INVESTIGATOR 563

On a lighter note. My new next door neighbour’s dad is a great bloke. Mid 70s and still sailing his 40 ft keel keeler on the Lake. People like that inspire me not the let age slow me down. I’m much worse when I do nothing. I’ve used hired labour over the years for anything that I know will exacerbate my issues but where I can I like to do what I can. The outboard weight is my current issue. Still looking at replacing it or coming up wth more trickery

Hi all,

I found I was too weak and too short to lift the mast by myself so I made a timber crutch to hold it at about 10 degrees above horizontal from the cockpit floor. I had some spare double blocks, one with a becket (could use the mainsheet but it's a bit short). I attach this to the jib halyard and the pushpit rail and run an 8mm line through the blocks back to one of the self-tailing winches and just crank it up all the way. The block and tackle lives in a small bag so its ready to use for lowering as well. No back strain. I'll take some photos next time I have it on the water.

Cheers,
Ian

Hope everyone had a good A-day,

Shoulders finally good enough to start solo mast-raise practise again. But have to take it easier than before as just turned 63, had a bad shoulder year, and injuries are more likely to happen from now on.

I watched some good u-tube videos (Greg's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8ceqt2g7r0 , Catalina 22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5WdqdlB8Nc&t=6s and Mastmate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkZ__nMEUpc) and decided to use a "mastmate" type system as that's about halfway between "walk-it-up power lifters" and "dont lift a finger" camps. It also has minimal setup.

I've started by using my 2:1 purchase jib sheet's power, attached to a "middle rope" which goes under the anchor roller and through a pulley block on the strong pulpit top rail (this extra height make a difference). The "middle rope" is then attached to the kite halyard (can be length adjusted, then set there). (If a stretchy nylon middle rope were used it might approximate some of Mastmate's "giant bungy cord" properties.)

So now instead of hauling in the 1:1 kite halyard off the mast, i haul in slack on the 2:1 jib sheet from the cabin top end (which also has a cam cleat).

So it's still "walk it up" but with a 2:1 powered safety assist line on the pulpit/bow.

As been noted by others; Controlling mast sideways fall at all times is critical (to save mast tabernacle), hence holding half-raised mast up overhead with good shoulder/arm and taking up slack on the halyard/sheet with the weaker arm.

Next stage is to design and build a better "mast-raising crutch" down aft. (NB: Mastmate has closed shop https://www.mastmate.com.au/)

Checking out Utube and found this, might be useful, I am going to build something similar that can be stored back in the car once erection completed. Just fits on to the entrance to cabin
https://youtu.be/wsZCOl0H7hg