Mast-raising

Posted By: Rod M. WWP-19 "Spring", Nimble Vagabond "Loligo" S. Gulf Isl
Date: 3/17/07 6:55p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Gin pole (link) (Ed, N24 Sarasota)

Hi Ed, When I had a N24 I used a simple A-frame to handle the mast. It was quite light -- the weight of two eight-foot 2X4s -- which were bolted about a foot from one end (the X.) I put holes in the leg bottoms, and used rope to tie them to the toe rail to prevent slipping. Rounding them a little and keeping them sitting on the inside of the toe-rail protects the deck. I placed the A-frame a little ahead of the cabin front, so that it could come to the deck without hitting the bow rail. I'd cant the A-frame back and and pass a line through the mast's traveling-hole and tie it around the X with a little line to spare. Also, around the X, I would tie a loop which I attached to the main-sheet tackle which was pinned to the forestay fitting. This arrangement left little chance for side-to-side play in the mast since the A-frame was very close to the mast, and so greatly constrained it. Then pull her up with the main tackle. Using that travel-hole worked well because it is low enough to reach, when the mast is up, to retrieve the line passed through it. Putting a lifting line above the spreaders seemed a no-no to me, and asked for retreaval problems after the mast was up. A metal fitting to pass through that compression tube would speed up getting the line into place. Rod McNabb ~~~__/) ~~~