OK Mike, this ones for you.....

[waynemunro]

yes, I think so. I have drawn a quick sketch, please forgive the crudity of the image, hopefully it will get the point across..

[Johannah]

The Trailer sailor website has an old article about using the stored energy of a spring to help raise the mast. Arrrrrrgggggghhhh. I wish we had a scanner! :x :shock: :x The complicated-sounding setup described by Frank is what I have been contemplating. It seems to me that once a dedicated set of lines/straps and pole with blocks was complete, setting it up would take just a couple of minutes in return for a safe, one person mast raising.

[capt jake]

Like Barry said, I have rigged my jib halyard to do the trick. Easy and no extra cost. Once you have the mast above the 90 degree mark, it goes up with ease.

[Andrew]

Jake

Any chance of a quick sketch of what you've done?

A picture says a thousand words - and I don't read real quick :wink:

Thanx

Andrew

[capt jake]

Aye, a sketch ye say?? Naw! I am not that savvy of such things. I can describe though....

Starting at the end of the halyard (the one to attach to the top of the jib), take that shackle and attach it to the eye of the sprit, of the clubfoot eye, (as I did). (the line is still running up to the block on the mast).

Take theh bitter end and run it through the clubfoot eye. From there take it aft to where you will be standing while raising the mast.

As you raise the mast, keep tension on this line. Once the mast is raised beyond 90 degrees to the stub you can start to pull on this line. It doesn't take long before you can let go of the mast and raise it with the line.

Put in the pin and then re-rig the line to the jib.

Tada!! :D

Barry seems a little more savvy on drawing programs than I. Maybe he can do a sketch (as he saw what I am trying to describe). If you look at a previous post (above) he has shown a similar set-up with an axtra block.

Hope this helps!! :)

[Johannah]

Sounds simple. That's just the trouble. Simple folk like me need complicated solutions to feel like we're doing everything possible. I still worry about the yawing motion. :?

[capt jake]

I still worry about the yawing motion

Ah, my solution is to be done while on the trailer, not the water.

[Johannah]

Very funny, fearless leader. Don't you ever have a ladder yaw when you're putting it up? Sorry, stupid question. The only friend I ever trusted not to kill us all with a ladder was a fire fighter, but I could never understand his tricks for control.

[TexasPhil]

This sounds similar to what I used to do with my old 16' hobie cat:

First, bolt the mast and the rear stays.

Then take the forstay and attach to the winch on the trailer. (forestay already attached at the top of the mast)

Crank her up.

Attach forstay to the cable (stay of some type) between the two hulls, disconnect the winch.

I am planning on the same basic technique with the weekender, however, the mechanical arm that Frank describes would probably help a lot. I wouldn't think more than a 3 or 4 foot pole attached to the mast would be required to raise the mast with the winch.

Phil

[capt jake]

Don't you ever have a ladder yaw when you're putting it up

That's half of the fun with ladders (and masts)! No yaw when I was raising the mast this way. Not a problem at all!! Really easy!

Now ladders....that is another story!! ;)

[Barry Pyeatt]

Yaw, sure. You betcha! I can take a pine of Ballard Bitters most any time.

Been shackled too after taking a bit of the Bitters. :roll:

OK...I got it. I'll draw a sketch for those that are imagry challenged.

Jake's setup should work like a charm. No Yawing or swaying with it unless you are trying to do this on the water and in the wakes of all those wave runners.

You won't have quite the ease of the simple block and tackle because that will decrease the amount of direct pull needed by Jake's 1:1 method. But then you don't need any extra rigging to do it either.

[Guest Anonymous]

Johannah,

If you let your jaw go slack and take in a few deep breaths you won't have that Yahwnin' motion bother you quite so much. Doc said it is lack of enough oxygen in our systems. :wink:

[Barry Pyeatt]

Maybe these will help explain Capt. Jake's Jib Halyard mast lifting arrangement. But then....Maybe not! :?

OK...Ok, In reverse order! :oops:

All together now, from the bottom up. :wink:

____________________________

I may not be good...but I'm slow!

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[Phil Gowans]

When I singlehand, I also use the jib halyard to help raise the mast, but I tie one end to the end of the bowsprit. Then I stand on the cabin and lift the mast until the angle is great enough to use the halyard to assist raising the mast. At this point I move forward and complete raising the mast with the aid of the halyard. Since I don't use the standard hinge arrangement I don't have a way to lock the mast in the upright position, I tie the halyard off on a cleat while I get down and attach the forestay. The halyard holds the mast in place while I do this. The halyard is now right where I want it to attach to the jib and raise it. The reverse of this allows me to lower the mast without having to hold its whole weight as well.

By using the end of the bowsprit rather than the clubfoot eye, I should have more leverage as well.

[Barry Pyeatt]

I would agree with that regarding the amount of leverage gained by using the forwardmost eye. I guess the question gets back to being able to easily raise the mast to the point where the halyard is easy to use. The geometry and effort gets easier as the mast gets higher and you have the mast base sharing the weight as it gets higher. :idea:

So as to the amount of effort required to reach a height that makes that transition might require quite a bit of effort for our vertically challenged and cronologically impacted friends. Or for those of us that just have arthritis. :cry:

Considering that, I had thought that a temp brace could be placed at the tabernacle that move the center of lift away from the horizontal plane of the mast to allow it to be lifted with the halyard as well. It could be a double duty pole, maybe a boat hook. :shock: :idea: :arrow: :arrow:

OK,Ok....I'll draw a picture! :roll:

[TexasPhil]

Here's that article I think Frank was talking about:

http://www.boatus.com/goodoldboat/maststepping.htm

[Barry Pyeatt]

Based upon the article mentioned above.

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[Mike Pennington]

Looks good to me! Keep those wheels churning folks. I promised to go sailing this week and work on the hinged base the last part of June. I'll make my big discission then.

So I am delayed on this project but.... I like the counter weight design submitted by Barry best for KISS reasons. However my fabricating Son, likes the spring design, I believe Craig suggested something along those lines. Ike, promises me he can make the Mast say Bong! as it snaps up. Never mind the backstays cutting the operator in half on the way up

AND I won't forget the cameras!

[Johannah]

Thanks, Phil. I will try the simple system as per Jake, and the more complicated one, just to compare. Simple wins if it works as well. But I'm curious about the gin-pole with side bracing. And don't ask me to help raise a ladder. I do a lot of work with pole saws, tree stakes, pruners, etc. and am notorious for clocking everyone on the head. Same for oars. Ah, yes, life as a klutz.