Tanzer 16 Raising the Mast Single-handed - part 4 lift the mast, handle

Tanzer 16 Raising the Mast Single-handed  - part 4 lift the mast, handle  --  May 14, 2014 -- Now the mast is upright, and the forestay is secure to the trailer winch via the gin pole.  The side guys are in place and the temporary backstay is in place.  Time to lift the mast onto the keelson and attach the standing rigging. There will be one moment when it's just you holding that whole thing in place.  This is where I wanted to reduce the risk.

If you are 6'3" and strong as an ox, you can probably skip these next few posts.  This is how I did it; it worked for me.  It's up to you to determine if you have the skills, knowledge, and strength to do this safely.

I woke up at three in the morning and realized this final step would be a lot easier if the mast had a handle--so I went out in the shop and made one.  It looks like this:

To hook the handle, I put a  #12 screw 15 inches up from the bottom of the mast. The handle fits on the mast like this:

Given my height, 5'7", this allows me to bend my knees and grab the handle and stand up straight--all the lifting is done by my legs while my hands and arms are focused on positioning..  My left hand is up higher on the mast to help with stability. All I had to do at this point was lift the mast up out of the hinge and set it on the keelson, slide it forward, and latch the gate.

I should add that I tried to add some fore and aft preventer lines at the bottom of the mast, but they were more a pain in the butt than they were useful.  I don't bother now.

Once the mast was locked behind the gate, I could hook up the forestsay and shrouds (see post May 2, 2014) at my leisure, unhook all the set-up gear, and get ready to go sailing.  Yep--it is a slow process--but for me, worth the trouble.  It does get quicker with a little practice, but it will never be as quick as some big moose of a guy just grabbing the mast and sticking it in place.

Take down?  Just do it all backwards.  Carefully.

Next Post: Johann Tanzer already had this figured out.

Today's cliche:  If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.