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Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Stepping the Mast

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Ross
Deckhand

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USA
2 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/15/2002 : 10:33:52

My wife and recently purchased a 1989 Catalina 25 tall rig. We are looking for ideas on stepping the mast. We are in our early 60's and want to be able to step the mast by ourselves. We sailed a Ranger 20 for years and stepping the mast was no problem. Thanks for your ideas and the use of this great web site.

Ross

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Earl Landers
Navigator

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USA
157 Posts

Response Posted - 12/15/2002 : 10:59:17

Ross,
Welcome to the forum, I am sure you will find it to be a valuable resource. I am in my mid 50's and raise my mast by myself all the time. The keys to being able to accomplish this safely are to have a gin pole system, something to stabilize the mast latterally, careful planning, and slow and deliberate execution. Go to the Tech Tips section of the home page and take a look at the mast raising hints at "Bear's Adobe", "Nokomis", "Not Yet", and "Wind Blown". I use a gin pole made with 1.5" EMT with custom fitting at the mast base and the end of the pole. I really liked the "Huntington Rig" shown here http://c25c250.best.vwh.net/restricted/nymastup.html , but didn't like the idea of modifing shrouds, so I created a similar system using rope (sorry no pictures). Hope that helps

Earl Landers
'83 C25 SK/SR

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Ross
Deckhand

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USA
2 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2003 : 11:45:59

Thanks Earl. Your reply has been helful. Ross

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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2003 : 13:36:50

I recomend the A frame systen. No chance of side sway. I made one out of electrical conduit.

Doug&Ruth
Triska (Alberg 29)
Tacoma Wa.

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LeighMarie
Navigator

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USA
188 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2003 : 16:45:13

I have read a number of postings about raising the mast using some type of A-frame system, and they all look good. However, I still am wrestling with our setup as I have a furler system (Snap Furl) and it makes the forestay rigid. (I have a 1985 standard rig C25 that we pull in and out a number of times during the summer - all with a lot of huffing and puffing!) Is it possible to use that type of system with a rigid forestay?

The one in the posting entitled "Gin Pole" references the "Bear's Abode" system, which looks like what I would want to do. But if you look at the picture, their furler/forestay is not being used to hoist the main. What line are they using? Is it the main halyard? If I could figure that out, I could do it. Or, is it feasible to use the forestay as it is and it would work? I suppose I could hook the A-frame thingie to it and then have it come down along with the end of the forestay where it attaches to the deck?

Any thoughts?

Dave & Sharon on "Leigh-Marie"
Hull #5128

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 01/07/2003 : 18:26:32

Here is a link to how I do mine. I can get it most of the way up with minimal help. Am thinking of improvments to do it totally solo. I have never missed with asking someone walking by for help.<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>
http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1660

Matt/Brigitte Loeffler
E.C. Rider
Cat 25 86'
FK/SR _/)

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Randall
Navigator

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123 Posts

Response Posted - 01/09/2003 : 21:38:22

Wow, I had never taken time to read about the Huntington rig before! What a great idea. I've always wanted a way to drop the mast solo while underway, mostly cause I'm skeered of lightning, and would love to be able to tuck up into a sheltered canyon and drop the mast until storms passed. My boat is in need of new rigging, and I will seriously consider that option.

Ross, one of the things I found disconcerting when I first tried raising the mast on my tall rig was that when I slid the mast far enough aft to bolt it into the step, it became overbalanced and tried to topple off the stern rail & into the drink.
Matt, is the crutch you use far enough aft to prevent this? I built a seven foot long crutch for my old Starwind 22 that clipped into the rudder gudgeons like yours does and it worked great. I put two sets of pintles on it. I used a wolmanized 2x4 for the crutch, and put one pair of pintles down low, and one pair high. When raising or lowering the mast, I put the lower pintles in place to raise top of the crutch as high as possible. To stow the mast down low for trailering, I slipped the upper pair of pintles into the gudgeons. Stainless pintles are expensive so to save money I used plain old hardware store gate hinge pintles, and filed them down to fit into the boat's gudgeons.

