stepping the mast

You know, that's a great idea. I should've figured out a way to take advantage of the existing rigging going to the forestay tang. Of course, this is ASSuming you have trap wires. Two short, pretensioned, straps that form a loop through the trap ring, going around whatever you're using as an anchor (pylons, hulls, wing seat structure, etc.) would be much easier, and they would be available both raising and lowering. I think I might have to make a run to West Marine at lunch. Thanks for the feedback! Now I just have to procure another Crown Royal bag to keep them in.

The way I use mine: I first take off my rear ratchet straps that hold my boat to the trailer. Then I hook one end to the trapwire eyelet and the other end to my front pylon. I adjust the strap on each side so it's just barely getting tight when the mast in place for stepping. ( each strap is coming up over the front rail, NOT the sides.) Now I also use a rope connected to my jib halyard shackle, leaving my jib mainsheet cleated to the mast. Starting on the back of my tramp, I lift the mast up and to my shoulder in one motion. Then I walk the mast up and cleat off the rope. I pull my pin at the bottom of mast and then connect my forstay. The trap wires help keep it all steady and they are just as taunt with the mast up as they are down.

Buxton

I followed you all the way until this part. I don't get what you're doing with this rope. Can you explain in more detail and/or provide pictures?

Thanks,

Jim

I guess I left out the part where I thread the rope around the trailers winch and back to the tramp. That way when I cleat it off it will keep pulling the mast forward.
If you don't have the winch you can just loop it around the trailers tongue.
If I have normal shorts on, I stick the end of the rope in my belt loop so I can grab it easly while holding the mast up.
The whole set up should make a triangle in almost the same shape as your jib. I have a shackel tied off to the end of my rope and that's all I use it for. After connecting the forstay I remove the rope and connect my jib. Take the ratches straps off the trap wires and you're good to go
I hope this clears it up for you, it really helps when steping it yourself.

Buxton

I run a rope around an extra pin in third hole on the forestay adjuster.
one end of the rope is tied to the headstay wire and the other I wrap around the port jib block (to keep it from falling off the tramp). I pick up the mast, and then pull the rope tight and cleat it on the mast. To keep the shroud and trap wires from getting caught on the rudders or back castings, I always make a small loop out of the wires and stick it in the back tramp lacing (one on each side of the mast).
once the mast is up, it's easy to connect the headstaywire to the top hole in the adjuster, uncleat and remove the rope. I reverse the process for de-stepping the mast. I have been doing this for years with no problems.

Okay, let me summarize what we've discussed and see if anyone has improvements or suggestions.

To step the mast single-handed:

1) Attach mast base to mast step with hinge
2) (with trap wires) Connect trap wires to front pylon by whatever method you feel is most suitable. Should go around front crossbar rather than around side bar.
2) (without trap wires) Run "preventer rope" from front pylon around front crossbar to mast tang then down to other front pylon.
3) Ensure trap wires or "preventer rope" is(are) snug
4) Attach "raising rope" to jib halyard shackle. Ensure shackle is raised to tang.
5) Run "raising rope" around suitable part of mast support on trailer and back through jib sheet cam cleat to back of boat
6) Raise top of mast as far as possible while standing at back of boat, pull "raising rope" tight through jib sheet cam cleat so mast is hanging partially stepped
7) Move to front of boat and pull mast the rest of the way up using (your muscles and/or trailer winch)
8.) Attach forestay

To de-step mast reverse process.

Does that sound good to everyone? I look forward to trying this myself, once I have my new mast base installed.

(My current mast base pictured below is unsuitable for this process.)





Regards,

Jim
-----------------------
Hull #3404
Sail #3403

How do you sail a Hobie 16 without a twin Traps, let alone A Trap. I know the old saying "there's no such thing as a bad day at the beach" but if I go sailing and its not windy enough to atleast have my crew on the wire, its a bad friggin day. Anyway, to not be caddy, I think that the jib halyard idea is great but I have never really had much of a problem stepping the mast alone if I angle the boat forward by propping up the rear with a life jacket or two. Yeah its a little sketchy at times, but if you quick, it won't go anywhere really.

