Mast Stepping Single Handed

Started by Tim Dunton, June 20, 2007, 10:26:12 AM

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Tim Dunton

I'm keen to know the techniques too (al mast).

Is there enough travel (slack) on the turnbuckles to leave shroud(s) attached and still get by the keel?

bill shaw

I put my mast up single hand without too much trouble. I have the aluminum mast.

Slide the mast back until the base of the mast is on top of the mast support in the boat.

The top of the mast will have to be supported on a step ladder or something to hold it up

Tie a line from the mast support around the front of the mast through the eye that the pole bungie attaches to then back to the support. This will form a horse shoe around the mast that will prevent it from moving around when you lift the mast. There should be some slack in the "horse shoe" to allow the base of the mast to rotate, but not so much to allow the base to move around much.

I take a piece of line and run through the jib tack shackle and attach it to the spinakker halyard. Pull the spinnaker halyard up about 5-6 feet and cleat. the line that you attached to the halyard runs back and cleats in the jib halyard cam cleat.

I get on the port side of the boat and  walk the mast up. No shrouds attached. You have to lean the mast a little to port to get by the centerboard, then slide it in the mast slot. The horse shoe line has prevented the mast base from sliding out on you, but you may have to pick up a little on the mast to get it into the slot on the base.

Pull on the line that you have attached to the spinnaker halyard and cleat back to the jib cam cleat. That will become the temporary forestay and hold the mast up. If you did not pull the spinnaker halyard up far enough, it will hit the jib shackle before there is tension on the line.

I then attach the forestay and shrouds.

The real secret is the line around the base of the mast. It keeps the base where it belongs without someone trying to hold it while you are rasing the mast.

I have a carbon mast ordered and would think this task would be even easier with the reduced weight.

Bill 

Kay VanValkenburgh

#2
Bill's description matches up very closely with what I do.

Naturally, attach the upper ends of all shrouds and the forestay to the mast before raising (seems bolting and taping spreaders, and installing masthead fly are also good things to do while the mast is horizontal - been known to forget...).

I sometimes also attach shrouds to the deck. In this case, I tie the butt to one side of the step - makes no difference to how easy/difficult the process is, but I like not having ends of shrouds flopping around. I tie the butt 4" or so off centerline - far enough to one side that the mast clears the keel as it goes up parallel to the centerline. (Bill's approach is to raise it obliquely, hence shrouds being free of chainplates). I tie the butt to lines through each jib camcleat so I can easily release them once the mast is upright and I'm ready to slide the butt into the step. Means the butt raises a little off the cockpit initially, but not a big deal.

I unstep the mast the same way in reverse sequence.

Bill is right, in my opinion, that tying the mast butt is THE key (I once started unstepping the mast while distracted; didn't tie the butt and things came down more quickly than planned...).
first boat I ever owned was viper #28; it was a gateway drug.
my current viper is #98; I can't sail it enough.
the resulting sailing addiction's ok up to that point, but come Winter whydahell do I also have to frostbite a Laser?!

Jay Harrell

I also step exclusively single-handed.  I have a "standard-section" (not class) Superspars carbon mast and it has a small hook at the bottom.  I'm able to hook this under the rearmost pin on the mast base and user that to hold the mast in place while I walk it up or down.  It's a bit less secure than tying a line, but seems to be good enough.  I also rig the spinnaker halyard to hold the mast once it's up until I can get the forestay attached.

Justin Scott

Quote from: kay on June 29, 2007, 04:20:26 PM
Bill is right, in my opinion, that tying the mast butt is THE key (I once started unstepping the mast while distracted; didn't tie the butt and things came down more quickly than planned...).

I was there! It was spectacular! Kay was distracted (by 2 martinis and a group of Viperers in post racing mode).
The highlight for me, was Kay calmly walking to the end of the mast, gently moving a stunned spectator who was rooted to the spot 6 inches from where the mast had landed, and taking off the mast head fly, as if this was all part of the standard procedure and the mast had come down in the exact spot he had intended. Cool as a cucumber. Mast was fine.
Viper - Mambo Kings
Right Coast Refreshments Committee

Peter Beardsley

May have to give this a shot tonight unless anyone around the greater Larchmont area is bored.  If people have refinements to the techniques mentioned in here through 9 years of learnin', feel free to update accordingly. 
Viper 640 East Coast Regional VP / Class Governor
Viper 333 "Glory Days"
Formerly Viper 269 "Great Scott!", Viper 222 "Ghost Panda" and Viper 161 "Vicious Panda"

Justin Scott

Thanks for bringing back this thread....great memories.

Tim Dunton's regatta wagon at St Pete.
Jay Harrell's custom mast and his semi submersible Viper
Kay's mast dowsing technique, reminiscent of tossing the caber at the Highland games.

We were so excited at the prospect of 20 boats at our NAs and getting to hull #75. Little did we know!
Viper - Mambo Kings
Right Coast Refreshments Committee

Greg Schuster

Great thread, folks... Here's what I do with my carbon mast, based largely upon what I learned from this post. This method is quick and easy for one person.

First, you'll be walking the mast up from the back of the boat, so put some weight on the tongue of the trailer to keep it from tipping. I use a cinder block.

Next, lie the mast in the boat, with the butt next to the GNAV block on the floor (sometimes I lie the tip on a 6' stepladder to make life a little easier, but this is not absolutely necessary). Tie a short line (~10') to the mast butt, run it through the GNAV block and then the jib turning block. Pull the line tight so that the mast is snug against the GNAV block and secure the line with the jib cleat. Note that this is very similar to Kay's technique, but we are running a single line through a single cleat (instead of two lines through two cleats) and using the GNAV block to keep the butt close to the deck.

Go to the back of the boat and walk the mast up (the GNAV block is far enough away from the centerline that the keel is not an issue during the stepping process). Now you have a vertical mast that is only a foot or two from the slot. Uncleat the short line from the jib cleat and pull it free of the jib block. Lift the mast and move it into the slot. Twist the mast until it sets.

Once the mast is set, lean it forward in the slot. Wrap the chock line around the mast and cleat into place. This will secure the mast while you walk forward to connect the forestay; once the forestay is secure, lean the mast back and connect the shrouds.


brian partridge

mines much the same, however i have a small wichard clip snap clip attached to bottom of mast with a piece of dyneema. i clip this onto the shackle at the back of mast step which holds my cunningham system. i use the standard viper rear tie down beam to hold mast up. i have shortened the width of the beam so it sits less than 1 metre from rear of boat, 2 reasons, 1 so i can run my lights on it ( so its legal in australia ) 2, to make the mast standing dropping easier.
first thing i do is place the mast so the mast butt is just under the foredeck ( over the base ) and the top of mast is overhanging stern, resting in the mast yoke of the rear beam. now the advantage of having this further back than the standard position is now the mast tip is low enough for me to reach up and place the wind indicator :)
next i atttach the spin halyard to the bow of the boat. i leave all the stays tied to the mast
now i climb into the boat and attach the before mentioned snap clip to the shackle connected to the last holes of the mast step ( you want the mast butt about 2 to 3 inches above the step )
now walk to about the main sheet cleat and stand the mast up ( the snap clip will hold the mast butt down ) you should be able to stand mst upright and place the butt in the step, once its located, leave one hand holding the mast forward in the partners, with other hand pull your spin halyard on through the cleat, once the halyard is taught, the mast isnt going anywhere. you can wander around the boat attaching the stays one by one. my forward hand who is 63kg and 5'4" can do this.
VIPER AUS185
THE PUNISHER