LeighMarie, I used both the main & jib halyards to attach to the gin pole. I wanted "system redundancy" for safety, so I pulled them both out to equal lengths & clipped them to the gin pole, then cleated the bitter ends off at the base of the mast. The previous owner had bought an oversized 4 to 1 purchase boomvang, which I never use, so I put an extra long length of line on it for permanent duty as a mast-raiser-upperer-thing. Copyright pending on that name.

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osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 01/09/2003 : 21:46:16

Y'awl,

maybe I'm getting old and lazy, but I have the Marina Operator raise and lower the mast.

I have a roller furler with the forestay adjusted to length, so it is a pain to get it fastened. Why should I get worked up and swear and well at my wife for not pushing hard enough, I let the MO do it and its ready for me to do final adjustments when I come to the boat.

Don Peet
c25, 1665, osmepneo, sr/wk
The Great Sacandaga Lake, NY

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Earl Landers
Navigator

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USA
157 Posts

Response Posted - 01/10/2003 : 11:14:53

Dave & Sharon
I have a CDI furler with a rigid aluminum foil. I use a gin pole attached to the fuler to raise my mast. I can't visualize how you could do this with the "A" frame, with out being at least as tall as the "A" frame. All the "A" frame arrangements I've seen are fixed to pivot points at the deck. Equipped with a flexible forestay, all you would have to do is pivot the "A" frame aft to meet the forestay and then haul away. But with a rigid foil, the arcs of the foil and "A" frame are going to meet somewhere between 6 to 10 foot above the deck? With the gin pole, I can make the attachment to the furler while the other (mast base) end is free. After the furler end is attached, I can elevate the furler on the gin pole and attach the pole to the mast base. I then tighten the two 3/8 inch lines that hold the gin pole vertical.

Don,
My C25 SK/SR is a trailerable boat. I bought it to go to places that don't neccessarily have marinas or marina operators. At the lake I spent most of the summer at, the nearest crane is about 75 miles/2 hours away. I could get a slip for the season (3months) for the same price as having my mast raised. I think I'll do it myself!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 01/10/2003 : 11:33:19

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Y'awl,

maybe I'm getting old and lazy, but I have the Marina Operator raise and lower the mast.

I have a roller furler with the forestay adjusted to length, so it is a pain to get it fastened. Why should I get worked up and swear and well at my wife for not pushing hard enough, I let the MO do it and its ready for me to do final adjustments when I come to the boat.

Don Peet
c25, 1665, osmepneo, sr/wk
The Great Sacandaga Lake, NY

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

I'm with you Don the less work for me the better....except I usually just work the Mast crane myself and not bother with the staff. (its an all manual setup)...However, folks who may launch at a State Park Boat Ramp, might not have that ability.

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 01/11/2003 : 02:02:44

When I had the boat hauled out of the Ca. Delta for its survey, I wasn't there, I had to have the yard lower the mast for me to the tune of $150. Kind of the OK has to be done and there was no way I could get there deal.
I have never had troubles raising or lowering the mast in regards to overbalancing with the mast all the way back. Mine is the std. rig not tall, this could be an influence.
The main problem is the square tubing I used is a little light weight. A friend used a similar setup made out of some very heavy pipe, he removed it when trailering though and I use mine as a point of attatchment for the mast.

Matt/Brigitte Loeffler
E.C. Rider
Cat 25 86'
FK/SR _/)

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 01/11/2003 : 02:52:38

I installed a variant of Jeff Pierce's "Not Yet!" Huntington mast-raising system on "Quiet Time" several years ago, and it has served perfectly, through about 20 mast up/down cycles. The only disadvantage of this system is the complexity, which adds at least an hour to set up and take down time, and the fact that it requires an unsightly modification of the upper shrouds to place a "pivot point" in the shrouds level with the mast pin. However, it has proven it's worth every time I have had to raise or lower the mast without any helpers to stabilize it. For the actual mast raising "power", I use a 12' gin pole made of a 2x4, and the trailer winch. You have to be very careful when using the winch that none of the wires or halyards gets hung up or snagged on someting, as the trailer winch gives you a lot of leverage, enough to damage or break something before you realize there's a hang-up. What a contrast to my '86 Catalina 22, that had a mast light enough to raise and lower by hand with just a telescoping mast crutch!

Larry Charlot
Catalina 25 #1205 "Quiet Time"
Sacramento, CA

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