# Cost to unstep/step a keel-stepped mast?



## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I had the yard pull my mast last season. The charge was $6.50/foot to "Step/Unstep Mast." Storage was extra. My thought was that it was $6.50 for BOTH stepping and unstepping. Today I received another bill for $6.50/foot for "Step/Unstep Mast" presumably for the cost when she was launched..

Am I being cheap? _Should _it cost $6.50/foot to unstep, and another $6.50 to step the mast? Or, am I being hosed - again...

Also of note - I instructed the yard to soda-blast, barrier coat, and apply 3 coats of paint (1 red and 2 blue), that I supplied. They did a great job with the soda-blast and barrier coat. However, they either painted the bottom with 1 coat of blue, or they used one gallon to cover a 35' boat with a 6' fin keel. I'm NOT believing that. To be honest, I am not sure that they even applied the 1 coat of red to my boat (as opposed to someone else's).


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

One more tidbit; when they painted the bottom, they also painted my depth transducer. As a result, it was inoperative. After launch, I scrubbed off 1 coat of blue bottom paint (no red) with a bronze brush, and voilla! it worked - for that day. (Now you understand my suspicion about the number of coats.) Since that 1 day, it has been completely inoperative. I have tried sanding with 400 grit several times, and still no joy. The sounder is a circa 1987 Signet Marine unit - worth about $20...


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## sea_hunter (Jul 26, 2000)

Crane up, wiring disconnect, furler, rigging x 2. Not enough info, how much total?


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## jsaronson (Dec 13, 2011)

I had one yard charge 800 to unstep and step a mast on a 28 footer and another 10 miles away charge 1/2 that to do a mast on a 35 footer - 50 ffet of mast. They charge what they can get away with.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

OK; $325 to unstep, and now $325 to step.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Cost for the mast in and out doesn't sound out of line. Doesn't sound like they put on the three coats of bottom paint you asked for however.


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## wolfenzee (Jul 13, 2008)

Yard here charges a set fee to unstep/step mast $60 if boat is out of the water (more if boat is in the water and/or if you have to make a special appt). Max price $90+$50 for dock, that boom truck can drive on,use.


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## wolfenzee (Jul 13, 2008)

jsaronson said:


> I had one yard charge 800 to unstep and step a mast on a 28 footer and another 10 miles away charge 1/2 that to do a mast on a 35 footer - 50 ffet of mast. They charge what they can get away with.


I just recently paid $600....that included hauling the boat, mast out and back in, being n the yard for 12 days and put back in the water (plus labor for rigger to help replace standing rigging).


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## sea_hunter (Jul 26, 2000)

eherlihy:897888 said:


> OK; $325 to unstep, and now $325 to step.


That doesn't sound unreasonable. Not the best deal, but certainly not a rip.


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## wolfenzee (Jul 13, 2008)

I'd say it was unreasonable..


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## sww914 (Oct 25, 2008)

Mine was $130 to unstep and $260 to step in Alameda, Ca. I did most of the work but I don't own a crane so I had to pay the $130.00 per man hour for the crane and two guys. I still feel a little bit ripped off but not like I need Preperation H to fix it.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

eherlihy said:


> OK; $325 to unstep, and now $325 to step.


That's a little steeper than what we pay around here but pretty much in the range. For a 55' spar I am at about $175.00 down, $250.00 up and $110.00 for indoor heated storage where I can work on it in the winter if I need to..

I think $325.00 is certainly in the range. I am always there when our spar is stepped. Two guys + me and about four+ total hours of work not including bending on the sails just stepping, tuning pinning, rigging.. Just retrieving the mast from the rack, untying all the rigging, installing the spreaders, VHF, windex, wind transducer, spreader boots and testing all the wiring before stepping was a solid two hours of prep. A spreader bolt galled, as happens from time to time, so that added about 20-30 minutes but this type of stuff happens. We then have the Spartite, mast boot, mast drain, mast wiring in the boat and all the other rigging like the lazy jacks & furler to rig.

