attaching the mast; i.e that tabernacle

[seasick]

Getting right to my point.. what purpose do those hinges serve? (I assume that's what they are called... the pair that match up and you put the pins through.

When I lost my mast I was able to see the guts of the tabernacle and how my mast is attached. When I got the boat each portion of the mast had half of the tabernacle , so when I stepped the mast I had to match those two hinges up and their little holes .. so much weight to move an eighth of an inch here.. a smidge there. a scoch this way...etc etc. A Royal Pain. Is that the way everyone else has to do it?

When I reattach this thing I can't see any problem with keeping the entire assembly together, screw it in to one end of the mast or say, to the part that's on the boat and then just drop the mast on top and screw it in. And frankly (I'm a little crabby today) Why can't they just lose that whole thing, screw an inner pipe into the mast and call it a day? Was it designed by the same guy who made those wire rings ?? I'm going to lose my spot in heaven over these two. Thanks

[GreenLake]

I think you are supposed to put one pin in with the mast horizontal, then it becomes a hinge. Then you flip the mast up and secure it with the stays. Some people even use a line attached at the front to pull the mast up, and pre-attach the stays to hold it in place.

If you are comfortable with stepping a mast while holding it vertical, perhaps you should switch to a keel-stepped mast (there are some offers for trade on the forum right now). Then all you'd need to do would be to drop it into the hole on deck until it reaches the keelson.

[willyhays]

Here's a video, produced by Cape Cod Shipbuilding (current builder of the Day Sailer), of what GreenLake is describing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrtKF9tJ38

[GreenLake]

Yep. Thanks for sharing.

[seasick]

I'm sure we tried hingeing one side, but not knowing for sure, perhaps we didn't try the right angle or maybe my old one was damaged a bit.

I'm pretty sure the old owner stepped it straight too. But that would make things a LOT easier than the way I'm doing it! Yeah I guess if one doesn't or cant make use of the "hinge" part to stabilize it , then it's a paperweight for all intent and purpose. Thanks

There were a couple of interesting youtubes on mast stepping etc. Thanks for the link.

[TIM WEBB]

Um, I may be stating a bit of the obvious here, but if you watch the video closely, you will see that Wendy raises the mast from a slightly higher than horizontal position, because there is an aft mast support. In order to raise the mast using the hinge, one needs to start with the top of the mast resting on something at the rear of the boat, otherwise it would be nearly impossible to get the hinge pinned. Said support could be a person, but then you'd need three people to raise the mast, assuming the third person is the one pinning the forestay. Kind of silly for a boat normally crewed by one or two, no?

Best bet is to have some kind of mast support (preferably with a roller) on the stern (many versions have pintles that go into the rudder gudgeons) that holds the mast high enough that it clears the cuddy lip. Then it's really easy to roll the mast back, pin the hinge, then raise the mast. What I do with TRW is fasten the jib halyard shackle to a ring on the forward mast support on the trailer, then once the mast is up, cleat that off, then attach the forestay and close the lever.

[jeadstx]

I have a hinged mast as well and I have raised it by myself many times. As Tim says the stern mast support should be in place to help raise the mast. The lower section of the mast stays attached to the boat, bolted into a tabernacle on the cuddy cabin floor. I keep my stays/shrouds attached while trailering, except the headstay of coarse. I trailer with the hinge forward on the mast. To raise the mast, I slide the mast back until the hinge plates meet keeping the mast in the stern support. I pin the rear hole to allow to hinge. I attach a line to end of the forestay (above the turnbuckles), run the line through my bow cleat and back to a cam cleat on the cuddy cabin. I can then walk the mast up using the hinge and when vertical the line pulled tight acts as a forestay until I can pin the turnbuckle in place. With two people, I eliminate the line and have the other person handle the forestay. I then tighten the forestay. Side stays are already adjusted since they don't get loosened. When tightening the turnbuckles, it is a good idea to have a pliers hold the cable to prevent cable twist.

John

[seasick]

Thanks Tim and John. It's much clearer. That video didn't show a lot of detail. I appreciate and usually need info and guidance that is very basic and maybe seems obvious, but often is not with me. So please don't be afraid to state the "obvious'". It helps me.

I'm glad to know that I can keep the shrouds attached. This year was torture ( we did it with the boat in the water, for one) I won't have to deal with the mast until next year now but I'm sure it will be easier. Thanks again

[TIM WEBB]

No prob! As in all aspects of learning something new, some things are intuitive, others are not obvious even when they are right in front of you. It's all part of the journey - just enjoy the ride! If you're not having fun, get off the ride for a bit until you can't stand not being on it ... ;-P

BTW, it is much more difficult to raise the mast on the water, hinged or not, even at the dock. The rig should be set up on the trailer before launch if at all possible.

