[Rhodes22-list] Raising the Mast with The Bow Crane

[Roger Pihlaja]

Slim,

I like to connect the two forward lower sidestays, then disconnect & remove
the hoist (or at least lower it so it's flat on the foredeck), & then
connect the forestay.  I find the line running from the hoist to the
foredeck is sort of in the way of the person on the foredeck connecting the
forestay & it makes me nervous to have to work around a line that's holding
up the mast.  This is especially true if you are doing this mast raising
operation on the water & can't get off the boat to walk around the front of
the trailer.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Alm" <salm at mn.rr.com>
To: "Rhodes" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2004 3:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Raising the Mast with The Bow Crane


> Phyllis,
>
> Thanks for your post.  We really need the input of folks like you who are
> just learning how to do this.
>
> First, I'm not sure what to say about your Jib extender because I don't
know
> what that is, or why it would be pointing in one direction or another.
You
> must have a different set-up than I do--and these are the kinds of things
> that mess people up when they read the instructions.  Another is the mast
> bail, which you commented on.  The bail is a heavy wire loop attached to
the
> mast about five feet up from the base.  It's like the handle of a bucket,
> only smaller.  It's one of the later improvements Stan has made so it's
not
> installed on all boats.  It's used to attach the mast to the crane.  If
you
> don't have one, then you use the aft lower shrouds instead.
>
> Yes, Stan's directions say to raise the mast, connect the forward lowers,
> remove the hoist and THEN connect the bow stay.  I really think it's
easier
> to use the hoist to pull the mast forward until the bow stay reaches its
> chain plate.  You can use the winch to adjust fore or aft until it's easy
to
> clip in the clevis pin on the bow stay.  Then the bow stay will keep the
> mast from falling back and then you can remove the crane and connect the
> forward lowers--OR connect the forward lowers and then remove the
> crane--doesn't matter.  It seems more logical to me to connect the bow
stay
> first since it has the most leverage for supporting the mast.
>
> Slim
>
> On 9/18/04 9:41 AM, "Bill Effros" <bill at effros.com> wrote:
>
> > Phyllis,
> >
> > Yours are exactly the 2 cents we need, and we hope others with fresher
> > memories will also chip in.  Thanks for helping.
> >
> > Elton knows exactly how to do this, but you don't want to ask him to
make the
> > list.  Everyone who has done it many times gets bored with listmaking by
step
> > 3.  Elton doesn't need the list.  It takes him far less time to put up
the
> > mast than to create the list.
> >
> > People who haven't done it before know what their questions are, and can
see
> > the contradictions on different lists.  You would make a much better
editor
> > than either Slim (Steve Alm) or me, and we would love to have you do
that.
> >
> > Ask questions,  point out inconsistencies, mention little things like
not
> > having the mast crutch in place--these things are happening over and
over to
> > everyone who doesn't do this job over and over.
> >
> > Anything you and others can contribute is welcome.  We all need this
list from
> > time to time, and it would have been really nice if we had had it to
send to
> > you in your time of greatest need.
> >
> > Bill Effros
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: P&M Beals
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2004 10:05 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Raising the Mast with The Bow Crane
> >
> >
> > STEVE ALM & BILL EFROS ET AL...
> >
> > I hope all have weathered Ivan ok...it is bringing a lot of rain to the
> > Hudson Valley NY now but nothing like what people endured in the
south...
> >
> > I hope you don't mind my 2 cents being shared here, but my husband and I
> > successfully raised the mast, connected stays and motor-sailed (time was
a
> > factor) on Thursday from NJ to the slip at Staten Island marina from
which
> > we hope to still get two months of good sailing time in....if you recall
> > last Sunday we did a run through of the procedures in our backyard, and
did
> > not complete all steps successfully in one run...so this process is
fresh in
> > memory as a real newcomer to the process...thanks to Jay Friedland who
by
> > phone gave us some advice last Sunday night while we were still at home
> > backyard hoisting...
> >
> > Believe it or not on our dry run trial we forgot to install the mast
crutch
> > over the stern until we were trying to get the base of the  mast into
