Can you drive with the mast down but stayed in the middle?

[kurz]

Hello

Can I drive with the mast down but not put it in front of the boat? Just put it down.

I have to drive maybe 15minutes, not fast. So it would be much more easy of course. But is it completely stupid?

Is the mast too heavy for the mastholder in this position?
Ist the mast not sustained enough til the end?

Thanks - kurz from switzerland

[Catigale]

Kurz- I think you can only drive very slowly like this..perhaps 10 km per hour

[snotnosetommy]

Do you mean drive with the top of the mast fourteen feet behind the boat? The weight of the mast more or less balanced on the stern rail? People driving behind you? Total length of car plus boat plus mast maybe sixty-five feet? Halyards and backstay hanging down?

[mastreb]

Presuming that you've got the rigging and the forestay managed correctly, this isn't going to damage the mast, the mast step, or the stern mast support. You will have to have the mast tied to the support to keep it from bouncing off, however.

The problem is that you'll be having 14' of mast protruding from the back of your boat. In the U.S., that's patently illegal without flashing lights and all sorts of signage in pretty much every state. At a minimum you'd need a red flag tied to it here.

Also, the mast height is considerably higher than when it's stowed on the bow pulpit--by my math about 3' higher, which means you'll need at least a 14' overhead clearance for bridges and power-lines along the entire distance.

Can it be done safely? Maybe. But you'd be better off installing quick pins on the spreaders so you can remove them and then just moving the mast back and forth--taking the spreaders off takes all the "work" out of moving the mast and makes it a piece of cake.

[paj637]

I live about 1 1/2 miles from my boat ramp in a small town. In the past, I have lowered my mast to the crutch pinned at the step and drove slowly to the ramp to launch the boat. I was concerned about the mast flexing/wobbling aft of the crutch as I went over rail tracks and irregularities in the road. The mast was tied to the crutch to prevent it bouncing out. I don't do it any more because I am afraid of bending my mast aft of the crutch. The few minutes that I save rigging the mast by doing this are not worth the potential risk of damaging the mast. I would never go over 20 mph with the mast set this way.

[Cris]

When you click the link below to see my version of coping with your concern be sure to click on the thumbnail pic after you arrive. It leads to a couple of different views of the mod.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=279

[robbarnes1965]

Sounds like a corner not worth cutting. I have never been comfortable with the weight on the crutch in that position. With the extra wight of the furlers it is already bending a bit. I don't think the mast would survive a sudden shock. If you have ever driven in Quebec, you know about our famous potholes...

Rob

[c130king]

Another option to consider:

When I first bought my Mac the original owner showed me his technique for trailering which consisted of lowering the mast with the boom (main sail attached...slugs still in the track...cover on) still connected to the mast. As the mast came down you allowed the boom to hinge up but you had to "roll" it to one side to lay down beside the mast. Reefing lines and halyards were led back to the cockpit and they remained attached.

Then disconnect the mast from the base plate and pull the base of the mast forward to a point about halfway between the base plate and the bow pulpit. The mast would hang over the back about 6-8'. This was as far as we could pull it forward due to the length of the halyards led aft.

I trailered from Tampa, FL to Jacksonville FL this way...about 250 miles. Worked fine. And then for the first 3 months I kept the boat in a storage yard about 2/3 of a mile from the ramp and trailered it back and forth this way. Made raising and lowering much quicker.







However, before my first long trailering trip I started removing the boom and taking off the spreaders. I no longer do the old way. Now when I trailer I always remove the boom and spreaders (some folks don't remove spreaders).

Just another option to consider. Good luck.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König Website
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[snotnosetommy]

[quote="c130king"]Another option to consider:

When I first bought my Mac the original owner showed me his technique for trailering which consisted of lowering the mast with the boom (main sail attached...slugs still in the track...cover on) still connected to the mast. As the mast came down you allowed the boom to hinge up but you had to "roll" it to one side to lay down beside the mast. Reefing lines and halyards were led back to the cockpit and they remained attached.

Then disconnect the mast from the base plate and pull the base of the mast forward to a point about halfway between the base plate and the bow pulpit. The mast would hang over the back about 6-8'. This was as far as we could pull it forward due to the length of the halyards led aft.


This seems well worth considering. It takes me (by myself) quite a while to remove & reattach boom, reef lines, lazy jacks, slugs, halyards, etc.