Captain Ron
New Member
I read the post by Wild Bill dated March 22, 2013. It was pretty good. However, I do not have a trailer that has the high front support post. I recently purchased my boat and trailer which had a makeshift and delaminating plywood mast support in the stern and the base of the mast rested on the bow of the boat. So, in my conservative nature, I fabricated a new support system out of 1.5-inch PVC pipe, 2"x1.5" PVC tees (with the 2" portion cut in half using a hacksaw), and some hardware as shown in the attached pictures. This system allows me to slide the mast back on the supports, remove the front support, lever the mast into the maststep, and insert the securing bolt without having to lift the mast. Then I can simply step the mast from that point. The back support uses the rudder supports without the use of bolts and nuts and can therefore be easily lifted out and stored while sailing. The supports keep the spreaders just above the seats in the boat. The cost of the system is about $8.00. For transport, I simply tie down the base of the mast at the bow fitting and use a tie-down strap in the stern to prevent the support and mast from lifting out of the rudder support when the trailer hits a big bump. The system is also very aerodynamic (low profile).
Well, that's my version of mast support for trailering.
Well, that's my version of mast support for trailering.