[Rhodes22-list] Slim--Lots of Stuff

[Steve Alm]

Bill,

Lots of stuff there alright--that's mostly the whole owners manual.  But
lots we can glean for our porpoises, so thanks for posting it all.

One question jumped out at me.  In the paragraph called  Preparations for
raising the mast, it says:

> The aft lower shrouds cannot be connected to their chain plates aft of the
> mast pivot point before the mast is raised because they will not reach.

This sounds like it's for the instructions for raising the mast the other
way--masthead pointing forward.  Or maybe it's a mistake.  He must have
meant the forward lowers, which need the extensions.  But in context, he's
raising the mast with the masthead pointing aft.  The aft lowers are either
connected to the crane or they're indeed connected to their chain plates and
a separate line is used to connect the crane to the mast bail.

You brought up another important issue--how specific should we get with
these instructions?  And how much should we assume the operator knows?  I
raise and lower my mast several times a year and I don't even use a
checklist--so it's difficult for me to know how deep to go here.  We're not
writing this for guys like me, we're doing it for those who need the
guidance--the first-timers and those who don't do it very often.  It's hard
to know how much to assume.  Everybody's at their own level, different from
the next.  That said, I would suggest a succinct, thumbnail-type of
checklist with more specifics delineated in the owners manual--available
upon request.  We don't need to reinvent the wheel here.

Also, I like the idea of posting a set of instructions for preparing your
boat for travel, but that's another kettle of fish.  Let's stick to raising
and lowering the mast for now.

Slim