Re: [Cal_Boats] Storing Mast Up: Loosen shrouds and stays?

Well, actually it is always best to unstep the mast when storing the boat ashore. Boats and their rigs are designed for the strains present while afloat, when the boat is solidly blocked up on shore the rig can not flex i the wind nor can the boat move (heel over) to relieve that strain. Any moisture that drips down the standing rigging may collect in the lower swages and freeze weakening their grip on the wire. The halyard are exposed to the damaging effects of the Sun year-round if the spar is left stepped, and unless adequately tied off (or removed) will slap against the mast all winter and wear faster (plus what it will do to the finish on the mast!). You wind instruments will be exposed to the freezing conditions of the winter, shortening their life. Inspecting an unstepped mast is easy, inspecting a stepped mast will require sending someone up the mast after you relaunch......... don't know about you but I much prefer doing any needed work on my mast with it laying horizontal on a pair of sawhorses, rather than dangling in a bosuns chair. Finally, it is a lot easier to cover the boat with the mast unstepped, covering a boat with the mast in place requires a lot of cutting and pasting of the tarp or shrink-wrap to go around the mast and all the standing rigging. Oh, I almost forgot, boats stored ashore with a stepped mast have been known to be blown over by winter storms, damaging themselves and any boat stored near them....... will your insurance cover that? a 26' Nonsuch required a new mast after being blown over at a local boatyard, even though it was not visibly damaged (did take out the topping lift of the next boat over, and may have hit her mast as well). If you think that the yard charges too much to unstep and store your mast for the winter, research the cost of replacing the mast after it is damaged by being stored stepped.....it may not happen the first year, but the cost of replacing the mast (and possibly the sails if they are damaging in a dismasting) or repairing the damage caused to your boat and possibly the ones knocked over when your boat is blown over in a storm...... will make the charge to unstep seem like pennies. If I had my way, all boatyard would REQUIRE that ALL masts be unstepped if the boat is stored ashore for the winter. Many yards already have this requirement and they are the smart ones! At least if you do choose to leave the mast stepped for the winter haulout, at least remove the sails! I am amazed at how many sailboat owners do not remove the sails (especially the roller-furled jib!) before haulout, some leave the sails in place all winter, then wonder why their sails wore out so quick. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II #10201 former co-owner of "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 #285 On Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:16:22 -0700 Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> writes: Many people keep the shrouds tight as well in which case they should be loosened. I take 1 inch off my backstay when I am not sailing. The guy I race against has an aluminum rig and takes 5 inches off. My mast is wood so I can't tension it as much as he does. Allen On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 4:55 PM, Michael Kennedy <mi… [at] mac.com> wrote: You should always loosen your backstay when you are not sailing. A far as I'm concerned, with these old boats, it should be sloppy loose. Shrouds usually aren't that tight when not sailing anyway. Just enough to keep the mast straight when sailing. Mike Kennedy On Sep 18, 2010, at 4:23 PM, David Field wrote: > > When storing mast up, do you loosen your shrouds & stays? If so, > how many turns? > David > Cal 27 Mark III > Latitude Changer > > > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links Moms Asked to Return to School Grant Funding May Be Available to Those That Qualify. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4c956960b7d0cc26284st02duc

Rod, I agree, the rigs were designed to be on the water. If you have to store on land it's better to unstep. I am doing that next week. My club has a rack, so it stays at the club and I take the boat to the yard without the hassle of rocking and rolling in 4 foot swells with the mast on deck. Yeah, it's the end of the season here on the GL, I'm done, even if we get nice weather next week. Time to start thinking about xc skiing. Going to Hayward, Wi. and the UP this winter, maybe a trip to NH also. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal29 411 --- On Sat, 9/18/10, rj… [at] juno.com <rj… [at] juno.com> wrote: From: rj… [at] juno.com <rj… [at] juno.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Storing Mast Up: Loosen shrouds and stays? To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010, 8:36 PM Well, actually it is always best to unstep the mast when storing the boat ashore. Boats and their rigs are designed for the strains present while afloat, when the boat is solidly blocked up on shore the rig can not flex i the wind nor can the boat move (heel over) to relieve that strain. Any moisture that drips down the standing rigging may collect in the lower swages and freeze weakening their grip on the wire. The halyard are exposed to the damaging effects of the Sun year-round if the spar is left stepped, and unless adequately tied off (or removed) will slap against the mast all winter and wear faster (plus what it will do to the finish on the mast!). You wind instruments will be exposed to the freezing conditions of the winter, shortening their life. Inspecting an unstepped mast is easy, inspecting a stepped mast will require sending someone up the mast after you relaunch......... don't know about you but I much prefer doing any needed work on my mast with it laying horizontal on a pair of sawhorses, rather than dangling in a bosuns chair. Finally, it is a lot easier to cover the boat with the mast unstepped, covering a boat with the mast in place requires a lot of cutting and pasting of the tarp or shrink-wrap to go around the mast and all the standing rigging. Oh, I almost forgot, boats stored ashore with a stepped mast have been known to be blown over by winter storms, damaging themselves and any boat stored near them....... will your insurance cover that? a 26' Nonsuch required a new mast after being blown over at a local boatyard, even though it was not visibly damaged (did take out the topping lift of the next boat over, and may have hit her mast as well). If you think that the yard charges too much to unstep and store your mast for the winter, research the cost of replacing the mast after it is damaged by being stored stepped.....it may not happen the first year, but the cost of replacing the mast (and possibly the sails if they are damaging in a dismasting) or repairing the damage caused to your boat and possibly the ones knocked over when your boat is blown over in a storm...... will make the charge to unstep seem like pennies. If I had my way, all boatyard would REQUIRE that ALL masts be unstepped if the boat is stored ashore for the winter. Many yards already have this requirement and they are the smart ones! At least if you do choose to leave the mast stepped for the winter haulout, at least remove the sails! I am amazed at how many sailboat owners do not remove the sails (especially the roller-furled jib!) before haulout, some leave the sails in place all winter, then wonder why their sails wore out so quick. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II #10201 former co-owner of "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 #285 On Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:16:22 -0700 Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> writes: Many people keep the shrouds tight as well in which case they should be loosened. I take 1 inch off my backstay when I am not sailing. The guy I race against has an aluminum rig and takes 5 inches off. My mast is wood so I can't tension it as much as he does. Allen On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 4:55 PM, Michael Kennedy <mi… [at] mac.com> wrote: You should always loosen your backstay when you are not sailing. A far as I'm concerned, with these old boats, it should be sloppy loose. Shrouds usually aren't that tight when not sailing anyway. Just enough to keep the mast straight when sailing. Mike Kennedy On Sep 18, 2010, at 4:23 PM, David Field wrote: > > When storing mast up, do you loosen your shrouds & stays? If so, > how many turns? > David > Cal 27 Mark III > Latitude Changer > > > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links Moms Asked to Return to School Grant Funding May Be Available to Those That Qualify. SeeCollegeDegrees.com