# Gin-Pole Mast raising system



## mattu (May 9, 2010)

I need to fit my Mac26 with a mast raising system. I know it just a pole and some blocks. I called bwyachts and they tell me I have to buy the new kit (crank wench) for $250.00!

Anybody know a place where I can get my hands on a gin-pole?!


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

Most gin-poles I've seen are dock-mounted, manual (hand winch) cranes used for stepping and unstepping masts from boats that pull up alongside.

Are you asking about a system to raise and lower your deck-stepped mast, by pivoting at the tabernacle? If so, most folks just use a spinnaker or whisker pole, or the boom, as the offset.


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

Here, take a look at this article from Good Old Boat.


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## lydanynom (May 26, 2010)

mattu said:


> I need to fit my Mac26 with a mast raising system. I know it just a pole and some blocks. I called bwyachts and they tell me I have to buy the new kit (crank wench) for $250.00!
> 
> Anybody know a place where I can get my hands on a gin-pole?!


Are you positive that you need one?

For my SJ21, I shackle my jib halyard (extra long for the purpose, I used to use a bit of stout line with a bowline in each end as an extension) to the bow eye, then just walk the mast forward and haul in the slack on the halyard as I go. Once I get the mast upright I haul the jib halyard good and tight into the cam cleat and then I can leisurely walk forward and secure the stays. If I get a snag on the way up I just cleat off and deal with it.

I know that I have seen posts on other forums by mac 25/26 owners talking about performing a similar procedure.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You can also use a simple A-frame to do this. The advantage of an A-frame is that it can help keep the mast aligned fore-and-aft properly while raising or lowering it.


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## mattu (May 9, 2010)

*thanks for the clarification John*



JohnRPollard said:


> Most gin-poles I've seen are dock-mounted, manual (hand winch) cranes used for stepping and unstepping masts from boats that pull up alongside.
> 
> Are you asking about a system to raise and lower your deck-stepped mast, by pivoting at the tabernacle? If so, most folks just use a spinnaker or whisker pole, or the boom, as the offset.


I was guessing that it was called a gin-pole. Maybe I can just get a spinnaker pole. I would be hesitant to use me boom because I keep my sail folded up in it.

I was hoping that someone might know of a good outlet website that may have a lot of spare parts.


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## rbrown77138 (Feb 25, 2010)

*Mast stepping A frame.*

I just finished a mast raising system on my Helsen 22'. It is 12v operated and is glass laid over my deck. When it is down, you can barely see it. This might be a little over the top, but take a look. You can see it on Youtube, just type in "mast stepping A frame" and you should reach it, also on my channel is a 12v operated keel, Bob.


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## mattu (May 9, 2010)

lydanynom,
I'm not really positive about anything on this boat yet. I new to cruisers. It seem that if I just use the bow plate, there would be too much tension on the 88 plate and cleats. without a pole the angle seem to acute and I thing getting the mast up would require too much muscle.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

The trailerable Hunters use a gin pole system for mast raising (I beleive Hunter has a video, or link to it, on using the system). Basically, the mast has a hole in the front section into which the pole is inserted. The pole has two opposing eyes on the other end. The jib halyard is hooked to the top one, and the mainsheet (4 to 1) is hooked to the other, as well as to the anchor padeye in the anchor locker. You then use the mainsheet to raise the mast (with the side shrouds in place). I could raise my 28 foot mast on my H26 by myself.


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## helsen1 (Nov 24, 2010)

*Mast Raising*



rbrown77138 said:


> I just finished a mast raising system on my Helsen 22'. It is 12v operated and is glass laid over my deck. When it is down, you can barely see it. This might be a little over the top, but take a look. You can see it on Youtube, just type in "mast stepping A frame" and you should reach it, also on my channel is a 12v operated keel, Bob.


I have a Helsen 20 and am interested in seeing what you built as I am starting to devise something for my boat. Any photos available?


