When I first bought my boat the sea trial entailed setting the mast. I wasn’t in charge but it scared me to have about 6 guys standing around discussing possible ways to get it up. In those days it rested (was stepped) on the deck. Ideas ranged from using the small hoist fastened around the middle to having several men push it up. There was no consensus. The mast was about 35′ long and heavier than one person could lift. I don’t recall what was finally done, but I remember a halyard got stuck at the top and someone used an extension ladder to get up there. From that day I resolved that:
- 1. the mast could be raised and lowered by one person, unassisted.
- 2. there would be steps to get to the top safely when needed.
The first modification was the addition of a pair of flat steel plates to provide a pivot point for the mast base. In addition I built a shorter lifting post with a “cum-a-long” and cables to support the top of the post. By fastening the cum-a-long cable to a loop about half way up the mast it was possible to ratchet the mast up–the base was anchored to the pivot and the middle was being pulled forward.
The first steps were flat wooden boards epoxied to the sides of the mast every 36″ (offset 18″ from side to side) with thin steel cables that ran up the outsides adding support. It was a bit scary to climb up that high and I used a strap to keep myself attached to the mast, but it was a lot easier than what I understand of a bosuns chair.
Subsequently the mast broke when, in its horizontal position, it bounced off its support on the way home. That led to a redesign with a hollow mast, but that is a story for another time.