it single handed without an A-frame, you are a lot better man than I.

Edited by - on

thaind
Navigator

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Canada
145 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 21:18:09

I have just completed an A frame and mast roller for stern support of mast that will still allow me use of tiller. I won't get a chance to test it until I'm at the locks 150 miles downstream, so am trying to solve any problems before I have them. When using the A frame do you attach it to front stay, jib halyard, or both. I do not have a furler.

Thanks, and enjoy the Calgary Export

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 01:55:40

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Gloss
 the masts the same cross section on tall and standard?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No, they are not even close to the same - The Tall Rig mast is 1/2" wider AND 1/2" deeper through the cross section, and of course it is 24" longer. and I think it might even be 1/32" heavier wall thickness than the Standard rig. I have owned Catalina 25's with both, and can state from personal experience that the Tall Rig mast-raising is substantially more difficult. I used to use a single-spar gin pole for the mast raising on #1205 and it worked well; when I tried to use it on the new boat with Tall Rig, it was almost a disaster. The Tall Rig mast must weigh well over 100# with the furler, and at one point, with the mast about 20º above horizontal, one of the side shrouds that hold the gin pole perpendicular to the mast (these are 5/16" sta-set line) gave way and the gin pole jerked to one side, almost causing the mast to crash back down. After that experience, I am convinced that the Tall Rig 25 needs to be raised/lowered with an A-frame; a simple gin pole does not have enough stability. If you have at least one helper, or even two, it's a lot safer, but when you are alone with no one around to help, I would not attempt a TR mast raising without an A-frame and I would NOT use any system that requires you to be under the mast at any time. Some mast raising systems use the main sheets and jib winches, and you are in the cockpit cranking the winch while the mast is going up - not for me! I use the trailer winch, so I am standing on the ground, at the opposite end of the boat from where the mast is, so if something breaks and it crashes down, I'm not in the line of fire.

I will be dropping my mast sometime this weekend to get the boat ready for the San Juans cruise (we leave next Thursday). I will take pictures of the A-frame and the special Tall Rig mast crutch I built (all still untried, I hope they work!)

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 07:44:55

so then I don't feel like a weenie using an A-frame with my tall rig and furler.

Edited by - on

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 08:34:19

Derek, when I use my a-frame, I attach the jib halyard to the top of the a-frame, then down to a block at the bow, then cleat it back at a cabin-top cleat. That has worked well for me so far.

Edited by - on

thaind
Navigator

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Canada
145 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 10:36:26

Thanks.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 13:22:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> I have always maintained that most of us make way too big a deal about raising our sticks.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I'll second that Frank

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2005 : 02:45:32

We also step the mast with the furler attached with the sail on it. One thing we have started doing to tame the foil is to tie it to the bottom of the A frame loosly. It then is not trying to slide off the mast. It also changes the balance point of the rig.

pictures here: tm-hansen@sbcglobal.net/Mastup.html" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/tm-hansen@sbcglobal.net/Mastup.html

Edited by - tmhansen on 07/16/2005 03:00:12

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2005 : 07:17:27

[url="http://www.ourfaqsite.com/faqs/Lists/Main_FAQ_List_Y_1.html"]Here's the link to Todds Pages[/url]

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