HOW TO USE A GIN POLE
A practical manual by Dave Killen
Introduction
Some fleets have
great facilities. At some venues there are cranes readily available. From
pictures I've seen it appears that there are even fleets in which racing T-Birds
are virtually dry sailed.
Alas, that is not
the case in Fleet #1. In our situation taking a mast down can be a major
undertaking, especially for those of us who sail under the T Bird spirit of
modest frugality.
The Seattle fleet has a
"gin pole" which they use to unstep and step their masts. This avoids
costs which can run up to $175 bucks these days. This does not include finding
a place to store the mast while you are working on it, nor the cost of moorage
for the boat while this is all going on. I have even had a yard tell me they
would unstep and step the mast but I'd have to keep it on my boat as they had
no place where I could work on it.
All this led me to try out
the Seattle fleets "gin pole" when it turned out that the used T-Bird
which I purchased last March came down with main halyard sheave rupture. It was
so bad that we could not raise the main halyard except under no load
conditions.
The following is an abstract
of how friends of mine and I managed to carry out the process. This is not an
account of what actually happened. That would be too gruesome, although we were
successful and no person or boat suffered physical damage. I did lose a lot of
sleep between the Tuesday we started and the Saturday when we finished. It was
an education the benefits of which I now share with you.
I believe that this abstract
covers all that is needed for anyone trying for the first time to finish the
job in one day. It is not written for the experienced gin pole user, who no
doubt will find this a tedious rendition.
While I hope this account is
of use to other T- Birders I must disclaim any responsibility for what happens
to anyone who uses it in practice. You are on your own. I wish you well.
I want to thank Rod Briggs
and Bob Garden for their assistance in this project. Thanks also to Ed
Josberger and Dan White for their useful advice and support.
Preliminary considerations:
Some people say that this
job can be done easily with two people. I would not want to try it with less
than three (persons A, B, & C in the following description). It is really
helpful if one of these people is over six feet tall (person C in the following
description).
Gin
Pole 22 ft tall, with two shrouds and one forestay. Base of pole should have
two holes on each side to accommodate three inch wood screws. Three to one
block and tackle with 82 feet of line. Pole can be made of old aluminum spars
pop riveted together. The one we used was about 4 1/2 inches by 3 inches in
cross section.
Three
saw horses to support mast when unstepped.
Five
to seven step stepladder.
Extra
life jackets or boat cushions to support boom and mast as they are lowered to
the deck and cabin top.
Plenty
of ties to attach lines and wire rope to mast.
Rubber
mallet.
Power
drill and screws for building gin pole platform and for attaching the base of
the Gin pole to the wooden platform.
Wrenches,
etc. for detaching shrouds and stays.
Whatever
gear you think you'll need to work on mast once it is down and stable on the
saw horses.
The Gin pole is supported on
a wooden base which in turn is placed forward of the mast and aft of the
forward hatch. On a Booth deck such a wooden frame would be a finished 2x6 at
least 64 1/4 inches long. A 1 ft x 1 ft piece of 1/2" plywood is placed at
the mid point of the 2x6 directly between the mast and the hatch. A 1x6 is
attached to the 2x4's at each end of the 2x6. The result is that on a Booth
boat with metal toe rails the frame sits snugly athwart ships between the port
and starboard toe rails and fore and aft between the mast and the forward
hatch. The gin pole will be erected on the plywood.
The Gin pole is
approximately 21 feet tall. It has 3 support lines, 1 forestay and a port and
starboard shroud. Each support line is of wire attached to rope which is
knotted through the wires' thimbles. The ropes have loops tied into them so
that they may be secured to the toe rails or at the chain plates using
trucker's hitches.
The pole has two double
blocks with a 3-1 advantage. The lower and upper block each have a single dead
eye. The right hand sheave of the bottom block has the line spliced to it thus
acting as an internal dead eye and producing the 3-1 advantage. The result of
this lower block arrangement is that the tackle tends to spin as it is raised
thus producing a significant amount of friction on the lines and minimally
making the mast more difficult to raise. Maximally, it can become impossible to
raise the block and tackle even when there is no load on it.
To solve this problem it is
necessary to re reeve the block and tackle and walk out the twists in the rope.
Also it may help to lubricate each block, especially if the apparatus has been
out in the elements for some time.
The
boom must be removed.
The
boat should be moored in its slip so that the Gin pole can be mounted over the
forward quarter. Mounting it from the aft quarter and passing it under the
shrouds is virtually impossible unless the boat's shrouds in question are
totally detached. To do this is of questionable safety, I think. Others having
more experience may have a contrary opinion.
All
running rigging must be removed. That associated with the mast must be slipped
from blocks and attached securely to the mast by lines or tape above the sail
slot. Remember to retie figure 8 knots in the end of all these lines. The main,
jib, and spinnaker halyards must be attached to the mast securely. The main and
jib shackles can usually be attached to the spinnaker car. Then the rope ends
of these halyards can be secured.
If
the boat is equipped with a bow pulpit or stern pulpit they should be wrapped
with a couple of towels as the pole or mast may need to be rested against them
when mounting and dismounting it.
