Gin pole setup

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Nathan de Vries

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Aug 29, 2021, 6:42:03 PM8/29/21
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Hi folks,

I need to drop our rig with the boat on the water to replace the standing rigging. I don’t have access to a hoist, so I’d like to build a gin pole setup that two people can comfortably and safely manage without drama.

Our mast is currently stepped on what I’m guessing is the stock base, so the mast needs to be lifted up and off the base before lowering it. It seems like I’d need to either:

1. Find/fabricate a pole long enough to go from the foredeck (or cabin top?) to above the spreaders (~16ft) and lift the mast by the spreaders
2. Use my spinnaker pole (~11ft) and a sling hitched lower on the mast as the lifting point

The upside of #2 is that I don’t need a dedicated pole, but the downside is that the mast might be too top heavy / unbalanced because the lifting point is below the center point of the mast.

Does anyone have advice on what approach is best? If you use a gin pole, how long is it? Do you position it on the cabin top or on the foredeck? What’s it made of? Can it be broken down into segments for storage?

I plan to install a mast base deck organizer when I put the rig back up and have been considering a hinged mast base from Ballenger, which would remove the need to lift the mast up before lowering it. However our mast has a welded vang attachment point which would damage the cabin top when the mast is hinged down all the way. We could remove it and use the E27 hinged plate which has a vang bail, but I’d prefer to leave the mast in tact if possible.

I appreciate any advice or warnings!

Cheers,

Nathan
Medusa #145

Scott Vincik

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Aug 29, 2021, 7:41:21 PM8/29/21
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SC27 mast is a bit heavy for the hinged mast base. Also, the cabin top is pretty thin. It is better to lift the mast straight up with a gin pole than lever it up with a hinged plate. 

My gin pole is a section of old mast which is 2 feet taller than the spreaders. 

The spreaders are your balance point. 

I stay the gin pole from the forestay and the coaming winches. 

From: sc2...@googlegroups.com <sc2...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Nathan de Vries <nat...@atnan.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2021 3:42:00 PM
To: sc2...@googlegroups.com <sc2...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Gin pole setup
 
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Scott Vincik

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Aug 29, 2021, 7:49:29 PM8/29/21
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From: sc2...@googlegroups.com <sc2...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Scott Vincik <scott...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2021 4:41:19 PM
To: sc2...@googlegroups.com <sc2...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Gin pole setup
 

Don Quixote

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Aug 29, 2021, 7:56:11 PM8/29/21
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Both Sumo and Dragon Slayer use the Rig your describing. 
On Don Quixote we have the hinged plate and use an A frame attached to the rail at the chain plates with spinnaker pole ends and 2" rings. I really like this setup as it only needs two people to raise and lower the mast and only the forestay needs to be disconnected.

Ian Sprenger

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Aug 29, 2021, 7:59:46 PM8/29/21
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I’d go gin pole.  The sparcraft section is heavy.  Here’s my setup:

2.5” aluminum tube
1/8 wall.
18.5” long.
Adjustable “forestay”
Two aft runners go to primary winches via redirect from toe rail.  
4:1 Halyard runs thru turning block at mast step to cabin top winch.  
Padded base with line to secure step.

Zero. Drama. Did it solo once (technique only).

Garhauer makes a mast base organizer that works well with our section.  

-Ian



Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 29, 2021, at 16:49, Scott Vincik <scott...@hotmail.com> wrote:



Paul Archibald

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Aug 29, 2021, 8:16:32 PM8/29/21
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Thinking outside the box: can you replace the rigging with the mast standing? Use halyards to keep it upright? 

It would be nicer to have the mast on the ground, for sure. But just checking all the boxes.

Paul
past owner of Pangaea

Nathan de Vries

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Aug 29, 2021, 8:43:16 PM8/29/21
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Good suggestion Paul, but long term I’d like to get comfortable dropping the rig so we can trailer the boat and I’d like to remove some deck hardware in favor of hardware mounted on a mast base with punched flanges.

Thanks for all the suggestions and photos, everyone! Sounds like I need to find an old mast or aluminum tubing.

@Ian Any recommendations for sources of 2.5”/0.125” aluminum tubing? It would be great if I could find tubing that fits the ID, then I could make sleeves allowing the pole to be broken into three 6’ sections. I like your soft covering too to prevent scratching the mast.

Cheers,

Nathan


Paul Archibald

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Aug 29, 2021, 9:54:25 PM8/29/21
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I get it. the mast base thing sounds cool.

Ian Sprenger

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Aug 29, 2021, 10:42:43 PM8/29/21
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Nathan,

I live down south, but a quick search showed Bayshore Metal as stocking aluminum tubing up to 4" diameter x 20ft.  Sleeving will add weight and complexity in putting it all together, but over to you. Lighter the better for wrestling it up onto the deck and securing it. I made a canvas cover for it and it lives on the trailer under the boat.  My local sailmaker had a stack of long and narrow (free) sunbrella scraps from roller furling UV covers that they couldn't use for anything else. Worth checking around. 

Outdoor carpet bonded with spray adhesive is a nice finishing touch.  You'll be stoked having the ability to lower the rig easily on your own!  

Ian

David Garman

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Aug 29, 2021, 10:50:41 PM8/29/21
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Talk to me before you go with a multi piece gin pole

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 29, 2021, at 5:43 PM, Nathan de Vries <nat...@atnan.com> wrote:


Good suggestion Paul, but long term I’d like to get comfortable dropping the rig so we can trailer the boat and I’d like to remove some deck hardware in favor of hardware mounted on a mast base with punched flanges.

