raising the mast

Years ago i had an old Hobie Cat 16, i had so much fun on that boat. Anyway last year i bought an old Hobie Cat18. I don't know what kind or year. I can't raise the mast, its too heavy. I've looked at those steppers but they don't make them for the 18. Is there a trick to it, How do you get your mast up? jokes aside i really want to take this boat out but i dont want to not be able to raise the mast when i do. Thanks for the help!

It takes around 200lb of force to lift the mast from horizontal while standing at the rear crossbar. It's not as difficult if you can start with the mast on a ladder or something so it's a bit more vertical to start.

This year I put together a winch and gin pole setup for our H18. It has made setting up our boat significantly easier. A photo of my setup is visible here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6624127

Gin pole:
I used 2" PVC pipe (84" long) for the gin pole.
I put a slip end cap with a 1/4" bolt (2" long) through the center of the cap at the top of the gin pole (to keep the forestay and winch hook on top of the gin pole.
I drilled a hole through the pipe just below the cap and ran some old halyard rope through.
I ended up 3d printing a fitting to go on the bottom of the gin pole to keep it from slipping off the mast (to the side). Its probably possible to cut up a PVC tee fitting to also fit around the front of the mast. The gin pole base will rest against the mast a couple feet from the base of the mast (about where the diamond wires attach).

Winch:
I have an inexpensive hand crank winch that's rated for 1000 lbs. The loads in the forestay and winch are only around 400lbs. A ratchet is wonderful.
I also replaced the forestay pin at the forestay adjuster with a shackle that matched the pin size. The shackle allows me to directly connect the winch hook and forestay and leaves the forestay adjuster free to slide into the furler. I positioned the winch on the trailer so that when the mast is up, it's fairly easy to remove the gin pole while the winch and forestay are connected (the winch hook is about 1ft forward of where the forestay adjuster and furler connect).

Stabilizing System:
I use the forward trapeze wires to stabilize the mast while it is raised and lowered.
I have a length of old halyard rope that runs through the top of the gin pole with a couple of figure-8 stop knots on each side of the pole. Near the ends of the rope there is a loop with a carabiner that attaches to each of the trapeze wires. The ends of the rope are attached fairly tightly around the front crossbar near the hulls. This rope pulls the trapeze wires tight to keep the mast from rotating to the side and keeps the gin pole from falling over while the mast is being raised.

Setup Procedure:
- Move the mast into position and set it on something so that it's not resting on the tiller crossbar
- Pin the mast base to the mast step
- Connect the forestay and winch hook
- Attach the gin pole rope to the front crossbar and trapeze wire on one side
- Put the gin pole bolt through the winch hook and lift the pole up and place the gin pole base on the mast (hold onto the other end of the rope to keep pole from falling over).
- Attach the other end of the gin pole rope to the other trapeze wire and the front crossbar
- Tension the winch and make sure everything looks good then raise the mast (make sure the shrouds don't get tangled or twisted)
- Remove the gin pole and attach the forestay to the furler
- Disconnect the winch and remove the mast pin

_________________
Sam

'84 Hobie 14 Turbo
'84 Hobie 18 Magnum

200lbs to lift the mast? I don’t think it’s quite that much, but it is heavy, long, and akward, so not an easy lift.

The best approach, IMO, is to have a helper manually lift the mast with you. On a H18 you will almost certainly have a crew sailing with you, so they should be able to help. Have the helper stand behind the boat and hold the mast up on their shoulder. Then you stand on the boat at the rear crossbar and pickup the mast from them - just hold the mast down by your waist at this point, don’t try to hoist it up yet. The helper can then climb up onto the boat, standing on the opposite side of the mast, and then you both work together to raise the mast. Once it’s up, one person holds the mast vertical while the other jumps down and pins the forestay.

This is by far the simplest and probably the safest approach.

I also find that its easier to raise and lower the mast with the boat off the trailer, sitting on the ground. This would only be practical if you’re launching from a beach (not trailer launching).

sm

I agree, it's way easier to step the mast with the boat on the ground. On the ground, I can step the mast solo.

So far we have always stepped the mast on the trailer because we have to trailer our boat to the lake. For the last couple of years, My wife and I stepped the mast exactly how sm outlined. It's definitely the simplest and fastest. I'm not sure if it's the safest, though. Depends on the people.
I'll add two caveats for this method on a trailer:
1. Stand between the diamond wire and the mast when you lift from the trampoline. This makes it easier to lift the mast but you'll have to be careful about snagging the diamond wires on you or your clothing. It's possible to stand outside the diamond wires and reach in to lift the mast but it's a lot more work.
2. The force of the mast and the weights of two people at the rear crossbar puts a lot of concentrated load on the hulls from the aft trailer rollers. I made some cradles to go between the hulls and the trailer rollers. They spread the load out nicely and have done wonders for my peace of mind.

The gin pole setup has allowed me to step the mast alone in a more gradual and controlled way. I can pause with the mast partially up or down and check/adjust things. We've also been able to tension the rig when we connect the forestay to the furler.

_________________
Sam

'84 Hobie 14 Turbo
'84 Hobie 18 Magnum