checklist for dropping mast

jkm

Member III
After seeing the recently painted mast of Cordelia I've decided to consider dropping my mast.

This I have never done.

The yard advised that I get a rigger to do the drop. The price I got from a rigger seemed way out of line, some $ 2500.

So can anyone give me a checklist. I suspect those members back east do this annually and it must be old hat.

Thanks in advance

John
 

Chris Miller

Sustaining Member
Yeah, really shouldn't cost more than $500 to take it down and put it back up. All you need is a crane operator that has done it before. I'd ask another yard. I think ours came to a total of $450 to get ours out and in- 360 of which was an hour total of crane and operator time.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Spar: controlled descent

Note Chris's reference to crane time and operator time -- it is a "time ($) and materials" sort of operation.
When we pulled our spar, the boat came into the yard dock with the boom off, foredeck cleared of pole, etc. Sails removed, of course. All turnbuckles were lubbed and loosened and retightened just enough -- they were all ready to be undone again. I had marked all the turnbuckle threads so that the initial tune would be OK once it was restepped.
All wiring was disconnected inside the headliner and, on our model boat, the table was removed and stored aside. Inside the boat the "path was cleared" to get to the mast step and some cardboard was put down over the sole.
Boot removed and saved.
All halyards either removed and replaced with tag lines or secured to the spinnaker bulls eye. Needless to say, no lines were left in the base turning blocks. Note: take some good notes and pictures of the halyard/housetop layout first to help you reassemble this big ol' bunch 'o' lines when you start putting it back together later! :)

Object is to be really really *ready* for the yard crane operator and the helper on board to work fast and conserve my money (their 'time' equals my 'money').
I stood by to assist wherever they wanted my help, and stayed out of their way when asked to.
Wedges needed to be caught and stored aside, for instance.

The process went well and relatively fast. The guys expressed their thanks that our boat was 100% ready for them, unlike some they get.

Best of luck,
Loren in PDX

ps: in the on-line list of services and fees for our local yard, I copied this info:
"Mast step or un-step: $100 minimum -- $75 per hour"
 
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jkm

Member III
Loren

That's what I wanted thanks.

One last question-how did you mark your turnbuckles???

John

I got a revised bid for removal only of 125 and install only 125
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Loren

One last question-how did you mark your turnbuckles???
______
I used a rather low tech solution... I wrapped some blue tape around the threads just where they entered the turnbuckle body, top and bottom.
:)

Loren
 

Chris Miller

Sustaining Member
don't just count on marking the turnbuckles, make sure the mast is in column and everything is peachy :nerd:

IIRC, Seth and others have some super posts here for rig tension/tuning if you search the board.
 
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