As for your bottom paint I regularly get our CS-36T done with one gallon or Pettit Ultima SR... The MOST IMPORTANT step is to make sure the yard hot coated the first layer of bottom paint to the last layer of barrier coat. Many yards royally "F" this up and totally miss this critically important window..

When I paid to have our boat done I put it in writing that it would be hot coated per manufacturers instructions and made it a point to be there when they did it. My yard was honest and missed the window and owned up to it. It cost me another gallon of barrier but was totally worth it to have it properly applied.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks all!

I had initially wanted this thread to be a little vague, as I believe that the yard owner is a good guy, and I believe that he may come across this thread. However, I have since decided that he should know, that I know that his price is OK.

Also, I will discuss the bottom paint issue with him. (BTW - he charged $75/hr for this service.)

As I keep telling myself, if you want a job done right, take your time and do it yourself! However, because I landed a job last year, I am now chronologically challenged (time is scarce).


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

Down here i pay something close to 900 round trip with outdoor rack storage so i do not have to keep the mast on the cabin top 

To be honest they do a good job and don't dammage anything as to store 4 or 5 hundred masts they have to remove and replace the spreaders, wind stuff ect 

I know people who have done a spread sheet on every marina in the area and the total costs are all very close as waterfront is big bucks on LI compared to some other places


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

Wow! Remind me not to move to the east coast. $45 down,$45 up and $50 outdoor winter storage off the boat. Keel stepped with mast length of 45 feet.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Sanduskysailor said:


> Wow! Remind me not to move to the east coast. $45 down,$45 up and $50 outdoor winter storage off the boat. Keel stepped with mast length of 45 feet.


I suspect your yard is going to get a "green card" visit....

$45.00 is about a 40 minutes labor for one guy around here. It took 25 minutes just to get our spar from the rack to the rigging area using two different cranes and a mast dolly....

$325.00 / $70.00 hr = 4.6 hours for one guy.... That is moving pretty fast to do this job right but one guy can't do this job and it always entails two or more especially when stepping. So with two guys that would make it 2.3 hours total which is a blistering speed to retrieve a mast, rig it, step it, tune it and connect it... I think Eherlihy got a decent price..


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## saillife (Jun 25, 2006)

Gotta agree that isn't an outrageous price for (un)stepping a mast. Mine takes an hour with the crane and another hour to get everything right. That's 3 people for an hour and 2 for another 90 minuets. Standard labor rate where I do it is $45 an hour, I'm sure the crane operator is more. So 225 + the crane charges ~100. total 325.


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## Backbeat (Aug 11, 2011)

Just got a quote here in CT for this coming winter season - $7/foot to unstep and store, and $5/foot to step.
Seems about in the ballpark for CT, as frustrating as that is!


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Hey,

What does unstep / step include? Did they remove the sails and disconnect the electronics when they unstepped the mast? When the mast was stepped did they tune it and pin the rigging? Did they put the sails back on, etc?

The yard that I use is low cost, but I have to do everything - remove the sails, take the boom off, disconnect the electronics, etc. In the spring they install the mast and get the rig 'close' but I need to put the sails on, connect the electronics, tune the rig, etc.

So, your price may be good or it may be high depending on what the yard did.

Barry


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

No Mainsail the guys in the family run yard where I store my boat are good ole' boy Americans. No habla Espanol. They speak a very colloquial American dialect. 
I must prep the boat the boat prior to unstepping. Boom and sails must be off. All halyards coiled etc. There are 2 yard guys and the crane operator. Total time about 1/2 hour. These guys are good and efficient. Mast off and on saw horses. Spreaders and masthead windex, antenna, and wind instrument off. Stretch wrap part of the mast to secure halyards and shrouds. Tractor uses sling to pick up mast and transport 200 yards to mast racks. Wham, bam, thank you ma'm.

I know these guys are a dying breed. They only store boats on cradles with the mast down so they end up stepping and unstepping the masts of all the boats in their yard. Hopefully they will be around for awhile before some developer scoops up their property. I have been with them for the last 15 years.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

BarryL said:


> Hey,
> 
> What does unstep / step include? Did they remove the sails and disconnect the electronics when they unstepped the mast? When the mast was stepped did they tune it and pin the rigging? Did they put the sails back on, etc?
> 
> ...


