H18 set up.

It must be the way the boat sits on my trailer but with the tie downs installed just fore and aft of the respective cross-bars I've never had the CG shift that far aft. Only time it started to tip was when a cable got caught on something.

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

I raise my mast with the winch attached to the main halyard. That way the forestay is free to connect. I only loosen one sidestay so I only need to tension one side and I'm done. Also don't have to remember what hole since one is connected at the correct place.

I've read many of the articles about stepping the mast with a winch.

Previously, I owned a H14, where the halyard was between 1/4-5/16 thick line and I used that to tie directly to the winch hook and raise the mast. (of course the other end was secured to the cleat at the base of the mast).

The winching system for the 14 worked perfect. When I bought my H18. I ordered a brand new 57' 3/16 halyard made for a H18. Is this rope strong enough to winch up the mast if secured at the bottom? From intuition I believe not, but have read somewhere (I forgot where) that someone used their halyard. I tried using the halyard and dont think it is safe. Even though I use have a safety line clipped to the forestay, that I increment a foot at a time, the rope seams too week and strechy especialy when the mast is below a 45deg angle.

If not, I thought of two options(with my limited experience/expertiese). Since I've bought the sailboat, my sons have lost interest in the hobby and I find myself sailing solo. Of course having 2 more people help would minimize the mechanical system needed.

I thought of useing the forestay wire and attahing it to the winch. This would have the strength, but your pulling farther down on the mast if that makes a difference. The next idea was using two of the trapeze wires to do it. Given they are made to support an average person, I consider two of them strong enough, which leaves the forestay free to hook into the furler bracket. My winch uses standard 1/4 galvanized steel cable I think its 2500lbs capacity.

I don't have a welder, don't know how to weld so I built a "mast" on the tounge of the trailer from those zink plated perforated square tubbing which is bolted together. Its about 6 feet tall and braced with the perforated angle iron. The stuff is crap compared to standard tubular steel and I eventualy plan to have a piece of 1/8 x 2 x 2 x 8' square tube welded to the tounge with a nice long 45 deg brace. The 8' length should reduce that nasty <45 angle when the mast is first raised. At the top of this I will put the same pulley that goes from the winch to the winch line. If anyone has something like this and has plans they would be appeciated, otherwise I'll share them when I have it welded and if it works well.

I've also read that some people have used 2 of the trapeze wires to steady the mast, while raising until the shrouds tighten. If they are used they need to be hooked so that they are on an even line with the mast hinge. This seamed like a very good idea, however, the trapeeze lines are too short, and there is not much to hook them two at the ends of the front cross bar. If you hook them to a trailer or bunk underneath they hinge at the wrong point and get slack/loose as you lower the mast. On my H18, when I bought it the the covers are missing that are over the dolphin striker tensioner rods, leaving quite a bit of 3/8 fine thread exposed. I capped these off with a nut and hooked a nylon cargo strap behind these and to the trapeese 8 rings with a ratchet for adjusting the perfect tension but this is hokey. Does anyone have a better system?

I use a dyneema cored halyard so I have no fear of it breaking. I find all the additional wiring unneccessary but always have some crew, wife at minimum. The mast needs to be stepped until on the tramp, from there the winch takes over and all the helper does is steady the mast. I have a complicated forestay attachment due to the Tiger jib and it takes a second or so to get it connected.

With good crew I can be rigged from the trailer in 1 1/2 hrs, spin included. I keep all wires attached and coiled on the deck, tied down with tarp bungees (Walmart $5 for 4). When coiling there is a technique that is hard to describe in writing but keeps the wires from twisting. I have a Hobie sail bag that houses my main, jib, boom, tiller bar and extension. I have the main and jib in sail bags inside the larger bag. I keep all the jib sheets in the bag with the jib, the jib halyard stays tied to the mast at all times. I keep the main blocks and sheets on the boom and tie the traveler shackle to the rotation line so the blocks and sheet are aligned along the boom. I use quick pins everywhere.

I really do not like the idea of leaving a jib furled with the mast down, thats a fast way to destroy a sail. Its not that hard to rig the jib as to make it worth leaving on. I even drop mine over night if the wind is up.

Maybe you could lift the mast manually and have your daughter crank the winch....? Obviously just using the winch from horizontal is going to increase the load on the stepping pin/hinge but if you did most of the lifting that would relieve the whole joint quite a bit.

Also, maybe I missed it but where are you hooking up the winch line to the mast? The higher up, the better.

When I first started doing this, I used the winch to help lower it and let it free wheel. The extra resistance from the spinning winch helped slow everything down.

Use 2 people to raise the mast. Quickest and easiest. I use the trailer winch sometimes,with someone on the tramp to guide the mast,but after reading the mast base breakage possobilities,2 on the tramp is my method of choice. Leave the jib on the forestay,leave the shrouds connected(may have to loosen one a hole or 2) use those ball-loop shock cords to hold all the wires to the mast. Quick pin in the boom,leave blocks attached and slide traveler out starboard end of cross bar. If you're uncomfortable leaving the jib attached to the mast,you can remove the pin in the block and stow it. But if you're not travelling far if it's securley tied,it should be ok

macotac

I've read in several places in this thread about using "Quick Pins" .....

DO NOT USE QUICK PINS ON STANDING RIGGING!!!!!!!

