Ericson independence mast removal

[c.jbrowne92]

Hi, I would like to take the mast down to work on it whilst in the yard, can anyone give me advice on what needs to be done to get the mast off the boat.

Steps to take and things to look out for or potential snags would be a big help.


Thanks

 

[David Vaughn]

Others may have more detailed suggestions but I’ll share what I recall from when ours was removed for transport a couple of years ago.

Take lots of photos and make notes as well. It’ll help when you put things back together.
Remove sails. Label halyards and related lines, if necessary.

Remove boom. Secure all halyards and related lines to mast. We used vinyl tape, it was easy to remove a couple of days later.

Label then disconnect all wires that run up the mast. Ours were run from inside the head, thru the deck, and up the mast.

Our transport guy measured and noted each turnbuckle on all standing rigging, so they were tightened back to same spot where-stepping.

Once that was done he attached the lifting line from the crane at two points on the mast, took up the slack, loosen all the turnbuckles, took up some of that slack, the pulled all if the pins holding the rig in place. Lifted the mast and set it off to the side to secure for transport.


Hope that helps.

 

[Nick J]

In addition to the excellent info David provided, the yard and/or rigger assisting you will typically charge by the hour, so anything you can do before the crane is on the clock helps things go smooth and saves you some money.

• Pull all lines back to the mast and secure them. You can also replace them with a pull string to reduce clutter at the base of the mast
• instead of measuring the stays, mark the locations with rigging or electrical tape before backing them off
• remove all the cotter pins in the turnbuckles
• straighten the cotter pins in the clevis pins so they're easier to remove. don't wait until the rig is slacked off because the clevis pins will turn and it will be more difficult to get the cotter pins out.
• slack the rig off. this isn't necessary, but it's best to know if you have a seized turnbuckle before the crane arrives
• If you're replacing the standing rigging and you're not completely satisfied with the tune, it's nice to have the rig tuned before removing it so when you mark the turnbuckles, it will be closer to the end tuned length. I found that I needed to lengthen my headstay and shorten the back stay. If I didn't do this step, I would have been stuck with a slightly negative mast rake on new rigging.
• Make sure you have all the tools you need on hand and ready to go when the mast is pulled. don't forget painters tape, Ziplock bags, and a Sharpie for any last minute labeling.
• If the wires are run all the way back to the electrical panel, tie a messenger line to them so it's easer to pull them back in when the time comes.