Raising a Javelin Mast with a Chute Halyard?

[5hortBu5]

Hi folks,

My Javelin has a 23(ish) foot aluminum mast, which I have to raise and lower every time I have to sail, what with my being a trailer sailor and all.

The process, both up and down, was a mite scary for me and my girlfriend, especially when we had the mast vertical, but needed to lift it over the bow deck to thread it into the pass-through to the step on the 'keel'

Now, I know there's a tabernacle available for the boat, but I'm playing frugal right now, and wondering if there's an easier way to raise this sucker than straight hand-power, not to mention the need for careful standing rigging tuning on a deck-stepped mast like that. (Lessons_Learned)

So, my big idea:

The Javelin is somewhere around a 3/4 fractional rig, and I thought I might put a rubber pad on the bow deck, attach the spinnaker halyard to the forestay's chainplate, and have my girlfriend haul the mast to vertical, while I guide it up, and then down into the passthrough.

Does this sound like an entirely foolhardy maneuver? I mean, there are no bridges involved, so it can't be *that* bad, right?

What's the verdict? Crazy! Don't do it! You'll destroy your boat, kill your girlfriend and start an international incident! OR Go for it. Sounds like an okay idea?

[jcalvinmarks]

I had a Daysailer - larger than your Javelin - and I certainly would not have wanted to raise the mast without the tabernacle. D&R Marine should have it for $75 or so.

I'm not sure I understand the procedure you're describing, or how it would be any different than what you're doing already. Without a tabernacle with a keel-stepped mast like that, there's really only one way to go about it: put it vertical, and drop it through the hole.

Believe me, I understand the temptation to save money where ever possible, but I think once you discover how much easier it is to have a tabernacle, that'll be about the best $75 you spend on that boat.

IMHO. FWIW. YMMV. IANAL.

[sailingdog]

Just curious, why is it so difficult to step the mast by yourself. The mast only weighs about 30 lbs. Why do you feel there is a need for any kind of mast raising system for a 30 lb. mast??? I step the mast on my friend's Javelin single-handedly all the time.