Thanks for all the suggestions and photos, everyone! Sounds like I need to find an old mast or aluminum tubing.

@Ian Any recommendations for sources of 2.5”/0.125” aluminum tubing? It would be great if I could find tubing that fits the ID, then I could make sleeves allowing the pole to be broken into three 6’ sections. I like your soft covering too to prevent scratching the mast.

Cheers,

Nathan

On Sun, Aug 29, 2021 at 5:16 PM Paul Archibald <pauls...@gmail.com> wrote:
Thinking outside the box: can you replace the rigging with the mast standing? Use halyards to keep it upright? 

It would be nicer to have the mast on the ground, for sure. But just checking all the boxes.

Paul
past owner of Pangaea
On Aug 29, 2021, at 4:59 PM, Ian Sprenger <ian.sp...@gmail.com> wrote:

I’d go gin pole.  The sparcraft section is heavy.  Here’s my setup:

2.5” aluminum tube
1/8 wall.
18.5” long.
Adjustable “forestay”
Two aft runners go to primary winches via redirect from toe rail.  
4:1 Halyard runs thru turning block at mast step to cabin top winch.  
Padded base with line to secure step.

Zero. Drama. Did it solo once (technique only).

Garhauer makes a mast base organizer that works well with our section.  

-Ian

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jetb...@frontier.com

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Aug 29, 2021, 11:26:28 PM8/29/21
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I too am lucky down south to have a hoist to put the boat in the water and then to set the mast, but the idea of the gin pole with what looks like 3 points to secure it (bow, port, and starboard, I might even make one for the stern or put it on the same line as the bowline) makes sense as long as the top of the gin pole with the pulleys is higher than the mast spreaders, and you use the wenches to hoist the line tied to the spreaders.  My next guess is that you have to leave the loop under the spreaders loose enough so that once you’ve got the mast secured, you simply release the mast hoisting line and the loop drops so you can untie it.  My other guess is that you keep the foot of the gin pole centered and down just in front of the mast base by tying it off just above the padded foot to the bow and the rails port and starboard.

Thinking more about it, I understand the reason for not having a stern support for the gin pole.  The big V gap gives you enough room to get the mast in place and up from horizontal to vertical.

 

Never done it this way, but it makes sense.  The guy that I got Gusto from made a crazy contraption of 2x4’s that he used.  It came to me shrink wrapped and attached to the trailer, and he said he could do it solo.  Looks like a pile of six 2x4’s with bolts on ends of most pieces.  Unfortunately, he likely won't be able to show me how his system worked.  I’m sure I could figure it out if I played with it, but for now, the hoist cable is a safe and easy option where I’m at, and now that I think about the whole gin pole idea, I’ve got it.

 

Honestly, the whole idea of having to raise and drop the mast every time we want to put Gusto in or out of the water has been our biggest fear. 

 

Our next big fear is how tight to make the mast rigging.  We don’t want to break anything the first time we go to weather, or worse, see the mast pull up and overboard, but I don’t have any data for Tension on a Loos Guage for an SC 27.  If anyone has data that works with standard stock mast, it would be of great help.

 

John Beebe

Gusto- Hull 72

714-619-1183

Home email checked nightly- jetb...@frontier.com

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jetb...@frontier.com

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Aug 29, 2021, 11:41:36 PM8/29/21
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There are some really good conversations available if you Google search “SC 27 mast rig tension settings”,

But the vagueness of it all still has me a bit worried.

I guess I’m looking for loos guage set it and forget it settings, and it doesn’t look like there are any even starting points.

 

John Beebe

Gusto- Hull 72

714-619-1183

Home email checked nightly- jetb...@frontier.com

 

 

Subject: RE: Gin pole setup

 

I too am lucky down south to have a hoist to put the boat in the water and then to set the mast, but the idea of the gin pole with what looks like 3 points to secure it (bow, port, and starboard, I might even make one for the stern or put it on the same line as the bowline) makes sense as long as the top of the gin pole with the pulleys is higher than the mast spreaders, and you use the wenches to hoist the line tied to the spreaders.  My next guess is that you have to leave the loop under the spreaders loose enough so that once you’ve got the mast secured, you simply release the mast hoisting line and the loop drops so you can untie it.  My other guess is that you keep the foot of the gin pole centered and down just in front of the mast base by tying it off just above the padded foot to the bow and the rails port and starboard.

Thinking more about it, I understand the reason for not having a stern support for the gin pole.  The big V gap gives you enough room to get the mast in place and up from horizontal to vertical.

 

Never done it this way, but it makes sense.  The guy that I got Gusto from made a crazy contraption of 2x4’s that he used.  It came to me shrink wrapped and attached to the trailer, and he said he could do it solo.  Looks like a pile of six 2x4’s with bolts on ends of most pieces.  Unfortunately, he likely won't be able to show me how his system worked.  I’m sure I could figure it out if I played with it, but for now, the hoist cable is a safe and easy option where I’m at, and now that I think about the whole gin pole idea, I’ve got it.

 

Honestly, the whole idea of having to raise and drop the mast every time we want to put Gusto in or out of the water has been our biggest fear. 

 

Our next big fear is how tight to make the mast rigging.  We don’t want to break anything the first time we go to weather, or worse, see the mast pull up and overboard, but I don’t have any data for Tension on a Loos Guage for an SC 27.  If anyone has data that works with standard stock mast, it would be of great help.

 

John Beebe

Gusto- Hull 72

714-619-1183

Home email checked nightly- jetb...@frontier.com

 

 

From: sc2...@googlegroups.com <sc2...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of David Garman

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