I am at the point in the process of refurbishing my E-25 that I have to decide whether to set up the mast for stepping it either from the stern or from the bow. I have a Dwyer mast hinge coming soon, and am well aware of the factory stepping process. Since my boat came with a fixed tabernacle and no fittings for stepping at the launching ramp, I am free to do it either way. It seems to me that most modern trailerable sailboats (Hunters, Cats, Macgregor) use a gin pole and pulley setup to hoist the mast into position from the bow (mast led aft). I have gone thru the process on a Hunter 260 and it seemed very straightforward and stable - never worried about damaging the boat, crushing the tow vehicle, or hurting anyone. The original Ericson stepping process just plain scares the crap out of me, since so much mast is hanging out front at the moment you have to secure the pin in the hinge. I am also very worried about damaging the foil on my roller furler doing it the original way (I have a Hood furler with rigid tube foil) - seems I’d need at least 4 people helping me and even then it would be precarious (my wife already said to leave her out…). My idea is to use an A-frame secured to deck fittings (shroud chain plates?), attach the bottom of the headstay (with furler base) to the top, and pull it with a 4-1 or 5-1 block and tackle secured to the stemhead chainplate or a use second winch on the trailer bow post. I also plan to use a triangular mast crutch aft (maybe pinned in the rudder gudgeons) to hold the mast while preparing to lift it. I made a small model of this arrangement and it seems to be very stable - a lot more secure than having 20+ feet of unsupported mast wagging around over my truck…. Anyone tried this setup? I’m open to advice, opinions, tales of woe, since I haven’t started cutting or drilling yet! Thanks.
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