Steve Swann
Member III
My E25 did not come with the trailer mast raising option so I had to get these items built recently. There are some tricks to getting it right and when things go wrong, expensive things break. Maybe this is a revisit and a rehash of the obvious, but here it is, nonetheless.
Interestingly, what I have read in the past was that the small thimbled wire that holds the boom to the split backstay is assuredly strong enough for rasing the mast. It does not look strong enough - and mine wasn't. Fortunately, the mast only dropped a couple inches back onto the bow pulpit and did no other damage. Arghhh!
Lessons from this Dummy:
#1 You who raise and lower your trailerables mast should look carefully at the Nicropress fittings on the backstay-to-boom wire to make sure they are in perfect condition and absolutely will not slip or part. The biggest strain is the first couple of feet from horizontal.
#2 If a part looks inadequate, it probably is. I would suggest a much stronger cable and complete assembly than the OEM parts.
#3 Make sure your mainsheet will not clamp or sieze in either direction! Sometime, you might have to ease the mainsheet and lower the mast back down to start over. If your sheet stops, you can have a big problem.
#4 Do whatever it takes to prevent your sheet from binding on the halyard winch. An extra sheeting turn from your last turn through the mainsheet block leadng down through a block located at the base of the mast then back up to the halyard winch adds another purchase - and keeps the line feeding straighter onto the winch to prevent a bind.
#5 Consider adding an additional stanchion on the very forward part of your bow pulpit extending downward attaching to the bow for additional stiffness and strength. (Easy to add.)
#6 Add a removable rubber roller assembly to your bow pulpit to allow you to roll the mast forward until you can get it pinned into the tabernacle and hold the mast from swaying side to side. One built of mild steel attached with U-bolts works nicely. Does anyone want a picture?
#7 Position your trailer into the wind to avoid any cross wind for this event.
#8 Even though it is possible to do this with one person, two is better, and a third, safety person is even better. When things go right, no big deal. I am a bit of a pessimist; there is safety in numbers.
Some of you Old Salts are probably laughing by now, but maybe there is one person out there that might benefit from my trials and tribulations. This was written for you!
Steve
Interestingly, what I have read in the past was that the small thimbled wire that holds the boom to the split backstay is assuredly strong enough for rasing the mast. It does not look strong enough - and mine wasn't. Fortunately, the mast only dropped a couple inches back onto the bow pulpit and did no other damage. Arghhh!
Lessons from this Dummy:
#1 You who raise and lower your trailerables mast should look carefully at the Nicropress fittings on the backstay-to-boom wire to make sure they are in perfect condition and absolutely will not slip or part. The biggest strain is the first couple of feet from horizontal.
#2 If a part looks inadequate, it probably is. I would suggest a much stronger cable and complete assembly than the OEM parts.
#3 Make sure your mainsheet will not clamp or sieze in either direction! Sometime, you might have to ease the mainsheet and lower the mast back down to start over. If your sheet stops, you can have a big problem.
#4 Do whatever it takes to prevent your sheet from binding on the halyard winch. An extra sheeting turn from your last turn through the mainsheet block leadng down through a block located at the base of the mast then back up to the halyard winch adds another purchase - and keeps the line feeding straighter onto the winch to prevent a bind.
#5 Consider adding an additional stanchion on the very forward part of your bow pulpit extending downward attaching to the bow for additional stiffness and strength. (Easy to add.)
#6 Add a removable rubber roller assembly to your bow pulpit to allow you to roll the mast forward until you can get it pinned into the tabernacle and hold the mast from swaying side to side. One built of mild steel attached with U-bolts works nicely. Does anyone want a picture?
#7 Position your trailer into the wind to avoid any cross wind for this event.
#8 Even though it is possible to do this with one person, two is better, and a third, safety person is even better. When things go right, no big deal. I am a bit of a pessimist; there is safety in numbers.
Some of you Old Salts are probably laughing by now, but maybe there is one person out there that might benefit from my trials and tribulations. This was written for you!
Steve