Single Handed Mast Raising

traderbob_nc

New Member
I could use some suggestions from Single Handed Mast Raising Professionals.

I bought an older 1990 Capri 14.2.
She is on a Magic Tilt Trailer.
There was no mast stand or crutch for the bow or the stern so the mast lays across the boat from bow to stern... as you know the mast hangs over quite a bit.
I've been working with Vice at Ahoy Captain to perhaps buy an After Mast Stand that would mount to the Gudgeons and a Trailex Winch Post with Mast Crutch that I believe would mount to the trailer winch post.
I'm also looking at getting a MastMate http://www.mastmate.com.au/ to help with single handed mast raising.
I'd probably also have to fabricate some sort of support for the mast using PVC for the Tabernacle like someone else here has already done.

Question: have any of you fine sailors fabricated a single handed mast raising solution for the Capri 14.2.
Would you care to share how/what you did?

Thanks in advance

Bob Locke
Charlotte NC
 
pretty easy to single up the mast on one of these. first you need to have the boat secured to the trailer and the trailer secured to the tow vehicle.
from inside the boat, walk the mast back to where you can place the mast base bolt in place. once the mast bolt is in place it's very easy to walk forward in the hull wile raising the mast. the trickier part is making sure the mast stays upright and the shrouds tight wile you attach the forstay. it's easy enough to walk out on the deck to attach it, but you need to pay attention that you keep the mast pulled forward as you go.
The stern mast stand is easy enough to fabricate yourself if you have some basic woodworking ability. take a look at my thread on resurrecting the 14.2 . I think there are photos there showing how mine is made.

smooth winds,
Russ
 
Thanks but my first attempt to raise it alone didn't go so well. It might have been inexperience or a lack of coordination. Once I walked the mast up and stepped on the deck to attach the forestay I about dropped the mast trying to get the pin in. I was hoping for an easier solution.
 
Back in the day, I had a Snark Wildflower (Don’t laugh. A 22' keel stepped mast on an 11’-6” sloop was somewhat exciting). I rigged a line to single hand the mast raising since 3 year old and 6 year old crew were not a lot of help. The line was attached to the jib halyard, went through a block on the trailer and came back to me at the mast. I raised the mast vertical by hand, dropped it into the mast step and took up the mast-raising-line making it fast to the mast. (You did make the OTHER end of the jib halyard fast to the mast?) Once everything was up I attached the forestay, de-rigged my mast-raising-line and continued with my rigging.
 
Yep I did make the other end of the jib halyard fast to the mast. My problem came when I really needed two hands to insert the pin to attach the jib furling drum to the stem fitting on the bow and the put the cotter ring in... All the while kneeling down on the forward deck trying to exert enough tension on the jib halyard to keep the mast from wiggling or collapsing. There's got to be a better way. It sounds like a line on the halyard might help.
 
Not having a Capri 14.2 handy, I'll have to look at pictures of the base of the mast on the Catalina site. I could REALLY crank down on the line that was attached to the jib halyard. With a furling jib the procedure may be a little different. I wonder if there is a C14.2 near me.
 
I have a rope with a snap clip that I attach to the forestay. I run the rope around the winch drum on the front of the trailer. I climb in the boat and raise the mast and pull the rope fairly tight and tie it off on the jib cleat on the mast. I can climb out of the boat and hold the forestay remove the snap clip and attach the forestay to the boat.
 

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