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Side view of the sailboat with the mast raising system ready for use.

A side view of the sailboat with the mast raising system ready for use.

The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats

I have seen lots of different techniques and contraptions used to raise and lower the masts on small sailboats. All suffer from the same problems for solo sailors, and I recently came across a system that solves all of them neatly and for a fairly low price.

While not tremendously heavy, small sailboat masts are long and awkward to handle, tending to sway to one side while being lowered or raised. It is possible with most boats to stand at the stern and pick up the mast and just start walking forward and pushing it up. The problem comes when you have to step up onto the cabin top while holding a heavy mast high above your head. It's usually a long step, and most people can't do it.

Instead of lifting the mast by hand, many opt for a gin pole or A-frame and use the boom vang to get the mechanical advantage needed to pull the mast up. Some trailers are fitted with a tall pole, allowing the trailer winch strap to be led to a halyard and used to crank the mast up and down. The A-frame support tends to hold the mast over the center of the boat, but gin poles on the boat or on the trailer will allow it to sway back and forth unless stabilizing baby stays are used.

Using the trailer winch to crank the mast up and down means that singlehanded sailors can't see what is going on up on the boat, and it obviously precludes raising and lowering the mast while on the water.

These difficulties are further compounded by the fact that small sailboats are covered with winches, cleats, boarding ladders, small outboard engines, etc., all of which tend to snag the shrouds or backstay as the mast goes up. If something snags, a sailor who is rigging the boat alone must find a way to hold the mast in a partially raised position while clearing the snag. It is important that the solo sailor be able to keep a sharp eye on all the rigging and stop immediately if any resistance is felt. A snag can mean moving from your position on top of the boat or at the trailer winch all the way to the stern of the boat, where the backstay has managed to catch the rudder or boarding ladder. It is often impossible to leave the mast precariously hanging in the air, so it must be lowered to fix the problem.

The terminal fittings on the ends of the shrouds are strong when in position and tensioned, but they can lodge themselves sideways as the mast is coming up and bend when placed under load. The fittings that hold the upper ends of the shrouds in the mast must rotate as much as 90 degrees as the mast goes up, and if they lock up instead of turning freely, it is easy to bend the swage fitting when they come under tension as the mast is nearly stepped. Down at the deck, the fittings must also rotate as the shrouds go from lying aft on the deck to standing up straight. Singlehand sailors must watch the ends of the rigging carefully to ensure that all of them are operating as intended while the mast is going up. If a fitting binds up, once again it becomes necessary to either leave the mast hanging or put it back down to correct the problem and try again.

Boats with roller furling jibs present an additional problem, as the jib furler drum tends to bounce down the deck and the sail itself acts like a giant snake having a seizure. The furler drum and forestay end fittings can scratch the deck of the boat and can get snagged on bow cleats, opening hatches, and other hardware around the foredeck as the mast is being lowered. When raising the mast, the roller furling jib generally does not want to slide forward on the boat by itself, and must be pulled along and kept near the center of the boat to avoid kinking the forestay wire or binding up the fitting that holds the forestay to the mast.

Last but not least, the mast needs an appropriate place to land when it comes down, and a good place to start on its way up. Sailors must use a mast crutch of some kind, and for trailering a sailboat it helps if the crutch has two positions: a low position for holding the mast during transport, and a higher position to give a little head start when raising the mast. Having a roller on the top of the crutch is also handy for solo sailors because it makes it easier to move the mast back and forth from trailering position to the mast step.

The Mast Raising Solution for Single-Handed Sailors

I recently saw a solution that addresses all these problems and makes single handed mast raising on the water or on the trailer a fairly simple procedure. This system was in use on a Precision 23 sailboat, but can be used on any small sailboat. The boat has a mast raising pole for a MacGregor 26M with an ingenious addition to help manage the furling drum, a set of baby stays to hold the mast on centerline, and a small dinghy motor davit mounted on the stern and outfitted with a U shaped mast crutch. The owner of the boat put a lot of thought into this system because he wanted to sail his boat from his dock behind a low bridge from the harbor. Even though it uses a MacGregor mast-raising pole, this system can be installed on nearly any small sailboat.

Click on any photos for a larger view:

Side view of the sailboat with the mast raising system ready for use.

