lowering the mast

Keithmilton · Aug 9, 2016

we recently bought a boat house....now we must lower the mast in order to fit.....my wife and I cannot do it
any advice
any idea of installing gas charge struts to help support the thing
thanks
Keith

psneeld · Aug 9, 2016

multiple, telling pictures would help...there are many ways of doing it safely and easily depending how it is set up.

jleonard · Aug 9, 2016

We do ours with a $10 block and tackle. Takes almost no effort.
I mounted a pad eye to the upright of one of the flybridge seats, and another about 2/3 that way up the mast.
Block & tackle has 4 pulleys to 3 and makes life very easy.
Hope this helps. I'll look for a picture and post if I can find one.

FF · Aug 9, 2016

Look at small flag pole raising setups.

This is a bracket to hold the mast with a crank and a circular gear to make it a 1 hand job.

koliver · Aug 9, 2016

pictures?

DHeckrotte · Aug 9, 2016

Some folks use gin poles; gin, preferably with tonic and lime is my preference.

Poach · Aug 9, 2016

jleonard said:
We do ours with a $10 block and tackle. Takes almost no effort.
I mounted a pad eye to the upright of one of the flybridge seats, and another about 2/3 that way up the mast.
Block & tackle has 4 pulleys to 3 and makes life very easy.
Hope this helps. I'll look for a picture and post if I can find one.

We did the same on our boat. It's cheap and it works.

kchace · Aug 9, 2016

Takes 2 people but I use the capstan on my windlass. Makes it very controllable. When it starts to get low somebody can then reach near the top and lower it the rest of the way.

I do exactly the reverse to put it back up.

Ken

78puget-trawler · Aug 9, 2016

The old salt that owned my boat rigged up a block and tackle that hooks onto a pad eye on the aft face of the FB dash. It pulls up pretty easily then 2 stays hook onto a pelican hook on either side and tie down rope stays both sides to complete. When the mast is down he made a SS jill poke with a small cradle to hold it.

koliver · Aug 9, 2016

When I got into a shelter I had a new mast made. It is mounted on the lower deck, with an attachment to the FB deck (just below the gooseneck fitting) that holds it up. There is a 1/2" diameter pin through the support and the mast at that location, no stays, as they would block access to the FB. I use a single part tackle attached to the bottom of the Radar to raise and lower. As I get older, it gets heavier, so I may go to 2 or 3 part one of these days. I also had a stand made for it when lowered, so it stands happily on the lower deck (aft cabin roof). The mast is 3" Irrigation pipe, so not real heavy.

DHeckrotte · Aug 9, 2016

The issue with a simple block and tackle in my mind is that that you're depending upon the maststep fitting/hinge to keep the mast in alignment as it swings down. If it's meaty enough, then no problem but otherwise, don't you need shrouds located transversely in the plane of the mast to keep the mast on center as it swings?

Second question is, where does that mast go when folded down? In jleonards', does it fold past horizontal aft? If so, it must be a bear to get it up so that a tackle would have a decent angle.

Third question is, does anybody find it necessary to fold their FB bimini flat for headroom? Pretty sure ours folds but it ain't obvious; I've got the cover for the wad of folded cloth. I've also got a second cover that appears to enclose the seats and upper helm.

My new mast will readily fold down and rest on the FB's aft railing, but would have to be unhinged/unpinned to fold flatter/lower.

cappy208 · Aug 9, 2016

You're basically describing a small sailboat mast step hinge DM-3 Hinged Mast Step | APS
This would solve the 'hinge' and alignment problem. These work to hold the mast in a steady fashion while lowering and raising. You must not allow the mast to lower or raise in a seaway. That can tear the mounting base.

To Keith: How tall is your mast? How much do you lift with the mast? Is it possible to only have the top half hinged? Or do you lift the dingy or have a stay'sl? (how much clearance do you need to get her in the boat house?) What is the current mast made of? Is the RADAR mounted on it?

koliver · Aug 9, 2016

DHeckrotte said:
The issue with a simple block and tackle in my mind is that that you're depending upon the maststep fitting/hinge to keep the mast in alignment as it swings down. If it's meaty enough, then no problem but otherwise, don't you need shrouds located transversely in the plane of the mast to keep the mast on center as it swings?

Second question is, where does that mast go when folded down? In jleonards', does it fold past horizontal aft? If so, it must be a bear to get it up so that a tackle would have a decent angle.

Third question is, does anybody find it necessary to fold their FB bimini flat for headroom? Pretty sure ours folds but it ain't obvious; I've got the cover for the wad of folded cloth. I've also got a second cover that appears to enclose the seats and upper helm.

My new mast will readily fold down and rest on the FB's aft railing, but would have to be unhinged/unpinned to fold flatter/lower.

I have no idea whether your boat is a Europa or a Tri cabin. Makes quite a difference.

