Trailering with boom connected to mast?

[pokerrick1]

I wouldn't place any faith in a bungee cord. None!

The old saying that a chain is a strong as its weakest link is very applicable here. A bouncing Mac can exert much stress in many areas.
Just a word of caution from one Mac guy to another.

I completely agree about bungee cords. PLEASE find another way to secure the mast, especially if it is not secured to the bow.

Rick

[c130king]

How do you guys secure your mast to the mast holder after you have secured the base of the mast to the bow?

Thanks,
Jim

[NiceAft]

A short line secured with a good knot.

A bowline on one end, and on the other end a couple of half hitches finished off with a slip knot. The loop of the slip is then made into another half hitch.


Ray

[pokerrick1]

What Ray said. I cut a special line used only for that purpose which is easy to secure to the aft cleats - - - which is the only easy thing I do when unrigging for trailering.

Rick

[baldbaby2000]

Jim,

I'd be interested in photos of your setup. If it works that's great. I'd be worried about the gooseneck getting stressed not just from raising and lowering but from vibration and bouncing around while trailering. This might also add stress to the mast because of the extra weight on it. I agree that it is appealing to not have to pull the mast all the way forward though.

Daniel

[c130king]

Daniel,

I will gladly take some photos and post. Unfortunately I won't see my boat (yet to be named) until the weekend after Turkey Day. I live in Valdosta GA but the boat is stored in Jacksonville (at the NAS Jax Marina).

Like I said earlier it sure looks like there is no stress. That was what I was worried about when I first saw this set up. But it seems to work well.

After reading some of these other posts I think I will follow up by acutally taking a line and securing it around the mast and then tieing it down to the aft cleats.

Thanks,
Jim

[pokerrick1]

Atta Boy, JIm

Rick

[c130king]

I have the pictures...but I can't figure out how to post them.

Any help on how to put pictures in the posts?

Thanks,
Jim

[kmclemore]

I have the pictures...but I can't figure out how to post them.
Any help on how to put pictures in the posts?
Thanks,
Jim

Hi, Jim! It's often little noticed, but the "FAQ" link at the top of this page is very helpful for such things. Regarding picture posting it says:

Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/image ... yofibm.gif . You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode

(Mod note: I changed the link in the FAQ quote since the FAQ's image link is now not working)

I will also note that PhotoBucket (www.photobucket.com) is often a useful and free place to upload and then link images for use here.

So.. to post a picture, the code would look like this:

Code: Select all

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/procolharum/MyRenown.jpg[/IMG]

Which yields:

[baldbaby2000]

Great photo. Looks like a good way to pick up chicks!

BB

[Catigale]

Kevin still thinks it was Rolls that landed Admiral McLemore, in fact it was those white shoes of course....

On edit: corrected name misspelling

[kmclemore]

Actually, that was taken on our wedding day... and my 1949 Triumph Renown (it only thinks it's a Rolls! ) was in fine form having been lovingly polished by yours truly... I drove the new Admiral McLemore home from our wedding in it.

It rained horribly later that day and the white shoes were *never* white again. I had to carry her to our room to avoid the mud!

[Catigale]

Whew....Triumph makes it immediately germane to the Towing Forum...

[c130king]

Daniel (and anyone else interested),

Here are the pictures of how I trailer with the boom connected.



First the mast is lowered with the boom connected until it rests in the mast support. That is Dad (my current sailing buddy) on the crank and me guiding the boom down. The mast has about a 40-45 degree turn towards the boom and the mast is laying on an angle in the mast support and on the cabin top. The boom also comes to a rest on the port side of the cabin top.



Then the pivot pin is removed and the mast is slid forward about 4 feet or so. That is all the further that it can go due to main halyard and main sheet being extended as far as they can go.



When the mast is as far forward as it can go the spreaders are still in the cockpit, just behind the cabin entrance. The lifelines on the sides of the cockpit are disconnected to allow the spreaders to rest without stress. There is no weight on the spreaders as the mast is supported by the mast support and laying on top of the cabin.



The mast is secured to the mast support (and to the bimini top) with a strong bungee cord (double wrapped). I cannot move the mast when this accomplished. We use bungees and ties to secure the furled foresail and loose lines to the mast about every 4 feet or so.

Notice also the distance the mast hangs off the back of the boat. It is about 9 feet from the mast end to the engine. I would hang a red flag or red light if trailering on the open road.

What I have not yet done but have sort of determined on my own is that the next time I trailer I will tie the bottom of the mast on both sides to the stanchion behind it sort of like a spring line to keep it from going forward and hopefuly from side to side. I will also tie down the mast at the mast support to the rear cleats to further secure it when trailering (not sure if it could bounce and pull the mast support out of its supports on a bumpy road).

I know some of you won't think this is a good plan, this is how my PO set it up when put on the "all lines to the cockpit mod". It trailered perfectly fine from Tampa to Jacksonville (5 hours on the interstate) and sure seems to make set-up and tear-down much quicker and easier than removing the boom and main sail every time (although I must admit I have not yet done that so I am not speaking from experience on that issue).

Sorry for the long post. Can't wait until I get a slot in that dry storage lot right behind the boat. That lot is only about 100 yards from the ramp and there are no power lines in the way. Most folks in there leave their mast up. I have to go to another lot about .7 miles away.

Let me know if anyone has any questions or comments.

I appreciate all the help and advice (both directly and indirectly) I have recieved from all the fine folks on this forum.

Thanks,
Jim

(Mod note: I fixed the code so your last picture would display properly. KBM)

[c130king]

Follow-up:

I don't know about stressing the goose neck. Mine seems to work just fine. What would one look for...cracks? I have trailered the boat only 3 times (but it has been sitting like this for 3 weeks other than my 12-15 hours of sailing). I think the PO only trailered 2-3 times total in the two years he owned it. He left it on the water behind his house.

I do have occasional (maybe 30-40% of the time) bouts where my mast doesn't seem to rotate like it should. But that may be due to my rigging...not sure yet...only sailed 3 times now so I am still on the very steep side of the learning curve.



Jim

On edit: Kevin, thanks for photobuckets tip. Worked like a champ. And I have upgraded to a Deckhand...I feel such a sense of accomplishment