Bent mast support (pogo stick)

[pxk3]

Raised the mast for the first time this season and found the support post is bent enough to create much difficulty when moving the mast end back to line up with the step. Any suggestions on straightening the post? I checked the mods and did not find any information as to straightening post. Thanks.

[Retcoastie]

If you have the mast up, take the crutch home and bend it back straight. Eye ball accuracy should work. Also, be sure the roller is free. Wonder what caused the bend?

[pxk3]

Already tried that. Put it in a vice and attempted to bend it in the opposite direction but it would not straighten out. Seems to be pretty tought tubing.

[Paul S]

if you cant fix it easily, you can probably get a replacement part from blue water yachts

[Retcoastie]

You need a bigger pipe to stick over the end!

I once used a friend's front loader tractor bucket to straighten SS. Another time, when my vice would not hold the project, I went across the street and placed it under a parked forklift truck. I used a long pipe and some wood blocks but it did a pretty good job.

[2BonC]

To prevent bending the mast support when moving the mast back or forward on it´s roll I allways secure it by a rope connected either to the winches or to the cleats in opposite direction of the intended movement of the mast.

Rainer

[pxk3]

I could not find a fork lift, but a tree with really big limbs worked. I was able to wedge the SS pipe between the limbs and pull it straight with another longer pipe over the end to gain better leverage. Any ideas on ways to beef up the SS pipe so it does not bend again, over some other hardware to replace this pipe?

[March]

Find a steel pipe whose diameter is about the same as the hole. Put it inside. Between the two. I doubt it would bend again

[Retcoastie]

My thought would be, "Why did the pipe bend?" Many people have these pipes and yours is the first I have heard of that has bent, not that that means anything. If the roller is feel and nothing is snagged, what are you doing that equals the force you used at the tree?

[K9Kampers]

Any ideas on ways to beef up the SS pipe so it does not bend again...

"Why did the pipe bend?" Many people have these pipes and yours is the first I have heard of that has bent...

Retcoastie makes a good point. The best way to prevent it from bending again is to determine what caused it to bend in the first place. In what direction was it bent - forward, aft, or to the side?

If bent forward, it likely happened during unrigging, while rolling the mast from the mast step to the bow rail.
If bent aft, it likely happened during rigging, while rolling the mast from bow rail to mast step.
If bent to either side, it likely happend in transit, while rolling, bouncing, and swaying down the road.

I was half way into my second season trailering my before I realized, in my rearview mirror, that my mast, while secured to the crutch, was rocking side to side due to it's high center of gravity. Securing the crutch to both aft cleats surely has eliminated a potential in transit disaster!

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

My old transom mounted MacGregor crutch was just terrible. Sounds like the pedestal mounted one is not much better. Trash it and put an arch on your X. Mast raising and lowering is so much easier with my arch. It's rock solid no matter which way you are rolling the mast, it never binds. Plus now I have a place to mount all my other stuff such as the VHF Antenna, GPS Antenna, Anchor Light, Lifesling, Life Ring, BBQ table, BBQ grill, and Dinghy Motor Lifting Crane.





I also added a mid mast support at the step, just a simple piece of 2" ABS pipe cut with a slot at the bottom so it locates over the mast raising gear bolt, and a vee at the top that matches the mast track shape. A bungee runs through it and secures it to the mast. Now I have no bounce or movement when trailering.

[Hardcrab]

I'll second the mast mid brace idea.
I just used a 2 x 4 x 13 1/2", as I recall, gives it a very slight (1/2" or so) upwards loading/bending for trailering.
Hole drilled for the mast bolt, bungees for the top.
Works well to eliminate bounce.
My first time before the strut, I tied the mast downwards a few inches lower than straight to keep some pressure on the lines.
That worked very well to stop bounce, but I swear the mast was really crooked at the first raising.

[rockman]

I tried to replace the steel cables that the mast raiser uses as the baby stays - with some spectra rope. But they were a little long, and when dropping the mast it swung over to the side and bend the bottom bracket of the mast raising tool. I straighened it in a vice - but it was very strong material. I have now re-installed the original wire cables.

[March]

k9campers: Wouldn't the stick go either way (meaning, bending forward or backwards, depending on how you insert it into the hole? If it bends forward, next time it can be twisted around... or not. Since the top of the crutch will eventually be attached to the mast, it will never go farther than it does. The problem is, when you're rolling the mast backward in place. A mast will be really heavy if you have a roller furler, so you need a person in the cockpit to lift the mast and put it back onto the crutch, and move it to the proper position in small increments. That's what I do.
I also have a PVC section at the foot of the mast that keeps it in position. While trailering, I secure it to the sides of the cockpit, too. That seems stable enough.

[K9Kampers]

March-
I'm suggesting that when rolling the mast forward or aft, the rigging, a halyard, or a bungy may unknowingly catch or pinch the crutch / roller. If pushing or pulling a little too aggressively instead of fixing the hangup, the crutch may bend, likely at the base. If the helm has a pedestal guard, it may interfere with turning the crutch around as you suggested.