the
> > slot in the mast step....so for real dummies like us I would insert #1a.
> > secure the mast crutch over the stern - of course assuming one is using
the
> > mast crutch as part of the system-
> >
> > also what became a key point for us succeeding on our second try to get
the
> > forestay jib stay to reach the bow was that the jib extender at the top
of
> > the mast has to be pointing to the bow...when we first attempted it was
> > pointing to the side, and the distance of several inches off was what
must
> > have been preventing us from getting the jib to connect to the bow chain
> > plate.
> >
> > also, we didn't know what a bail is- for our Rhodes we certainly
attached
> > the two aft lower shrouds to the two shackles on the crane...
> >
> > then jumping down to #9...there are definitely two theories out there
about
> > disconnecting and in which order one does things....Stan's mast hoist
> > directions dated '01 state very clearly:
> >
> > "with the mast up disconnect the chain extensions from the forward lower
> > shroud turnbuckles and connect these turnbuckles directly to their chain
> > plates. once these connections are made the mast cannot fall aft and the
> > crane line can be slipped off the bow deck cleat and the crane's base
screws
> > removed...crane put away....of course you do not need to be told not to
undo
> > the mast crane line from the bow deck cleat until after the forward
lower
> > shrouds are made secure to their respective chain  plates.  Right?"
> >
> > on the other hand as I researched the FAQ on the geocitiesblew site and
> > whatever other info. I could find, and I did find a few spots with
responses
> > in the FAQ...  there are certainly owners who connect the jib stay
before
> > connecting the forward lower shrouds...
> >
> > all other steps matched our sequence...
> >
> > I just checked the source location for one version of the launch steps
and
> > it is from www.geocities.com/blew_skies/red.gif
> >
> > It would be helpful for novices like us if the directions from different
> > sites were consistent, but it is tough with differences in years of
boats
> > and options that some may have and some may not.
> >
> > Anyway with all the info. and instructional material so far we are
extremely
> > grateful and this email contact list, while taking a lot of time to read
is
> > WONDERFUL AND WE THANK YOU ALL WHO RESPOND AND OFFER SUGGESTIONS.
> >
> > Tomorrow if winds are not too strong  we hope to sail and I hope to
adjust
> > the tension on the stays....I have to find the best reference on that.
> >
> > THANKS AGAIN!  PHYLLIS FROM NJ WITH WHISPER IN PORT ATLANTIC MARINA,
S.I.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> From: Steve Alm <salm at mn.rr.com>
> >> Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >> Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 15:32:43 -0500
> >> To: Rhodes <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Raising the Mast with The Bow Crane
> >>
> >> RAISING THE MAST WITH THE BOW CRANE:
> >>
> >> 1.  Inspect masthead, attach radio antennae and check shroud and stay
> >> connections to mast
> >> 2.  Walk the mast, boom and jib aft and connect the mast to the
tabernacle
> >> 3.  Connect hoist crane to cabin top block
> >> 4.  Tie the crane winch line to the bow cleat
> >> 5.  Connect aft lower shrouds to top of crane
> >> 5a. Alternate:  Attach line from crane to mast bail and connect aft
lowers
> >> to their chain plates
> >> 6.  Connect back stays and upper shrouds to their chain plates
> >> 7.  Put the 8² extensions on the forward lower shrouds and connect to
their
> >> chain plates
> >> 8.  Begin raising the mast, continually checking for any shrouds or
stays
> >> getting snagged, making sure the turnbuckles aren¹t fowled and tending
the
> >> jib as it comes forward
> >> 9.  Raise the mast all the way up, keeping tension on the winch until
you
> >> connect the bow stay to its chain plate
> >> 10. Disconnect the hoist crane
> >> 11. Remove forward lower shroud extensions and connect shrouds to their
> >> chain plates
> >> 12. Adjust shroud turnbuckles as needed
> >> 13. Connect traveler bar between back stays
> >> 14. Lower the boom and connect it to the traveler
> >> 15. Tighten the back stay tensioning line
> >> 16. Remove mast crutch
> >> 17. Connect rudder assembly to the transom
> >> 18. Connect pop top to mast slider
> >> 19. Connect radio and steaming light
> >>
> >> CAUTION: Never let anyone stand under the mast during the hoisting
> >>
> >> __________________________________________________
> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
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