Trailering Shrouds/Stays/Spreaders

[heimtun]

I about to take my boat out for the first time and before the trip down to the launch I'd like to make sure that I don't fold/bend/mutilate my shrouds/stays and/or my new spreaders - not to mention anything else.
What the rule of them on how to secure the mast, etc. so as to keep all the rigging in good shape?
Thanks in advance.
Wayne

[Alan]

I towed my 1980 DSII from California to Wyoming (about 1000 miles each way) with the sidestays and forestay attached to the mast, detached from the deck, wound back and forth in loose loops and secured to the mast with cargo straps. The mast is supported well above the deck by a crutch at the stern and an unusually tall winch stand, so the spreaders cleared the deck.

I'm thinking of making drawstring bags for future trips, so the stays can be left attached to the mast but stored more neatly. When they're partway loose, they look like a tripping and/or strangulation hazard.

There was a recent thread on this topic where several of the experts chimed in. Probably worth searching for.

[GreenLake]

Here's what I do. Not gospel, but perhaps a starting point. I have a mast support that mount in the rudder gudgeons in the back (just a notched board with an extra set of pintles). In the front. the mast is supported about 1ft off the cuddy deck by a mast support. I have a keel-stepped mast, so in my case, the mast support is just a short piece of mast profile, with a U bracket on top - it simply gets stuck through the deck where the mast would go otherwise.

I leave the spreaders in place, after wrapping the ends in rigging tape, they rest on the cuddy. The stays / shrouds I tie to the mast and then I use two small bungee loops with toggles to give the shrouds some tension.

I don't like long overhangs in the back, so my mast sticks out in front over my car (where a bit of roof rack will prevent permanent damage to either, should the mast bounce low). Because of that, my spreaders rest in such a way that the wires don't touch the deck.

The longest distance I go by trailer is about an hour, and the average distance is 10 mins. And I do end up parallel parking the trailer some of the time, another reason to not have a long overhang where I can't see it...

[heimtun]

Thanks for your feedback!

Sounds like detaching from the deck is recommended... I hadn't done that.

Any change of getting a photo? It would make it much easier to visualize.

[Alan]

And I do end up parallel parking the trailer some of the time, another reason to not have a long overhang where I can't see it... Smile
_________________

My mast crutch is the same design as GreenLake's (or it was until I swung the extended rear end of the mast against a grape arbor post and split off the wood on one side of the notch - oops). I'll vote for the mast extending forward, not sternward.

[MrPlywood]

I took a pic of my setup just for this occasion. I have 12" rubber cargo straps on each crutch that secures the mast. I made the crutches using the handle ends of retired shovels - the metal handles just looked the part. Not sure why I added the middle fabric cargo strap this time, perhaps because it was a longer journey than usual. I leave my spreaders on, but they are attached with stainless clips, (like the one on a trailer hitch receiver pin), so they can be easily removed if need be. I tie shrouds and halyards to the mast with velcro straps, being careful not to kink the shrouds.

BTW, I have permanently removed the top spreaders.

I too prefer the majority of mast to hang over my car.

[GreenLake]

Wayne,
from what you write, your mast appears to be deck stepped. That means it's about 4-5' shorter than mine (which is keel-stepped).

I tried to take some pictures, but they didn't turn out.

If you don't have a mast crutch in the back, you can make it from a length of 4x1 and a set of transom pintles, the pin-like things you have on your rudder - except these are for mounting on a flat surface.
(While the rudder mounts edge on, the crutch would mount flat-side on).
You'll need 3/8" diameter to match the standard gudgeons on the DS.
(Should be easy to find a supplier via search).

All you do is drill 4 holes to mount the pintles and then notch the top end of the board to receive the mast.

To finish it off, I'd definitely suggest some varnish to weatherproof it and two small screws partially screwed into the narrow sides of the board. These would serve to attach a bungee that will make sure mast crutch and mast don't separate.

In the front, you could create some support that you can anchor in the tabernacle in place of your mast, or you could use a block of foam. The main thing is that the mast is raised fore and aft so that it doesn't rest on the cuddy.

If you raise it far enough in the back, you can put a tarp over the boat when not in use as in this picture:

[click on image to enlarge]

For this a horizontal, or nearly horizontal mast works best.

You can kinda see the mast support in the back in the picture.

You do want to tie the mast to the boat in several places, so that it doesn't turn into a gigantic javelin when your car makes a sudden stop. It's a good idea to make sure whatever you use can hold at least 10 times the weight of the mast in the forward direction. Then you should be covered even in case of a crash. I always make sure that some straps go all the way around the mast, so that there's no conceivable way it can slide out under sudden deceleration.

[heimtun]

Thanks again for all your feedback!

Here's more info...

I do have a deck stepped mast. I do have two mast crutches - one aft, attached to the transom and another forward, attached to the trailer. I too am a fan of keeping the mast forward.

While I do have the mast secured - the javelin comment will make me more diligent with tie downs.

My biggest concern is the care and "feeding" of my stays/shrouds and spreaders and securing them safely and without causing damage to them.

Wayne

[GreenLake]

Keep them fairly straight and keep them from flapping against anything during transport, and you should be fine. Mine are held against the mast in about five places, except for the shrouds, where I leave the spreaders in place.

To secure the portions where the spreaders keep them from the mast, I use those short bungee loops with a black plastic ball toggle. By tying off about 1" in a short loop with a simple knot, they are just long enough to fit around the mast. I place one each a few feet above and below the spreaders that puts some tension on the shrouds.

[MrPlywood]

Just remember to undo the bungees/straps before you step the mast

[GreenLake]

While I do have the mast secured - the javelin comment will make me more diligent with tie downs.

Just on that topic I've come across a video today. Not a mast, but...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgYO2xj2bSc&feature=player_embedded

(speed supposedly 35mph)

[kellyima]

Several of you have mentioned that you keep the weight of the mast off the cuddy. What's the reason for that?

I have a notched piece of wood going through the cuddy mast hole and supporting the mast, but part of the mast does lean on the cuddy right by the door opening. That isn't a problem is it?

I also think that the comment about keeping the mast towards the front of the boat rather than the back makes intuitive sense. But the placement is affected by whether your tow vehicle is an SUV or Van. If so, there's a limit to how far forward you can bring the mast.

I have a DS2, with full mast, towed with a Honda Mini-van.

Very helpful comments on this thread.

[GreenLake]

Resting the mast on the deck is bad because the deck is likely to show signs of chafe at that spot.

The higher you raise the mast, the further forward you can put it over a tall vehicle. My mast supports happen to work well with my Ford Explorer, that's not by design, just works out that way.

The PO had a pickup, but he believed in letting the mast hang very far to the back.

If I wanted to trail behind a full-size van, I would have to raise them.