_________________
Gotta love Hobie!

I've come up with a possible flaw in step 5: "Run raising rope through jib sheet cam cleat." The jib sheet is already going through that cleat and the only way to remove it is to untie the figure-8 knot in the end of the jib sheet and pull it out of the cleat. I guess it's not that big a deal, except that my sheets are still old-school (cotton?) and so I can't melt the frayed ends, which makes it tough to feed through the cleats & pulleys.

So... anyone have some idea of how to proceed?

Thanks,

Jim

OK disregard my last as I whipped the ends of the jib sheets so they're not fraying now.

HOWEVER

I have come up with a different problem:

(At least on my trailer) the mast support is too low to give a useful angle to hold the mast up. Um. Lemme see if I can make this more clear...

I ran the "raising rope" from the mast tang through the pulley on the mast support back through the jib cleat to the back of the boat.
Then I pushed the mast up as high as I could over my head and pulled the rope tight.

When I let go of the mast, it started to come back down and the weight of it pulled the boat forward on the trailer. So... that didn't work.

We were thinking maybe we need a 3-step stepladder so that you can push the mast up and take like, 4 steps up... 3 up the ladder and the 4th onto the rear crossbar and just keep pushing the mast all the way up.

Anyone have any ideas regarding that? Buxons, can you give me more detail on this step? Thanks! 8D

(On the positive side, the trap wires at the front pylons seem to have kept the mast from swaying side-to-side.)

One simple way...

I shackle the jib blocks low to the forestay adjuster. Untie one sheet from a jib car and attach to the forestay (use a small 3/16 shackle around the forestay wire and tie the sheet to the shackle). Step the mast as normal. With your shoulder against the mast holding it up, bend down and sheet in on the jib sheet which holds the forestay at the adjuster. You could place the boats nose downhill to help. All this can keep the mast upright while you move forward to pin the forestay. Another option, tie a line from the main halyard shackle to the mast stand on your trailer. After the mast is up, hoist the halyard and tie of when taunt to the trailer mast stand... holding the mast up.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt, that's a good idea about running a line from the mast support to the halyard shackle. I'm kind of confused about the jib sheet-to-forestay thing, but I think I can figure it out.

Howver, you say "step the mast as normal." Do you step it solo? If so, how do you do it? Thanks again.

Jim

I can do it solo. I showed this technique in the Hobie 16 rigging video done years ago.

I think it would be really easy using a step ladder to hold the mast head up at the start. Place the ladder aft of the boat. Slide the mast aft and onto the ladder, line up the base / cup and link it. The higher the mast up a ladder the better so, you don't have to bend over when starting the lift.

Place the 3/16 shackle around the forestay wire at the bottom (it would have to be too small to fit over the thimble. Attach the jib sheets to the bridle wires / forestay adjuster (low). Untie one of the jib sheets from it's jib car. Tie to the shackle on the forestay.

Hop up on the trampoline. Get as far aft as possible and place one foot on the rear beam near the mast... the other spread forward. Standard lifting practice... bend your knees so you don't use your back. In one "jerk" lift the mast up onto your shoulder, position your body facing forward with feet spread for stability across the rear or the tramp. This is a position that you can stand erect facing the front of the boat and support the weight of the mast pretty easily. Mast on a shoulder, legs spread for stability. Look at the shroud and trap wires to be sure they are going to clear the corner castings as you go up. Bend your knees and in another smooth motion, bounce the mast up... as you extend your arms up, start "walking" the mast forward and all the way up. It is very important to use the momentum from the bounce at the start! Don't stop. If you catch a wire part way up... bring the mast down and start over.

Once the mast is upright, lean into it, reach down for the jib sheet that runs up to the bridles and back to the forestay. Sheet in hard and cleat.

When you are SURE that the mast is stable you can hop down and pin the forestay to the adjuster.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I've been thinking about something that would fulfill the step-ladder role, but be much more portable. Something similar to a light gin-pole would work. If the mast was already stabilized from sideways sway, a single member would support the mast vertically. Then, as you raise it, just let it fall over. Something light, that would trailer easily, with a "Y" on the end of it. Assuming one is in the 6' tall range, one could easily prop the mast up on an 8' pole. One could place the "Y" farther forward on the mast to increase the angle once it's fully deployed. One could also use a pole longer than 8' and just handle the lower end. For safety, make sure that when it's fully deployed, it's still leaning slightly aft, so once the mast is lifted off it, it would fall away from the boat/trailer. If the mast angle achieved by said gin-pole was sufficient, it the mast could be winched to it's full, upright position without a gin-pole. I've already made a gin-pole out of aluminum channel and recycled plastic lumber. I'll test it out ASAP. Just a thought, since we seemed to have solved the mast sway problem.

