skennedy wrote:
Ok who's got the best solution for solo mast raising on a tiger. I've been single handing more and more lately and always struggle to find someone to help raise and lower the mast. Turning 53 this year so that's not helping the situation.
Are you able to hoist the mast up yourself or are you looking for a system that does the raising for you (i.e. a winch system)?
If you can lift the mast yourself, the easiest is to use a rear mast crutch to hold the mast at an easy starting angle. Run your halyard through a pulley on the bow tang, then lift the mast, tighten the halyard and cleat it off, then jump down and pin the forestay. This is done even more easily if the boat is off the trailer - you don't have to climb up onto the boat and the mast will start at an even higher angle.
If you need a system that raises the mast for you then really the only option is one of the gin pole designs. They seem to work reasonably well, but you will burn a lot of time with the setup and installation.
sm