[Rhodes22-list] Retrieval of Boat

[Steven Alm]

IIRC Stan has a way of taping the shrouds together using masking tape which
breaks away as you raise the mast.  Nice trick--wish I knew the particulars
of that.

Slim

On 10/8/07, Charles Henthorn <rexh at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> Claude:
>     Good post.  I don't remember the 'Rhodies' discussing the pros and
> cons of handling the loose shrouds and preparing for road trips.  With the
> mast raising equipment, stepping the mast is the least of my worries
> traveling.  The big issue is how to efficiently and quickly secure the loose
> shrouds and genoa draped over the lowered mast in preparation for a road
> trip.  My most recent "packing plan" has been to:
>      1.  Remove the back inners from the mast raising rig, inserted a mat
> between the hoist and deck cranking the hoist down securely against the bow
> cleat so it is still installed but not bouncing on the deck, then taping
> these shrouds together and securing them to the lowered mast above the
> foredeck;
>      2.  Removing the traveller bar (rides in the cabin) and pulling the
> middle of the back shrouds back toward the front, taped them together (using
> plastic electrical tape that can be cut quickly upon arrival) and secure the
> shrouds to the lowered mast about mid-point with a line;
>      3.  Pull the middle of the side shrouds (between the spreaders and
> the chainplates) together, taped them, to the rear and secure them (without
> too much tension) to the lowered mast about mid-cockpit;
>      4.  Pull the middle of the front inners back, taped them together,
> and secure to the lowered mast over the cockpit;
>      5.  Install 3 genoa supports to the mast -- one above the bulkhead
> --- one about 3 ft back of the bow pulput and one about midway between the
> other two ( I have built 3 sets of two boards that bolt together with 4
> bolts about 7" long ---2 bolts are positioned below the bottom of the
> lowered mast and 2 above it---the boards are snugged against each side of
> the lowered mast and extend up to permit the genny to lay between the
> extended portions to prevent the genny from remaining centered above the
> lowered main to avoid it falling off the sides of the lowered mast;
>      6.  Move the lowered mast to one side or the other of the back mast
> support so it can be secured to one side of the support to keep it from
> turning during the trip;
>      7.  Lift the lowered mast and jib furler up to be lowered on a wooden
> bow support that fastens to the bow pulpit and --- with straps aroung both
> the mast and genoa --- keeps the mast from turning during the trip along
> with keeping the genny directly above the mast;
>     8.   Using bungy straps to put some tension on the maize of shrouds to
> minimize the flopping during travel;
>      9.  Attaching lines from beam cleats to the end of the spreaders as
> added precaution to keep mast from turning during trip;
>      10.  Encircling the mast and genny with 3 or more lines as added
> precaution in keeping the mast and genny and collapsed boom secure and as
> one unit; and,
>     11.  Listening and watching all the way home or to the destination
> about all that flapping and movement of shrounds and worrying that something
> is going to come loose during the trip.
>      As you can see from #11, I'm not satisfied with the way I do
> it---believing there must be a faster, better way.  Any suggestions?
>   Rex
>
>
> Claude Cox <ccc974 at comcast.net> wrote:
>   Hello Everyone;
>
> I'm mostly a lurker on this list, but occassionally I have something to
> say---like now.
>
> I pulled my celtic Lass today, for the first time; it started out well,
> and went up from there. Following the Commodore's instruction manual made
> the experience an awesome one! I drove the boat onto the trailer, and it
> centered just like the instruction's say it will. Because of the shallow
> water at the ramp, I used the 10' tongue extension, and backed into the
> water until there was about 2 1/2 feet of bunk above water.
>
> The trailer is a 1988 Trailmaster, single axle, which I purchased from
> Peter Thorn this past spring. I replaced the bunks, recovered the bow stop
> bunks, and, at PT's suggestion, installed what WM calls "Trailer Sliks (P.
> 757 in the catalog). They worked beautifully, as they provide a slick
> surface, for an extended time, on which the boat can move. I installed a
> 5,000 # winch strap, which worked like a charm; as I pulled the boat out of
> the water, it held the bow eye close, even as the angle of the strap changed
> when the stern settled onto the trailer. The bow eye came up "eye-to-eye"
> with the winch, but the boat didn't move as I pulled up the ramp, which was
> a challenging ramp because of its somewhat severe grade (at least for this
> boat retrieval virgin, it seemed to be severe). The tow vehicle is a 2000
> Ford Explorer, 2WD, 4.0L V6 engine. My son-in-law helped with this
> adventure, and with the two of us in the vehicle, along with "stuff" one
> accumulates on a boat, we wer
> e at the limit of this vehicle, however.
>
> The bow stop is on an adjustable arm. It was extended all the way toward
> the stern of the trailer as I retrieved. Leaving it there, once we hit the
> road the trailer began fish-tailing at about 45 MPH. Moving the winch toward
> the tongue, I winched my 3000 # Rhodes forward (a real tribute to the
> trailer sliks) until the edge of the rear port was over the axle of the
> trailer (another PT-suggestion). That gave me another 10 mph, which was
> plenty for the roads over which I was towing.
>
> Several of you on the list are in the decision-making process about how to
> equip your Rhodes. If you get nothing else, GET THE MAST HOIST SYSTEM!!! At
> least for me, it is worth its weight in gold. Lest I seem too fulsome about
> this experience, there was a slightly down side--preparing for the road. We
> were going just 40 miles, so how we prepared didn't seem as critical as
> preparing for 400 miles. Still, getting all the shrouds and loose lines
> secured presented a challenge. I'm sure finding a satisfactory way to
> prepare for the road will come in time, however. What we wound up with was a
> pretty messy bundle, but when we got to the end of the trip, it was still
> all just where we had put it.
>
> When I returned home at the end of the day, I celebrated my success with
> one of those drinks Rummy talks about all the time--what's it called
> Rumster? I had one....then another....then another. And as I have come to
> the end of my post, I'm going to have another.
>
> Peace ya'll.
> Claude
>
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