Bob Hunt's Cunning Arrangement For Easy Single Handed Mast Stepping/Unstepping
This Article was provided by Bob Hunt who thought it might be of interest to other FBB owners forced to rig their boats single handed. Bob, in common with other "trailer sailors" rigs his boat whilst it is still on the trailer, prior to launching.
"My
first thoughts were to improve the appearance of the centre-board casing. A new
thwart was cut from 18 mm marine ply, to cover the entire top surface of the
casing; this was also rather wider, with a view to fitting a box like device to
give the trunk a more timbered appearance. Fore & aft surfaces on the trunk
did indeed become fixed marine ply panels, but, to justify the effort, the side
panels were hinged to the decking, and became lockers sized to be able to
contain your B.S.S. beer can, or similar, a la fridge door trough.
| The
original construction of the trunk, using GRP plates was, I'm sure, never
intended to be a precision engineering job, so various bits of 'packing' were
glued in position to square the wooden construction up a bit. |
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The
most useful spin-off of this exercise was that it led to an opportunity to make
single handed mast stepping, whilst the boat is still on the trailer, an easier
operation - my non-crewing 1st Mate fancied (hoped!) it would lead rapidly to a
' For Sale ' notice..... however.....
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Having
bolted the new thwart to the casing along it's length, I found that it was a)
quite strong and b)
level with the top edge of the opened forward locker. I
bridged the space between the casing and the locker incorporating a gate device
into which the mast could be slotted and secured until it could be rigged.
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The
photo shows the final effort, which is dropped into place, slid aft, and locked
with a pin. The forward end has a return lip which hooks onto the locker
opening. The other end locks around the thwart, with a key which fits into the
centre-board slot. The 'gate' is opened by removing a further pin, and you are
ready to step the mast.
With
something soft laid over the gunwhale, it is quite easy to dip the mast into the
step from your shoulder. Hold the mast against the' stepping aid', close the
gate, insert the pin, and you can attend to the shrouds & forestay. While
the gate has a circular profile to fit, & hold the mast, the main piece has
a more elongated arrangement to allow removal by un-pinning and sliding forward.
Un-stepping
is a reversal of the operation - ' hold the mast with one hand, un-pin gate,
open, then (with two hands) – lift out mast.'
"
G'day Mr. Osteopath!"
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To
raise the mast from the step a hinged lever, directly under the mast heel,
carries an inch and a half diameter plug of delrin loosely on a pin. This round
plug works happily in the otherwise square hole of the step. The moving end of
the lever has a long shanked eye attached, to which is clipped a snap-hook, made
off to a length of rope. The rope passess up through a bullseye and then to a
jamming cleat on the top surface of the mast stepper. Four inches of
broom-handle gives a good purchase on the end. A relatively easy pull brings the
plug level with the top of the mast step, thereby raising the mast, which will
remain so as you jam the rope. |
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The
rope hinge was not purely for asthetic reasons , but was done because, having
originally made a conventionally hinged sub-assemby, I found it was impossible
to fit it in position. Using a longer piece of cord, I found it possible to
thread it through and pull the pieces together, suitably knotted on the top. The
purpose of the shock cord is to limit the travel of the system, since the
geometry goes wrong if it's allowed to fall too far ( gets jammed!). It also
keeps the kit dryish and makes it easier to reach the eye, which sits just below
the deck level when the mast is in position."
