ddaye690 wrote:Hi, I'm David, new owner of #690 (DS-1?) near Akron Ohio.
Welcome to the forum.
ddaye690 wrote: It's in operable condition with dacron sails in good shape and handy reef points on the main. Because of various life distractions I may not get it into the water this season. I'm reading through mast stepping discussion in the archives, making the trailer roadworthy and adjusted for the hull, and playing with basic rigging. Mine has a cabin top tabernacle and I can't step the mast myself inside the boat yet, though I can easily carry the mast when it's detached.
The easiest way to step a mast single handed would be with a tripod. Easiest on you operating it and least demanding in terms of strength or control. I put together a tripod over a weekend when it looked like I might develop back issues. I don't use it anymore, but I keep it around in case I'll ever need it again.
I made mine from lengths of 1x2 maple. The two lengths for the side are 6' the front is a few inches longer, which I solved by simply gluing on a bit of another piece as an extension.
There's a central bit of 2x2 (about 3-4") that serves as the place into which I screw the hinges for the legs, and also an eye at the bottom to attach a block.
I have a HW store bought purchase that runs the inside of the front leg, with the tail exiting at the bottom and long enough that I can pull it from the cockpit.
I mount the tripod to the chain plates and stem fittings, then attach the rope to a point on the mast that will meat up with the top of the tripod when raised, and then pull. As the mast gets lifted, the line shortens and helps control the mast. When fully raised, there should be no play and the mast is kept in place by the tripod.
Now, my own mast is keel stepped, so I can just lower it at that point and then remove the tripod before attaching the stays. In your case, you'll need access to the chain plates w/o removing the tripod. The easiest way would be to use a coping saw and cut a slit into a piece of aluminum to make a bit of a "fork" that hooks around the chain plate, allowing the leg to be held it place right forward of it. (The base of the fork would be screwed into the chain plate).
In the front, simply attach the leg to the hole the sail attaches, leaving the front available to take the forestay.
It takes a few extra minutes to set up, but the actual mast raising is very controlled. I know some people use the jib halyard or something like it to pull the mast up, including using the trailer winch for it. but none of these methods controls the mast sideways: someone has to guide it. If you are up for that, it may be faster than rigging a tripod.
As for your other plans: I'll repeat my advice (although I suspect you don't need it): sail her first. You get a better feel for whether you really want the modification.