22' Seafarer Mast Stepping

[Eshey]

I recently acquired a beautiful 22' seafarer, that was left high and dry for five years. I am going thru everything, and replacing wiring, bilge pumps, and doing a lot of cleaning, sanding shellacking, and waxing, working my way up to the process of stepping the mast. There are no hinge plates, pins, or anything that would suggest other than lifting the mast up and over the male step plate, and setting the mast over, and on to the plate, which will fit inside the mast geometry. I've never stepped a mast.......can anyone offer me some guidance? This confuses me and is a little bit intimidating. Most of my more well to do sailing friends tell me to just let the yard do it.....Any pointers available out there?

[sailingdog]

This mast is probably designed to be stepped using a crane since the base is not hinged or tabernacled in any way. Converting would probably not be too difficult, but without photos, it is hard to say one way or the other. I'd highly recommend you read the POST in my signature... it covers a lot of things including how to post photos.

[tommays]

Well

If your going to be doing it regular you would build or buy a gin pole

Depending on wear you live and keep the boat may be a problem we have to do it off any marina land or docks and offen do it on the mooring

Are pole is 20 feet tall and supported buy 3 lines and is placed over a padeye 8" in front of the mast so it will NOT slip and fall over

One to the bow and two going aft to something STRONG

It takes two people to stand up the pole and we use a fixed line to the bow and tighten the other two lines to make the pole stable

A 4:1 block and tackle fixed to the top of the pole makes lifting the mast pretty easy and we usally use a loop of line that cant slip past the spreaders

[sailingdog]

If you're going to use the mast step for the hinge, I would recommend hinging the mast step on the forward portion, so the mast tips forward rather than aft. This allows you to use the boom as a gin pole.

The main halyard or topping lift serve to connect the boom to the top of the mast. The mainsheet or boom vang can be used to connect the boom to the mainsheet traveler track, and the only other thing you need to do is run guy lines from the shroud chainplates to the boom's aft end to keep it on centerline. Then you can pretty easily raise the mast using the boom as a gin pole.

An alternative is to make an A-frame gin pole setup that connects to the lifeline stanchion bases or shroud chainplates.

[Eshey]

Using the boom for a Gin pole is an excelletn idea!!! I think I'm going to run with that one! Thanks!!

[mccary]

I owned a Seafarer 22 for 29 years, it is a great boat. I have stepped the mast several times. I did mine while the boat is in the water (on ground is more risky and difficult when on boat stands or trailer). I always pulled the boat bow to the bulkhead.

I have always used 3 people; one on the sheets, one at the mast step and one at the bow. As others have said, use the main sheets to allow the boom to lower the mast. The problem is, standard length sheets are not quite long enough to run through the blocks and have the mast at deck level. I always skipped the last turn on the block (this gives you extra several feet). The mast step person will keep the rig from swaying from side to side. The bow person is there to catch the mast, one person can hold it but it is heavy. I always has an old cushion to hold it once it was down on the bow pulpit and another on the stern pulpit. You should take care NOT to get kinks in the rigging. When you raise the mast, don't forget to put a coin under the mast for luck... I always did this and used a half dollar from the year the boat was made.