I pulled the sails.

They pulled the boom, unplugged the wiring to the Nav lights, unscrewed the co-ax connector to the VHF, removed the spreaders and boots, removed the VHF antenna, removed the windex, tied the shrouds and stays up with twine (or the halyards).

While it was in the rack, I replaced the Co-ax for the VHF, replaced a halyard (learned how to splice too! ), and ran the lines through the cheek blocks for my Lazy-Jacks (which are AWESOME).

In the spring they reattached the spreaders & boots (one of which needs to be re-taped), installed the new VHF antenna, re-installed the windex, re-stepped the mast, reattached the shrouds and stays (no cotter pins though), plugged in the Nav lights, and re-attached the boom.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

No other electronics on the mast or stays (radar/wind indicators/etc) on my mast.


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## wolfenzee (Jul 13, 2008)

I live on the west coast and having a mast pulled is cheap enough ($120 total for out/in) to include it as part of the regular haul out.It gives you a chance to inspect, replace and/or repair your rigging, halyards fittings,wiring, etc as well as add new stuff (in my case also sand, varnish and paint). A lot of important stuff up the mast gets over looked...this is a very important part of boat maintenance, and you can be a lot more thorough on the ground.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I just stumbled on my old thread (I am the OP). My boat is still in Narragansett Bay.

In the 7 years since the OP I have moved my boat about 8 miles from where I had the mast steped and unsteped for $325 each way.
THIS year it has cost me $940:

Crane Charge: $150
Unstep Mast: $425
Store Mast: $141
Remove and Store Roller Furler: $210
Environmental Surcharge: $14
I removed the boom and the sails, AND helped the guys with the crane.

In the spring ithey'll charge me an additional $575 for the crane and re-step. I am sharing this information so that others will know what they can expect.

Not all pirates wear eye patches.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

eherlihy said:


> I just stumbled on my old thread (I am the OP). My boat is still in Narragansett Bay.
> 
> In the 7 years since the OP I have moved my boat about 8 miles from where I had the mast steped and unsteped for $325 each way.
> THIS year it has cost me $940:
> ...


Ouch


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

eherlihy said:


> I just stumbled on my old thread (I am the OP). My boat is still in Narragansett Bay.
> 
> In the 7 years since the OP I have moved my boat about 8 miles from where I had the mast steped and unsteped for $325 each way.
> THIS year it has cost me $940:
> ...


I JUST received the bill for re-stepping the mast; $450. Bringing the *TOTAL to 1439.53! *More than double what I had paid when I started this thread!💩

Included in this total was all of the above

Step Mast: $290.50
Crane Charge: $150
Environmental Surcharge: 8.81
I disassembled the rig and stored the spreaders, and reassembled the rig and re-attached and rigged the boom in the spring. In order to help justify this expense (and this was ridiculous!) I re-wired the mast, changed the anchor light to an LED with a photo sensor, and I replaced all the standing rigging. The cost of the standing rigging was cheaper than dropping and re-stepping the mast!


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

...because they can


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I just hauled and blocked my boat for 24 hr for some quick maintenance. Could not stay in the slings. $1,000. Robbery. Yes, because they can.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

I've mostly done it a DIY yards, so the cost has been minimal. Your cost does sound exorbitant to me, but like others say, I suspect it's just capitalism operating as it is designed.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Interesting question. I think they charge for un-stepping.... and then again to re-step. Yards will publish a price list for typical projects like bottom paining / LOA F or waxing / LOA F or stepping / lin ft of mast. Whatever it is.... it's too much!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Our marina has quoted pricing for boats within size ranges, for things like waxing. Once you get over a specific LOA, which I think it around 45 ft, you pay time and materials. 

I’ve never understood the variable pricing by the foot for the travel lift. Exact same time and equipment for every haul. At least for those that fit in the same lift.


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