[jeadstx]

I agree with Tim, putting the mast up on water would be difficult. I saw a video of an O'Day Mariner with a gin pole setup that allowed raising and lowering the mast on the water (single handed) for going under low bridges.

It is good to know how to raise and lower your mast on the trailer and trailer the boat. Who knows when you may get the urge to sail other lakes.

John

[NoCashOnBoard]

I had difficulty with raising the mast when I first got my daysailer this spring. After asking a lot of questions and watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I put together a few ideas and now I have it down pat.

First, I built a Mast Crutch that I put on the Rudder Gudgeons. Basically a piece of wood with a V slot on the top and two strong brackets with bolts in them to acts a pintles that fit into the gudgeons. This mast crutch is also used for carrying the mast while on the trailer, keeps the pointy end up and out of the way of cars behind me.

With the mast crutch at the ramp, after I remove the mast bag I hook up the shrouds. This provides lateral stability while raising the mast, meaning it won't slip off to the side while raising. I then put a cargo strap onto a bow cleat and lead it to the tabernacle ready for hooking up in another step.

Then using the crutch I slide the mast back until the tabernacle rear holes are close. The mast crutch has some play in it, so I can get the rear holes lined up and a pin inserted. After that I hook on my cargo strap to a mast eye. I use the cargo strap with a lever instead of the crank, it's easier to get the strap taught with one hand that way. I lift the mast with one hand and then pull on the loose end of the cargo strap. This way I'm not caught if anything happens - the mast isn't going to fall. I usually can get this up in one go and then tighten down the cargo strap. Put the forward pin in and then hook on the forward stay.

I'll make a video this weekend and put it up on youtube.

[seasick]

I would like to see that video. It would be great to be able to raise it on my own, or at least have a 'system' that will work easily.

A mast crutch I might be able to do.. sounds like you can use the things (gudgeons? ) that the rudder slips into to attach and steady it. I cannot picture the cargo strap --maybe it goes to the very top end of the mast (is that the eye?) , and I'm guessing then it is hoisted (ratcheded) up. I would like to see it to understand. Eventually it will make sense.

I had a feeling that stepping the mast at the slip was not the best idea, but it all looked like a chinese jigsaw puzzle at the time with the rigging detached and the spreader broken. I will know better and have more confidence to have someone (probably the boat hauler) help me next year.

Again, I much appreciate the help. I have so much to learn. I try not to get discouraged and accept that the challenges are all part of learning about the boat etc.

[ldeikis]

Seasick--

Elsewhere on this forum the suggestion was made to use the jib halyard as a line to help you hold the mast up while you secure stuff--clip one end to something on the mast and take the free end (the end you usually cleat once the sail is raised) and hold it in your hand as you walk the mast upright (having already placed the rear pin in the mast hinge etc.). That's what I do. I just walk on up over the cuddy, pushing the mast more and more upright, and once the mast is upright continue forward onto the foredeck holding the jib halyard firmly. I cleat the halyard to the mooring cleat in the middle of the foredeck, which is not hard to do with one hand and works as a totally secure temporary line while I properly connect the forestay and insert the second mast hinge pin.

A second suggestion I picked up here, from a suggestion in a discussion about standing rig tension, is to use the trailer winch itself to help rig the boat--once the jib halyard is cleated to the mooring cleat, you climb down and go around to the winch, unhook it from the boweye, and pay out a little slack. Tie to the halyard to the hook on your trailer winch and then use the the winch itself to crank the mast forward. This works pretty well if you like to keep your standing rigging adjusted to a tight length and don't have a DS1 style mast jack to apply and release tension.

Last suggestion--a standard plastic trash can (the big kind you might "borrow" from the garage, not the kind you have under the desk) works adequately as a mast crutch if placed in the rear of the cockpit. I've used that several times when I didn't have a buddy to help hold the mast during rigging.

I suspect raising the mast is something that seems more awkward at first and quickly becomes a non-issue. Best of luck.

Luke

PS: NoCashOnBoard--if you actually make a video of it, would you mind plucking your shrouds and forestay once the rig is tensioned? I'm kind of struggling with how tight is appropriate and it would be useful to hear the twang of another DS.

[GreenLake]

F - you're aiming for an F (but what octave?)


--- that's what I've heard anyway. The leeward shroud is allowed to be slack on the DS, at about 10kts -- also something I've heard or read here, can't remember where. Your mileage may vary

[ldeikis]

The leeward shroud is allowed to be slack on the DS, at about 10kts -- also something I've heard or read here, can't remember where.

That's from the North Sails tuning guide.
http://www.onedesign.com/Portals/106/do ... gguide.pdf

I'll hold back from hijacking this thread into a conversation about rake and leave it to see how the boat sails and if I can fix any ill-helm on my own first.

Luke