Re: Mast raising and lowering

Eric Pederson (eric@winternet.com)
Tue, 18 Aug 1998 13:17:28 -0500 (CDT)


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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It has been rumored that SolarFry@aol.com said:
>
> Instead of mini stays on the mast lifting system... Can you use strong bungi
> cords attached to the shroud stands to stabilize mast on the way up?

Bungies would probably work, if you could figure out a secure way to attach
them to the shroud chainplates. If you keep your shrouds unattached when
trailering, you could just use the regular attachment points. On the factory
system, there are U-bolts on the cabin top for the baby stays. I suspect
the only reason to need them up there is so the wire stay does not abrade
anything on the cabin top and it would otherwise angle down to the side deck.
With a bungie, you'd just have to watch out for chafe on the bungie itself,
since it would probably drag across the cabin top hand holds and the top edge
of the cabin top itself.

> Currently I lift mast with my left hand and only use right to steady it while
> my wife pulls the CDI base with a line run through a block attached to CDI
> stand. I am looking for the easiest least intrusive way to lift that sucker...
> Still looking for a small electric winch to handle it...

That sounds interesting. Attaching the gin pole really only takes about
fifteen seconds and does provide an advantage by moving the lifting angle
away from the mast - most advantageous during the early part of raising the
mast when there is more weight on you in the cockpit. Your lifting tackle
sounds much like the factory one, excepting the attachment points and
maybe the amount of purchase.

> Looking forward to your diagrams/pictures of your system...

Me too! Getting it done means that I've been able to sail *and* play with
my new camera. Gotta love it.

-- 
Eric L. Pederson
P-19 #970, Necessity
Bloomington, MN