Okay I went out to the lake today for the first time (totally solo that is) because the wind seemed nice where I live. (~10mph or so) and I didn't have anything else to do.

Anyway I stopped at Lowe's on the way to the lake to get a 4' (1.3m) step ladder and I tell ya it made ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Took me a while to set up the boat by myself, but aside from a few minor things that are still "just getting used to the boat," I didn't have any problems. I modified the steps as follows:

1) Park truck and boat
2) Position 4' step ladder ~10' behind boat (and centered)
3) Slide mast backwards so that it's lying on the top of the ladder with the base near the step
4) Attach mast base to mast step with hinge
5) connect trap wires to front pylons
6) Ensure trap wires are snug and side stay chaim plates are lying in such a way as to ensure they rotate properly
7) attach "raising rope" to jib halyard shackle. Ensure shackle is raised to tang.
8 ) Run raising rope around suitable part of the trailer and back through jib sheet cam cleat
9) Standing behind the boat lift the mast to your shoulder and walk forward, up ladder, onto tramp, and to the front crossbar until the mast is vertical
10) Pull "raising rope" tight through cam cleat
11) Attach forestay to bridle
12) Remove mast hinge

Easy! (Took an hour though. 8/ I suppose I'll get better with practice.

Anway then I put the boat in the water, walked it around to the beach adjacent to the ramp, parked the truck, went back to the boat, raised the sails, and proceeded to sail into the pier because the wind was so light that the rudders had no authority, I just sort of drifted into it. I kept leaving the rudders and walking forward to push off the pier then go back to steer again but I'd just drift into the pier. After this happened several times I finally got away from shore and into the breeze.

Going more or less on a broad reach / run I moved very slowly down the lake. I was wondering "gee... If I'm going more or less straight down wind, how am I going to get back to the boat ramp? (because you have to go through a very narrow passage to get into the other side of the lake). Anyway, I decided however far I was, at 7PM I was going to turn around and head back. Meanwhile I was watching this beautiful thunderstorm (from a distance - I knew it was way north of me and not heading in my direction at all) and thinking about the beauty of nature.

So 7PM came and I made probably my best tack ever around a floating plant in the lake and headed back up. Perhaps not surprisingly, heading on a close reach I went considerably faster and even hiked out just a bit on the tramp. Tacking back the other way was much slower, but ultimately after a few more fast/slow tacks I got through the narrows and into the southern part of the lake again. I think it was about then that the wind dropped from a more or less steady 4-5 knots to 1-2.

The boat was moving forward (I could tell from the tiny bow wake and burble from the rudders) but slowly enough that I could leave the tiller and walk forward onto the bows just because I felt like it. I also lay back on the tramp and stared up at the sail, backlit by the sunset, and past it to clouds floating lazily by. No other boats to disturb my quiet period.

Ultimately, after a good 20-30 minutes of this 0.2mph sail a pontoon boat happened along and towed me back to the boat ramp. That was nice of them. By that time it was starting to get dark, but I got the boat back on the trailer and out of the water where I reversed the above steps to take everything down. My only two :doh: moments were when
(a) I realized I forgot the gooseneck at my friend's house so I sailed around with no gooseneck...and
(b) when, 10 minutes out from the boat ramp, I realized that although I had hoisted the main I had forgotten to hook the nub in the wire rope halyard over the mast hook; so I had to turn up and "park" for a minute while I did that on the water.

All in all I had a good time and my confidence level went up some, although a bit more wind would've been nice! Again, having the 4' step ladder made stepping the mast and taking it down again WAY easier than it has ever been before. I recommend it!!


Warm regards,

Jim

Congrats! Nice story. Two questions:

1) If the 4' ladder was ~10' behind the boat, how did you step up it onto the tramp? Do you have much longer legs than me or did I read that wrong?

2) How did you attach the tow rope to the cat to keep it centered and tracking acceptably? I'm thinking about towing my cat behind my sloop, and I want to make sure it's safely done.