RE: Potter 19' Mast Raising

Rick Snide (Rick@RevolutionSoftware.com)
Sat, 26 Dec 1998 13:20:29 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Carol misunderstood my comment, or perhaps I wasn't clear. What I meant to
say is that you need *some* kind of raising system if you are going to raise
the mast alone - obviously the method used can vary. You should not try to
just lift the mast off of the cabin top by yourself without any assistance
(i.e. the stock raising system, a halyard to the pulpit, etc.) I personally
would not use the jib halyard method because I have the CDI furler and 1/8
in. line on the furler.
I would seriously look into the mast raising system if you are going
to go it alone. I reiterate: the mast is very heavy, the angle is not good,
and you don't really want to be letting go of the mast to pull on a lanyard.

-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Gula [mailto:cgula@innet.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 1998 12:43 PM
To: Rick Snide
Subject: Re: Potter 19' Mast Raising

Greetings group:
I beg to differ with Rick's assessment (without editorial comment). I'm far
from Superman, but from day 1, I've raised the mast without any assistance.
Granted, a helper makes it an easier job, but this is one (of many, I'm
sure) ways to do it all by yourself. Start with shrouds already hooked up.
1. Run the spinnaker or jib halyard bitter end forward and around something
then back to cockpit. I've subsequently rigged a block, but used the base
of the pulpit for a long time.
2. Seat the mast with the rear pin in.
3. Stand in cockpit and put the mast on your shoulder, holding the halyard
in one hand.
4. Move up by standing on the cockpit seats - straddle - one foot on each
5. Place a knee on the cabin roof and manuever till kneeling on cabin roof -
helps to have hatch shut at this point.
6. Stand up.
7. Walk forward until mast is vertical, taking in halyard slack as you
proceed.
8. Tie halyard to convenient cleat on mast
9. Move forward holding halyard in one hand and jib stay in other.
10. At bow, pull on halyard to get enough slack in jibstay until you can
set jib stay fitting.
11. Double check all secure and enjoy.
Try it - it works
Mac Davis, Kelpie, WWP19#804, Aripeka, FL
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Snide <Rick@RevolutionSoftware.com>
To: 'RAeschlima@aol.com' <RAeschlima@aol.com>; wwpotter@tscnet.com
<wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Saturday, December 26, 1998 9:18 AM
Subject: RE: Potter 19' Mast Raising

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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>John, If you are going to raise the mast alone, you should get the
>mast-raising system. The mast is pretty darn heavy (and not a good angle)
>and you would have to be superman to raise it by yourself. My wife and I
>raise it together - she starts it from the cockpit, and I take it up the
>rest of the way from the cabin top. I wish I could comment on the
>mast-raising system for you, but we've never used it.