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## CaptKermie (Nov 24, 2006)

Wow! $250.00 is a lot, I think I paid $160.00 for my new one and I still have the old one. The old one is for a 26X, the new ones are for the 26M but work on the others. What Mac 26 model do you have? The gin pole kits are specifically made for MacGregor boats that is why they charge a premium and the new ones come with a brake winch so they are a bit pricier. The old ones like my old one incorporate the use of the headsail winch to hoist the mast from the cockpit whereas the new ones have the winch on the gin pole so you can just stand there and crank up the mast. Perhaps you would like my old one???


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## willyd (Feb 22, 2008)

I'm resurrecting this older thread to get some clarification on an idea on saw on the Cape Horn site (Mast Stepping System). Gelinas describes using a "hinge" on the cap shrouds (upper shrouds), which, from what I gather, is something like this: http://hayn.com/marine/rigging/images_rigging/RF12.gif . It's not clear to me how this would attach to the shroud, or how it would remain in position - in line with the mast step - while lowering or raising the mast. If someone could explain this to me better, I'd appreciate it. Is this hinge permanently attached, perhaps?

(I realize there are other ways to skin a cat, I'm only asking about this one method and how this "hinge" works. I was planning on bringing my mast down using a pole and "shrouds" passing through a ring held in place by lines going in four directions, but this use of the cap/upper shrouds was new to me.)

(bonus material: While trying to find an image for what I was just describing, I ran across this image, of what looks like a permanent setup to do the same thing Gelinas describes: http://www.yachtflyers.com/forum_images/PIVOT_BINGHAM.gif )


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

In the book "Sea Wolf" Jack London describes raising the masts on that vessel by the captain alone. It might not help you much, but it's a great read. lol


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

I can see what they are after. In order to keep the distance from the top of the shroud to the bottom constant as the mast goes up, it must hinge at the same axis as the mast step hinge. I don't see how the rigging you showed would work. Seems to me that it would need to be supported pretty far off the deck (at the height of the mast step). Maybe you could rig a temporary, or permanent mini shroud for the shroud hinge.



Otherwise, you may be able to find some other way to take the slack out of the shroud, and release it as the mast goes up.


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## willyd (Feb 22, 2008)

OK, a little bit more research indicates that it looks like Gelinas left out how he stabilizes the hinge on the cap shrouds, since I found a few descriptions that stress that the axis/pivot point should not change:

"What you must do is stabilise the mast sideways as it goes down. Your SS plate lugs may be strong enough but there are many Al ones around here that snap off like chalk if the mast swings sideways.
You can stabilise the mast easily with a mast head rig with cap shrouds square to the mast. You extend the chain plates with a tube so that the cap shroud can only pivot back from a point opposite the mast hinge. The tube is stayed forward by a wire or rope to stop it pivoting back. So the cap shrouds remain tight all the way from vertical to horizontal so no side sway.
Read more at Is this mast foot designed for lowering without a crane? - Page 2 "

I think I'll stick with the ring stabilized by lines and not worry about using the shroud for this.


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## Tanski (May 28, 2015)

Klacko Spars Ltd. of OAKVILLE!!!
Never tried this but it looks like a slick system using the spinnaker pole car.


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## Aswayze (Apr 5, 2015)

Happens I put my mast up using my gin pole rig just the other day.









Main halyard to end of boom, main sheet block to end of boom (actually have an extension rope to reach it), an adjustable wire rope bridle that attach to pad eyes on the coach roof even with the mast base then hooks to the boom about 2/3 of the way up. Hook everything up, tension the temp shrouds to keep the boom running straight, cleat off the halyard.










From there, I just slowly take up the mainsheet and everything scoots on up. Usually just past the point you see here, I cleat everything off and go look to make sure all the shrouds are going to go up without getting into a bind or snagging on things then resume tugging it on up. I could of course opt to use a winch but in all reality, this one goes up pretty smoothly and doesn't take much effort. Once it's straight, I cleat off the main sheet, attach the back stay and my rear most lower shrouds and then put everything back to "normal".

Basically the only thing aside from the parts of the boat which are needed for it to be a sailboat anyhow are the pad eyes on the coach roof and the bridle for the boom which coils up and takes up basically no space.


