Mast Support for Trailering, Version 2

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.

2003_01010005.JPG 2003_01010006.JPG 2003_01010007.JPG 2003_01010002.JPG 2003_01010009.JPG 2003_01010004.JPG 2003_01010011.JPG 2003_01010008.JPG 2003_01010001.JPG
 
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.

View attachment 12018 View attachment 12024 View attachment 12016 View attachment 12017 View attachment 12019 View attachment 12020 View attachment 12023 View attachment 12022 View attachment 12021
Howdy Capt Ron,
Your mast support system is very, very nice. Great idea and streamlined. I'm sure some people are going to give this a try.
I like your handle, loved the movie!
Thanks,
Wild Bill
 
Be careful how far the mast extends off the back of the boat, here in California it is a max of 3 feet and then you need a 18 X 18 inch bright red flag attached to it.
 
Thanks for the concern, Greg. I am in Washington State. Their state codes state "No vehicle shall be operated upon the public highways with any part of the permanent structure or load extending in excess of fifteen feet beyond the center of the last axle of such vehicle" So, I'm safe up here.
 
That is the same as California. What I meant to say was that after 3 foot, you need to attach the 18 X 18 inch red flag.
 
My mast mounting solution uses some aluminum T-slot extrusions. The front support is attached to the trailer. the rear support attaches to the stern in place of the rudder. In the rear, the smaller extrusion can be adjusted with respect to the larger extrusion to level the mast. For winter storage, I use the mast for a tarpaulin ridge line for covering the hull.
 

Attachments

  • Minnehaha Falls 012.JPG
    Minnehaha Falls 012.JPG
    1.8 MB · Views: 332
  • Minnehaha Falls 011.JPG
    Minnehaha Falls 011.JPG
    1.9 MB · Views: 300
  • Minnehaha Falls 010.JPG
    Minnehaha Falls 010.JPG
    1.9 MB · Views: 323
Great design! For the back support, how did you fashion the two hooks that fit into the rudder supports?
Thanks.


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.

View attachment 12018 View attachment 12024 View attachment 12016 View attachment 12017 View attachment 12019 View attachment 12020 View attachment 12023 View attachment 12022 View attachment 12021
 
Great design! For the back support, how did you fashion the two hooks that fit into the rudder supports?
Thanks.
Hi Timothy. Thanks for the feedback. The hooks are standard make and come from the hardware section of Lowe's (you can also get them from Home Depot or other general hardware store). Fortunately, the diameter of the metal hooks was close to the size of the holes in the rudder support, so they fit well. The hooks are attached to the PVC pipe with nuts and bolts (matching the hole diameter in the hooks) that go through the entire diameter of the pipe. The hole spacing was measured based on the spacing of the rudder supports and the holes were drilled in the pipes with standard drill bits (for metal). I used the bolts because short screws could possibly deflect inside the pipe and strip out with any excessive weight and long screws would end with a sharp point outside the pipe. Since this support doesn't go in the water, you don't have to worry about getting galvanized hooks (the stern portion of the boat is also stored out of the rain under a cover). If concerned about rusting hooks, a spray application of WD40 periodically should do the trick. (They are also cheap to replace.) I'll edit this message later with a close-up photo of the hook assembly. I hope this answers your question.
 
Hi Timothy. Thanks for the feedback. The hooks are standard make and come from the hardware section of Lowe's (you can also get them from Home Depot or other general hardware store). Fortunately, the diameter of the metal hooks was close to the size of the holes in the rudder support, so they fit well. The hooks are attached to the PVC pipe with nuts and bolts (matching the hole diameter in the hooks) that go through the entire diameter of the pipe. The hole spacing was measured based on the spacing of the rudder supports and the holes were drilled in the pipes with standard drill bits (for metal). I used the bolts because short screws could possibly deflect inside the pipe and strip out with any excessive weight and long screws would end with a sharp point outside the pipe. Since this support doesn't go in the water, you don't have to worry about getting galvanized hooks (the stern portion of the boat is also stored out of the rain under a cover). If concerned about rusting hooks, a spray application of WD40 periodically should do the trick. (They are also cheap to replace.) I'll edit this message later with a close-up photo of the hook assembly. I hope this answers your question.


Don't mean to be dense but are these clothes hooks? What is the original purpose of the hooks? Thanks for all the helpful info about measurements and bolts.
 
2003_01010011.JPG
2003_01010007.JPG
Don't mean to be dense but are these clothes hooks? What is the original purpose of the hooks? Thanks for all the helpful info about measurements and bolts.

Here are pictures of the hooks. The hooks are probably for stronger applications such as hanging tools or other heavy objects on walls/studs, etc. Sorry about the size of the photos. I'm still trying to figure out how files/photos are better attached to posts.
 
looks like a great idea but how do you keep it from jumping out of the rudder loops going over bumps?
Jeff -
I use two tie-down straps for the boat when hauling it. The main one is for the hull and goes under the mast and is cinched down nice and firm. (You could use more than one strap for the hull if really concerned about safety.) The second one goes over the mast but is not cinched down heavily so as to avoid deflecting the mast or putting too much strain on the mast support system. This second one prevents the mast and support from popping up out of the rudder support and acts as a back-up to the main tie-down in case that one fails.
I also take a small piece of rope and loop it around the mast and T-support so that the mast doesn't bump off the support during haul. I imagine this is superfluous but acts as a back-up in case the second tie-down comes loose (which did happen once because I didn't take all the slack out of the second tie-down before driving off). I use that same piece of rope at the same time to secure one end of the boom to the support so that the boom doesn't rattle around during any haul. (Secure that load!) The other end of the boom rests loosely in the bottom of the boat.
With this tie-down scheme, I haven't had any problems with bumps in the main roads. My main concern is when driving over speed bumps in my neighborhood. In that case, I drive real slow, as I would anyway even without a trailer.
 

Back
Top