Solo mast stepping Venture 21

[Wayward2021]

I've only raised the mast once and on the way back down my bracket collapsed for the base of my gin pole. Still got it down safely, i've come up with a new setup for spring.

I noticed the way the mast is shaped and that the base has a slot in it for the bolt which allows the mast to sway about and twist and do some pretty creepy things on the way up/down, is there any harm in cutting the aft side of the foot of the mast with a radius to help with the stability on the stepping action? Or would it be best to leave the material there and possibly have a square pad welded on the foot to eliminate the rocking? Has anyone done modifications to ease the process? Im using the gin pole/gambrel setup and it works fine the real concern is if the mast does its own thing and i need to step while on the water, the mast dance and boat rocking combo may get out of hand and might break something or someone.

Being able to do it solo and safely is important. My wife and her family are unimpressed by things without motors so most likely my adventures will be alone.

[Tomfoolery]

Two words: Baby Stays.

My came with baby stays to hold the mast against lateral movement when stepping, and those are common on Macs. They mount about 6 ft up the mast, one on each side, with an L-shaped ‘hook’ at the deck that slips into a nearly flat bracket on the deck. They work very well, and can be popped out of their brackets for sailing if you like, but I often leave them in if the mast won’t stay up long.

BWY may sell the kit.

Edit: Didn’t find a kit, but found the pieces that are unique to baby stays. The other bits are just common tangs, wire rope, and stay adjusters.

http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3420-1x0.htm

http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3421-1x0.htm

[Russ]

You might look at this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=28591&p=353726#p353726

[topcat0399]

Most of the force on a rigged mast is straight DOWN, into the foot plate.
I would be reluctant to be removing any contact surface area of the tube because of this.

If you want a hinged mast step, goggle them, they are available.
I don't use one, the mast just rocks back over its heel as its lowered and raised.
Sure there is a little wear on the heel but I am not concerned with that.

If your mast is squirrely going up and down you don't have an adequate system in my opinion.
You need a baby stay system as Tom mentioned.
My mainsheet and boom vang tackle handily serve this purpose.

I went through building about 4 different gin pole/baby stay setups before I arrived at my current one
and now I am able to raise and lower the mast alone, on land or water, in wind and waves
without the mast ever getting all squirrely.

[Be Free]

+1 on the baby stays. My mast is rock-solid going up and down regardless of wind or wave action.

[Wayward2021]

Ill have to look those up.

I know the collapse of the bracket at the base of my gin pole made things wiggly and could be 100% of the issue, but im just trying to eliminate anything that may have contributed to its collapse.

Thanks guys

[Tomfoolery]

I know the collapse of the bracket at the base of my gin pole made things wiggly and could be 100% of the issue, but im just trying to eliminate anything that may have contributed to its collapse.

The mast wiggling as it did can put some side load on the gin pole. The brackets are marginal, and while perfectly adequate when the two halves share the compression load to the deck, any side loading of the gin pole shifts the load from both bracket halves to just one. Which it can't handle. And you're not the first to experience this.

The OEM brackets can be strengthened by putting a wood block between the two halves, which reduces the unsupported length of each bracket and therefore increases the buckling strength.

But adding baby stays to the mast will also remove side loading of the gin pole, which in turn allows the two bracket halves to share the load more equally.

[Wayward2021]

The OEM brackets can be strengthened by putting a wood block between the two halves, which reduces the unsupported length of each bracket and therefore increases the buckling strength.

Mine is all DIY, i dont have a factory setup. My new arrangement is going to be an "A" frame type gin pole so there is no need to fabricate a bracket. I stiil want to come up with something i can put either on the bottom of the mast to square off the pivot point to discourage twisting or attach to the mainsail side to have the same effect.

[Wayward2021]

Im not finding very good pictures online for baby stays, mostly diagrams or just hardware.

Do they run from the chain plates or are they closer in on the same plane as the base of the mast? My rigging attaches lower than the foot of the mast so as the mast goes up shrouds get snug, if i attach something just a fot off the side of the step and inline with the bolt itd do the trick. I could snug it up and the tension wouldnt change through the process

[kmclemore]

Im not finding very good pictures online for baby stays, mostly diagrams or just hardware.

Do they run from the chain plates or are they closer in on the same plane as the base of the mast? My rigging attaches lower than the foot of the mast so as the mast goes up shrouds get snug, if i attach something just a fot off the side of the step and inline with the bolt itd do the trick. I could snug it up and the tension wouldn't change through the process

See page 10 of the Macgregor 26X manual:

https://macgregorsailors.com/resources/ ... l_1996.pdf

[Tomfoolery]

Im not finding very good pictures online for baby stays, mostly diagrams or just hardware.

Here are some photos of mine that I had already put arrows on. That's my FIL in the cockpit, a life-long adherent to the benefits of messing about in boats.

The stays are hard to see without them being highlighted, but you should be able to see what you need to see from these.

[Wayward2021]

Awesome thanks! The attachments are right about where i figured they would be..i have shopped around and found BWY has the hinged stepping plate setup so ill add that and some rigging for the stabilizers to my shopping list.