Above: A side view of the sailboat with the mast raising system ready for use. This system can be installed and used on nearly any small sailboat to make solo mast-raising easier.
The MacGregor mast raising pole and how it is attached to the mast.

A closer look at the MacGregor mast raising pole and how it is attached to the mast. The MacGregor pole is a tiny trailer winch mounted on an aluminum tube with a block and eye strap on opposite sides of one end and a fitting on the other end to secure it to the mast base.

The winch has a clutch instead of gears and a pawl lever, and can be cranked in either direction without flipping a lever. It can also be let go at any time without freewheeling, an important safety feature in this application.

A bail is installed in the mast about 5' off the deck. There is a line tied to the middle of the mast-raising pole that has to do with furler management, as the next pictures illustrate.

A line from the eye strap on the tip of the MacGregor pole leads to a large snap shackle that snaps around the bow rail. How the mast raising system is attached at the bow of the boat. A line from the eye strap on the tip of the MacGregor pole leads to a large snap shackle that snaps around the bow rail. The line from the middle of the mast raising pole, with a little slack left in it, is also tied to that large snap shackle after being led through a snatch block which is clipped to the furler drum.
The mast raising system attached at the bow of the boat As the mast is lowered, the furler drum rides up that piece of line and ends up suspended above the forward hatch when the mast is down. On the way back up, the furler rides back down the line, remaining over the center of the boat and safely clear of the deck. In addition to keeping the furler from scratching the deck or getting hung up on something, this little bit of rigging also tends to force the furled jib to hang above the center of the mast.
This picture shows how the MacGregor mast raising device is attached to the tabernacle mast base of the Precision 23. The plates used are actually a small boat hinged mast step available from Dwyer, and they happen to fit perfectly on the Precision 23 mast step, also from Dwyer Masts. One hole through the mast step on the 23 was all that was required to attach the unit. This picture shows how the MacGregor mast raising device is attached to the tabernacle mast base of the Precision 23. The plates used are actually a small boat hinged mast step available from Dwyer, and they happen to fit perfectly on the Precision 23 mast step, also from Dwyer Masts. One hole through the mast step on the 23 was all that was required to attach the unit.
This picture shows the upper end of the MacGregor mast raising pole and the attachment to the mast of the P-23. The line from the winch on the MacGregor pole is led through the block at the tip of the pole and attaches to a ring. Also attached to the same ring are the two stabilizing stays which prevent the mast from swaying. The ring is shackled to a bail through the mast, so the one shackle connects the two baby stays and the mast raising line to the mast bail all at once. This picture shows the upper end of the MacGregor mast raising pole and the attachment to the mast of the P-23. The line from the winch on the MacGregor pole is led through the block at the tip of the pole and attaches to a ring. Also attached to the same ring are the two stabilizing stays which prevent the mast from swaying. The ring is shackled to a bail through the mast, so the one shackle connects the two baby stays and the mast raising line to the mast bail all at once.
The mast raising baby stays on a sailboat must be positioned in line with the pin holding the base of the mast in the tabernacle. As the mast rotates up or down around that pin, the raising stays remain taut, preventing any side to side motion by the mast. The problem on a Precision 23 is that there is no point on the boat which is in line with that pin. This problem was solved with a pair of stainless steel chains attached to stanchion bases in front of and aft of the mast on each side of the boat. When stretched tight, there is one link of chain on each side which is aligned with the mast tabernacle pin, and the stabilizing stays are shackled to those two links of chain. This setup was made so that the mast raising system could be quickly disconnected but not completely detached. The mast raising pole could just be left to rest on the deck with all the lines and hardware secured to it while going for a short sail. In that position, the chains would clatter around on deck, so the owner installed canvas sleeves over the chains to protect the gelcoat on the deck and reduce the noise. The mast raising "baby stays" on a sailboat must be positioned in line with the pin holding the base of the mast in the tabernacle. As the mast rotates up or down around that pin, the raising stays remain taut, preventing any side to side motion by the mast. The problem on a Precision 23 is that there is no point on the boat which is in line with that pin. This problem was solved with a pair of stainless steel chains attached to stanchion bases in front of and aft of the mast on each side of the boat. When stretched tight, there is one link of chain on each side which is aligned with the mast tabernacle pin, and the stabilizing stays are shackled to those two links of chain. This setup was made so that the mast raising system could be quickly disconnected but not completely detached. The mast raising pole could just be left to rest on the deck with all the lines and hardware secured to it while going for a short sail. In that position, the chains would clatter around on deck, so the owner installed canvas sleeves over the chains to protect the gelcoat on the deck and reduce the noise.