Quick Pins fail too often, especially in a salt water enviornment when they get corroded or fouled w/ salts/sand. You can use them in other places like to connect the boom to the mainsail clew or the Jib to the jib halyard. I've installed and use shackles w/ captive pins at all rigging attachment points for the shrouds and bridles. Also "tape" all clevis pins!

Trust me it gets your attention when the crew says "why is that (leeward) shroud swinging in the wind?" Then you realize that the clevis pin (or quick pin) attaching the shroud to the anchor pin is GONE!!!! And you are approaching a leeshore covered in Rip-Wrap 1m away fast and have to tack or hit the rocks .....

Remember if you lose the mast .... it will become a bad day very quickly!

Safety, Safety, Safety ... no short cuts are worth compromizing your safety

Harry

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

I agree!! The only quick pin I reccomended is in the gooseneck of the boom!!!

MACOTAC

1st warning: I'm in my third year of sailing and don't get out as often as I wish.

2nd warning: You're insane if you take any advice from me.
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I usually go out with my 9 year old son and my wife. We have a custom made trailer that has the benefit of being heavy duty but the draw back of being both ugly and very large. The boat sits over a standard 12" wheel and tire (call it 2.5' high), which makes damaging the boat while towing less likely (unless the truck in front of you throws a tread and you can't swerve because you are towing and it breaks a fender weld off the trailer shooting the bracing bar into your hull and then obliterates the tire, and of course the spare is flat and you have to ghetto rig the fender to not rub the new tire and your planned day at the lake is off) but also rigging more complicated. Did I mention it was baby blue and rusting?

Anyway . . .

Sales and dagger boards come off and go into the cat box. The boom is removed with "all the fixins" in place. But the rudders and all the mast lines are left in place. Where applicable they are stuffed in the port holes (careful not to kink them) or otherwise cleated tight. I take apart as little as possible but try to balance it with being a poor cat sailor and not destroying everything.

To raise the mast, I have found it safer and easier to use a winch. I have an extension at the front of the trailer that can raise 10' off the ground (so as not to just torture the mast while winching). Leaving the boat strapped to the trailer (and trailer attached to the vehicle) we move the mast into position and attach the step pin. I use 2 of the trap wires (one from each side) and attach to the winch line, the remaining trap wires are run out to the sides so as not to snag on anything. One person is on the tramp to help raise the mast the first few feet and then steady it as it goes up, the other cranks the winch attached to the extension on the front. The person who was steadying the mast liens on it a little as the person on the winch slaps the pin in the forestay (with the aforementioned do-not-use quick pin, which I may have to rethink), out pops the step pin and DONE!.

Then I remove the boat from the trailer onto the home-made cat wheels and finish my rigging. Throw up the jib and furl it. Hoist the main, pop in the boom, run the line and tie it off. Throw in the dagger boards, remember the tiller at the last minute, toss some bottles of water on the tramp, push her into the water and point into the wind. Then curse at some stupid power boater, complain that I chose the worst cove ever to put in at, find open water only to get to the middle of the lake and have the wind die, stop paying attention just as a gust flows across the water, learn the importance of quickly getting on the down hull to avoid turtling . . . get it upright and go sailing.

Down with the main sail. Off with the jib. Unpin the boom. Dagger boards and rudder into the box. Throw it back on the trailer. Trap it down. Reverse the stepping procedure for the take down, remember the mast step pin. Always remember the pin . . . Good times, good times.

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Proud new owner of a 1991 Hobie 18.

Hi Shawn, with your Telescopic piece at the back of your trailer, does that not put a lot of strain on your Mast as there would be a lot of over hang after you pin it to the front bar.?

Your mast is going to hang off the back of the rear x-bar at the same distance,I have been doing that for years and never had an issue.Trust me, there is way more tension on the mast with the downhaul yanked in and your main sheet pulled tight.The mast does arch a bit but your only having it out there for a few minutes anyway.I hook my trap wires and everything including forestay before I pin the mast to the front mount.I have changed from quikpins at the forward bridal mounts to solid pins,(thnx Harry for reminding me ).
Shawn

Shawn,

You are quite welcome ... glad to be of help. It was a brief but very intense few moments when we dicovered that the leeward shroud was no longer attached to the anchor pin and we didn't have too much time to correct the situation ... I didn't mention that Sue dropped the first two spare clevis pins/rings overboard of the five spares I had on me. I was getting nervous/worried to say the least as that rock covered shoreline got closer ... and closer .... and closer. I didn't care which hole in the shroud adjuster Sue got a pin in. She made it w/ the third pin and maybe a little more then a 1/4 mile to go!!!!

I really recommend shackles w/ captive pins vs clevis pins. I haven't lost one yet and I now have some places to attach lines to the boat to tieing up to docks or attach a bridle to the boat for being towing.

Good Luck
Harry

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Quick pins>

Use only on tiller extender and gooseneck. But!!! They are great for an emergency if you loose a shroud pin. That's why they call them quick pins. Just be sure you change them when you get home. Never use them on a bridal. Again,change the cotter pin,clevis on the jib halyard block to a clevis with a ringy dingy. Leave the jib furled on the forestay,remove the said clevis,store the thing. If yuo're not travaling far, just release the forestay at the rotater,drop the mast into a mast caddy,leave the shrouds attached to the tang,as well as the forstay and jib and wrap bally shocks around everything to the mast,taking out all slack.
Simple and quick.

macotac