R22 Discussion Group

Robert:
The conventional mast (i.e., not the IMF with internal furling) raises from
the bow of the boat. This is a bit unconventional and completely different
from the IMF which raises from the stern.

I am wondering if you got Stan's original instructions which I posted last
week as they are very specific. In a nutshell, the mast is placed with the
foot on the mast step and the top of the mast hanging way over the bow
pulpit with the sail track facing up.You insert the pin to hold the mast in
place while you set up the rig for the lift. Don't tighten the pivot pin -
just remove excessive play.

Install the lower forward shrouds. The shrouds will be loose when the mast
is down but will tighten up as the mast raises. The mainsheet shrouds alone
will keep the mast vertical both side to side as well as front to back. 

You then need to attach the boom near the base of the mast. Make sure it is
secured in the track with pins or stops so that is will not slide along the
track. Use a halyard to attach the top of the boom to the top of the mast
and then attach the mainsheet between the stern of the boat and the top of
the mast. 

The boom then need to be supported with lines on either side to keep it
vertical. I. The ends of these support lines should be attached in line with
the pivot pin as otherwise they will either get looser or tighter as the rig
rotates. I have a padeye half way up the boom that I use to secure lines to
my cabin handrails

Pulling on the mainsheet pulls the boom back towards the cockpit and as the
end of the boom is attached to the top of the mast with a halyard the mast
will raise as the boom is pulled back and down. As the mast raises the
forward lower shrouds snug up so you need to stabilize it during the
raising. If the boat is in the water make sure the water is calm so the boat
doesn't rock. You can stabilize the mast directly with your hands for the
first part of the raising but as it gets higher and more top heavy you can
stabilize by holding the forestays and using your weight, gently, to keep
the mast centered. 

It is important to check and recheck all of the stays and lines to make sure
they will not snag on anything on the way up. I lay the forestay with jib
furling on the side deck being very careful to make sure nothing will snag
up during the raising. I drop the ends of the back stays into the cabin
through the sliding hatch. If you have a snag you will likely need to lower
the mast unless you have a third person available to fix the snag while you
hold the mast. 

Once the mast us pu use only enough tension on the mainsheet to stabilize
the rig. Don't put a lot of tensin on the mainsheet until you have attached
the forestay. Too much tension puts enormous tension of the lower shrouds
and will probably not leave anough slack to get the forestay attached. Once
the forestay is attached , then attaché the aft lower stays and the upper
stays. Take out any obvious slack but don't tighten the rig until you attach
the aft stays - which you do now. You can put tension on the mainsheet to
get more slack to attach the aftstays.

Now with all of the stays attached you can remove the mainsheet and boom
stays from the boom and proceed to tune the rig. 

This brief description is intended to give you an overview in the hope that
any misunderstanding about the process might be clarified.

I have attached a checklist that I made up and use when I raise the mast so
that I don't miss any steps - which I will inevitably do. Ig nore the
"measurements" section at the end as these are unique to my rig.

I hope this is helpful.

Graham Stewart
Agile, Rodes 22, 1976
Kingston Ontario

Mast Raising Check List.pdf

The Rhodes 22 Discussion Group

Graham Stewart

Mast raising