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...................................................--- Mast Raising System ---
Our used Mac came with a mast raising system when we bought it. I put the mast up the first couple times by just pushing it up. I didn't like the effort involved and felt it wasn't all that safe. One thing I did at the time was to not use the "baby stays" mentioned below and it felt like it might get away from me sideways. If you do just push it up I would still highly recommend attaching the baby stays for safety.
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The two main components of the system is a jin pole (center arrow) and the block and tackle (left arrow). The block and tackle hooks to a cleat near the bow (that is there on my boat) on one end and to the jin pole on the other end. The line from the block and tackle goes aft and I run it around the sheet winch on the starboard side. The right arrow points to the the jib halyard that is attached to the other side of the top of the jin pole. Position the jin pole so that the angle between it and the mast is less than 90 degrees so that you can pull the jin pole down close enough to the deck and be able to attach the forestay.
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A view of the mast ready to go up from aft.
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The arrows point to the less than 90 degree angle you want between the jin pole and the mast. Even her the jin pole could of been laid back a little more. You can't pull the jin pole all the way down to the deck since the block and tackle takes up room. Ruth is by the winch ready to operate it.
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A closer view of the front area of this operation. The gin pole is about 6 feet 2-3 inches from the deck to the top.
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Here you can see the block and tackle hooked to the deck cleat (upper arrow). The two middle arrows point to the baby stays that are attached with "S" hooks on the lower ends to deck eyes that are opposite the mast base and are on the hinge line of the mast almost. The eyes are about 4-5 inches ahead of the mast pivot point and about 26-28 inches out from it. The baby stays are attached to the mast via cleats that were on the mast about 5 feet up from the base on each side of the mast. The right arrow points to the line coming from the block and tackle going to.....
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... the winch and then through the cam cleat. The cam cleat lets you hold the line if you are by yourself and have to move something that might get hung up like the side stays. If I'm by myself when the mast is up besides the cam cleat I run the line aft to a side cleat and cleat it off there while I go forward to attach the forestay. If Ruth is with me she just stays at the winch with the line. The block and tackle line is either 7/16 or 1/2, I can't tell for sure.
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While sailing I leave the jin pole attached.....
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...to the mast plate where it was during the raising and....
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..... attach it to the "whisker track" at the top.
I really like this system as it is safe, easy to setup and easy to use without a lot of effort. Blue Water Yachts sells a retrofit system and it wouldn't take much to make a jin pole and put together a block and tackle and make your own.
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