Mine is a tri cabin (avatar) so my mast is all behind the FB railing. I have a Tabernacle on the deck that pins the bottom of the mast and controls its sideways motion as it descends. It can move at most a few inches sideways, so that has never been a concern.
With the stand I have, the mast lays down high enough to walk on the lazarette hatches beneath it without ducking. The masthead is just astern of the stern rail.

I also fold my Bimini to get into my shelter. I replaced the screws that fasten the rear supports with quick release pins, so with those released and the forward supports similarly released, the whole thing folds back, where a collapsed 3 part boathook is the right height to support it just above the varnished rails.

78puget-trawler · Aug 9, 2016

You can see on my CHB the "jill poke" I mentioned earlier. Its a ss tube with a cradle to hold the mast. Looks a little weird but it works.

markpierce · Aug 10, 2016

Raising the Coot's tabernacled heavy mast was beyond four men's capability to raise. We used a small-boat crane to raise it.

BruceK · Aug 10, 2016

A GB52 I know fitted a hydraulic system to raise and lower their mast for passing under a particular bridge.

jleonard · Aug 10, 2016

DHeckrotte said:
The issue with a simple block and tackle in my mind is that that you're depending upon the maststep fitting/hinge to keep the mast in alignment as it swings down. If it's meaty enough, then no problem but otherwise, don't you need shrouds located transversely in the plane of the mast to keep the mast on center as it swings?

Second question is, where does that mast go when folded down? In jleonards', does it fold past horizontal aft? If so, it must be a bear to get it up so that a tackle would have a decent angle.

Third question is, does anybody find it necessary to fold their FB bimini flat for headroom? Pretty sure ours folds but it ain't obvious; I've got the cover for the wad of folded cloth. I've also got a second cover that appears to enclose the seats and upper helm.

My new mast will readily fold down and rest on the FB's aft railing, but would have to be unhinged/unpinned to fold flatter/lower.

Mine stays in line pretty well as it swings down. The pin it rides on is probably 5/8 dia.
I have a stainless "crutch" that it rests on when it goes down to horizontal.
It only gets lowered all the way for winter storage.
Most of the time it gets lowered to "half mast" position which gets me under a 19 ft bridge. We ran the canal systems that way and I have a favorite anchorage that requires that.
I made "extension wires" to hold it at half mast. The mast is secure like this. Pictures below.
Last pic is full lowered. It was this spring and we were headed from winter storage to our summer slip. It was clear & calm so I left the mast cradled.

DHeckrotte · Aug 10, 2016

'jill pole' love it!
jleonard well done!
cappy208 some of the old Taiwanese trawlers have honkin' huge cast bronze maststep hinges, as below. The wall thicknesses are 1/2" and more, the tongue is about 3/4" thick, the pin 3/4" dia. Even so, the forces to be resisted that you could readily generate with all that leverage would be tremendous.

FF · Aug 11, 2016

"old Taiwanese trawlers have honkin' huge cast bronze maststep hinges, as below"

The trick with these is to use 2 lines that will hold the mast P&S that are hinged on the same plane as the mast pin.

Then it cant swing left or right , and the steadying lines stay tight all the time.

alberto · Aug 11, 2016

Time ago I got these pictures from the web for an hydraulic system.
Maybe interesting for you

DHeckrotte · Aug 11, 2016

ff, as I'd said above, 'shrouds in the plane of the mast..' The catch with keeping them 'tight' is that they need to be mounted/pinned in line, at the same height, as the hinge pin. If they are lower than the maststep hinge and they are 'tight' with the mast down, they will become much tighter as the mast swings up. On the relatively low crown of a trawler's deck, maybe not so bad - 'tight' becomes a matter of definition. But, you should see the rig necessary to hinge the shrouds when the maststep is on a sailboat cabin top!

Searios · Aug 11, 2016

If it's hinged its pretty easy to lower it. If it's not, then you have to lift it out of the bracket - this requires a hoist of some kind....and this can be a pretty challenging procedure....

78puget-trawler · Aug 11, 2016

That's "jill poke"!

Drake · Aug 11, 2016

DHeckrotte said:
Some folks use gin poles; gin, preferably with tonic and lime is my preference.

Yahoo, buckaroo!

koliver · Aug 12, 2016

DHeckrotte said:
ff, as I'd said above, 'shrouds in the plane of the mast..' The catch with keeping them 'tight' is that they need to be mounted/pinned in line, at the same height, as the hinge pin. If they are lower than the maststep hinge and they are 'tight' with the mast down, they will become much tighter as the mast swings up. On the relatively low crown of a trawler's deck, maybe not so bad - 'tight' becomes a matter of definition. But, you should see the rig necessary to hinge the shrouds when the maststep is on a sailboat cabin top!

Clearly "overthinking it".

KISS should apply. These masts are not that tall. Should be made of aluminum, so not very heavy, but strong enough for all the work they may be called upon to do.

Mine has stood in place for more than 15 yrs without complaint, unstayed, standing in a simple tabernacle that controls side motion when lowering, lowered with a one part rope from the underside of the radar, lands in a stand keeping it above the rear deck without fuss.

lowering the mast

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