This picture shows a small dinghy engine hoisting davit installed in the stern of the Precision 23, serving double duty as a mast crutch. To serve as a mast crutch, it has a metal V covered by a piece of hose on a custom support which is lashed to the tip of the davit by a few hose clamps. It is also in a good position to use for lifting the outboard engine off the transom bracket, and could be used for its intended purpose as a dinghy engine davit as well. This arrangement serves well for lowering the mast to go under a bridge, but for single hand trailering a much better solution would be to mount a roller on a mast crutch. The dinghy engine davit is an innovative solution, but an easier method would be a simple pole which can be set into a spare set of rudder pintles and gudgeons mounted alongside the ones in use on the rudder. The small offset from the centerline of the boat can be corrected by mounting the roller off center on the pole. This picture shows a small dinghy engine hoisting davit installed in the stern of the Precision 23, serving double duty as a mast crutch. To serve as a mast crutch, it has a metal V covered by a piece of hose on a custom support which is lashed to the tip of the davit by a few hose clamps. It is also in a good position to use for lifting the outboard engine off the transom bracket, and could be used for its intended purpose as a dinghy engine davit as well. This arrangement serves well for lowering the mast to go under a bridge, but for single hand trailering a much better solution would be to mount a roller on a mast crutch. The dinghy engine davit is an innovative solution, but an easier method would be a simple pole which can be set into a spare set of rudder pintles and gudgeons mounted alongside the ones in use on the rudder. The small offset from the centerline of the boat can be corrected by mounting the roller off center on the pole.
A mast support crutch with roller on a different Precision 23. The support can be extended for easier mast raising and lowering, then retracted for a lower profile when trailering the boat. On this prototype we discovered that it is important to install blocks on the pintel/gudgeon arrangement to prevent the whole pole from rotating. The roller works well when walking the mast forward and back from the step to its trailering position, but it only works well when it is aligned with the mast. Pintles and gudgeons are designed to make rudders easy to turn, and they make the pole much too easy to misalign. A mast support crutch with roller on a different Precision 23. The support can be extended for easier mast raising and lowering, then retracted for a lower profile when trailering the boat. On this prototype we discovered that it is important to install blocks on the pintel/gudgeon arrangement to prevent the whole pole from rotating. The roller works well when walking the mast forward and back from the step to its trailering position, but it only works well when it is aligned with the mast. Pintles and gudgeons are designed to make rudders easy to turn, and they make the pole much too easy to misalign.
This one was intended for use when the boat is on the trailer, so it just uses the same attachments as the rudder, but modifying the system for use on the water would just mean installing a duplicate set and offsetting the roller to remain on centerline. With an offset roller, it would become even more important to have some way to lock the pole and prevent it from rotating. Another lesson from this prototype was to avoid making tall guides/retainers on either side of the roller. We made them tall to prevent the mast from escaping, but it does not want to jump off the roller, and the tall guides hang up on the upper shrouds as the mast is moved fore and aft. The shrouds would ride right over shorter guides. This one was intended for use when the boat is on the trailer, so it just uses the same attachments as the rudder, but modifying the system for use on the water would just mean installing a duplicate set and offsetting the roller to remain on centerline. With an offset roller, it would become even more important to have some way to lock the pole and prevent it from rotating. Another lesson from this prototype was to avoid making tall guides/retainers on either side of the roller. We made them tall to prevent the mast from escaping, but it does not want to jump off the roller, and the tall guides hang up on the upper shrouds as the mast is moved fore and aft. The shrouds would ride right over shorter guides.

This system can be adapted to fit any small sailboat, and it makes stepping the mast by yourself a much easier task. If a snag occurs during mast raising, it is possible to leave the mast partially raised to go and clear the snag. The winch used on the MacGregor pole is self-braking and almost silent, and the operator can see everything while cranking it. The extra length of line to force the jib and furler to ride up and down the centerline of the boat is a stroke of genius. The addition of a properly designed roller mast crutch makes moving the mast back to the step by yourself easy for one person.

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