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## svselkie02 (Feb 6, 2017)

I haven't read all the replies so this may have already been said.
Position the mast at the step. Lash your boom to the base of the mast at a 90. Use some nylon dock lines or anchor rode--you want stretchy--to guy it laterally by going from the top of your vertical boom, a full turn around the hull and up again on the other side. Set up the aft shrouds only. Use your mainsheet block from the top of your boom to a strong belay point near the bow. A helper can lift the mast as you work the block and tackle--the higher the mast gets, the easier it gets. Do it someplace/time when the water is calm.
I did this a lot on a 22 foot boat so the forces on yours will obviously be greater, but if your gear will handle the weight and you set it up patiently, Archimedes will smile down on you.
JV


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## richrsd14 (Mar 3, 2001)

mattu said:


> I need to fit my Mac26 with a mast raising system. I know it just a pole and some blocks. I called bwyachts and they tell me I have to buy the new kit (crank wench) for $250.00!
> 
> Anybody know a place where I can get my hands on a gin-pole?!


I recently fiitted my 1971 Ranger 26 with a Ballinger hinged mast step so that I could step my own mast singlehandedly without using a crane.it worked, but only after a lot of research & planning. Like many of this vintage, Rangers are relatively heavy boats with heavy masts. Mine is about 33' high and weighs maybe 150-175 lbs . Because the spinnaker pole attachment ring rides on a track, I was able to position the spinnaker pole about 3 feet above the step & use it as a gin pole. The advantages were that I already had the pole & a secure way to attach it in place. The slight disadvantage was that ideally the pole should be attached at the mast step for maximum leverage, but it worked fine at approx 3' above that. The boat is 26 feet long & the spinnaker pole was about 12' long. Ideally, your gin pole should reach all the way to your forestay fitting on the bow, & the spinnaker pole was close enough. The absolutely crucial thing is to prevent either the pole or the mast from swinging athwartships once it's in the air. That was solved using the ingenious "no fear" bridle method published in Goid Old Bost Magazine 20 years ago: No Fear Mast Stepping! - Good Old Boat. I followed this design to the letter, using 2 rings & 3/16" line, but because I had no attachment point on the mast for the temporary bridle rope stays, I just looped the line over my spreaders on the opposite side, so I could just pull the line through once the mast was up. This also gave me a nice high stable attachment point for the 2 temporary mast stays. Two more stays ran from the ring to the top of the spinnaker pole. The 2 rings MUST be more or less perfectly in line with the pin on the hinged mast step, per the instructions. Using rope instead of, say, cable for the stays allows for some stretch iif the rings are slightly out of alignment, I used my mainsheet tackle for the lifting muscle, which was attached from the top of the spinnaker pole to the bow fitting. I had hoped my mainsheet line would be long enough to reach either the winch on the mast or cabin top for extra leverage, but it didn't. It worked anyway with effort on my part, but it would have been easier pulling the mainsheet line using a winch. This will be even more important when lowering the mast, as the force needed will INCREASE rather than decrease as it did while stepping. You might also use a second person to help pull, but I didn't have one.The details can be found in the GOB article, but you will also need to support the mast on the aft end of the boat on some kind of roller so you can roll it back into position to attach it to the hinged step. I just added a 9" boat trailer roller To my existing string winter cover support & it worked fine. Warning: once you roll the mast back to attach it to the step, the attachment end of the mast might tip into the air! I was able to keep it down with one hand bc it was more or less balanced but yours might not be! Also important: pin all of your slack stays in advance, especially your back stay & aft lowers before you lift. I was able to preattach all but the forward lowers & the forestay, obviously. Otherwise you could be in for a VERY nasty surprise once the mast is up bc you will need the back stay & aft Lowers to keep the mast from falling FOREWARD once it's up. I actually forgot to attach the backstay but luckily the aft lowers were able to keep the mast in place. It worked amazingly well overall using the GOB no-fear method. Neither the mast nor the pole swayed out of line at any point, and I was able to use the mainsheet cam to stop the lifting at any point to make sure All shrouds & lines were clear. Once the mast is up it's too late. I didn't take photos bc I was alone & "focused" shall we say on getting it right. Happy to provide photos & more specifics if contacted. It saves me several hundred dollars a year in boatyard stepping fees, but it's not for the faint of heart or sloppy.


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