The
boot and wedges should now be removed from the mast and mast hole. A single
large wedge should be inserted between the mast and the forward edge of the
mast hole to stabilize the mast.
Stays
and shrouds
*
The back stay can be removed first and attached to the mast.
*
The upper shrouds can be removed next and attached to the mast.
*
The fore stay is removed next.
* The lower shrouds will be removed after the Gin pole is erected and secured.
Mounting
the Gin pole.
*
The step ladder should be placed so that person C at the far end of the pole
can mount it holding the pole by its top end as part of the procedure of
passing it to the two persons on deck.
*
Person A is located at the base of the mast to receive the pole and plant it
centered on the platform between the mast and the hatch.
*
Persons B and C are on the slip walkway carrying the pole with one at each end.
*
As A receives the butt of the pole from B he or she places the butt on the
platform. The large wedge will protect the mast if the butt gets out of the
control of person A.
*
Once A and B are on the deck and have control of the pole's butt C begins to
walk the pole forward, raising it over head as he or she moves forward. The
step ladder should be placed so that as C approaches the maximum point of his
or her reach they will be mounting the ladder while B moves toward the bow and
helps support the pole.
*
Once C can no longer assist he or she comes down from the ladder and mounts the
deck to assist in supporting the pole in front of the mast.
*
CAUTION!!! At this point the pole is upright and being held only by the three
persons. You must take care that the pole's top does not snag one of the jumper
stays! If it does it will need to be extricated by moving the pole. This must
be done in a carefully coordinated manner!
*
Person C unwraps the pole's forestay. The fore stay is taken forward and
attached to the jib tack hook and snubbed down.
*
The port and starboard pole shrouds are unwrapped individually and are taken
athwart ship and snubbed down one at a time. On a boat with a perforated toe
rail the shrouds can be attached to it at about the juncture of the two
windows. Otherwise they will have to attached to the lower chain plates below
the turn buckles. I'm not sure how to accomplish this latter arrangement, as my
boat has the perforated toe rails.
*
NOTE. The pole shrouds may bear against the spreaders if the pole shrouds are
led aft beyond the chain plates. This need not be a problem as long as they are
only snug and not over tightened. The pole will be quite stable even when the
mast begins to be pulled up and then is lowered.
*
The bottom of the gin pole has four screw holes about 1/2 inch above its base.
Through these holes screw 3 inch screws at an angle to secure the butt of the
pole to the platform.
*
Check the position of the pole. It should be about two to three inches forward
of the mast. If not make the necessary adjustments.
Attaching
the gin pole's lifting loop and downhaul. A thirty foot section of 3/8"
line is most useful here.
*
Tie a loop, with a bowline, around the mast that will clear any obstacles on
the way up the mast to the spreaders, e.g., a steaming light. The loop should
have an 18 inch tail.
* Tie this tail to the eye on the bottom of the lower block. Snug this bowline knot as close to the loop as possible. Make sure these knots are secure. They are critical! The longer free end tail should be long enough so that when the loop is raised to the spreaders by the block and tackle there will be ample rope dangling down so that should the need arise you will be able to pull down the lower block by pulling on this "downhaul."
Unstepping
the mast.
*
Person A should be at the base of the mast. Person C should be in the cockpit.
The main hatch should be closed and boat cushions laid atop it to receive the
mast as it is lowered. Person B should have control of the tackle and best be
located on the slip float next to the boat.
*
NOTE!! Depending upon the type of mast pad your boat has you may want to
unscrew it from the step at this point. If you feel the mast will slip out of
the pad easily there is no need to unscrew it. On the other hand if it has been
there a long time and corrosion has set in it would be easier to unscrew it
before you raise the mast and then tap it out after the mast is raised a few
inches.
*
Person B pulls on the tackle and raises the mast to just above the mast hole.
*
Person A grasps the mast butt and raises it slightly. The balance point of the
mast is just at the spreaders and it will be very easy to handle at this point.
*
B continues to lower the mast until A and C have it well under control.
*
B remounts the boat and then detaches the downhaul rope from the lower block
eye and ties the tackle off on the gin pole. The looped rope may be left on the
mast.
*
B then dismounts the boat and receives the mast from A.
*
C and B then walk the mast forward onto the slip float to the waiting saw
horses. The mast will have to be rotated as the spreaders pass under the gin
pole shroud.
Do your mast maintenance and or repair.
Re-stepping the mast.
*
If the mast pad has been removed now is the time to replace it.
*
B should be at the mast head and A at the mast foot. They carry the mast off
the saw horses and to the forward quarter of the boat where C is waiting on the
deck.
*
B hands the masthead off to C.
*
B and C walk the mast sternward until the spreaders are just past the gin pole.
*
A then reattaches the lifting loop to the mast if it has been removed. NOTE,the
lifting loop must be slid up to the spreaders. The 18 inch tail is reattached
to the lower block of the gin pole block and tackle with a bowline knot.
*
The downhaul is the remaining length of rope tailing off the lifting loop and
should be at least 17ft long.
*
A and C then walk the mast to the rear of the boat, passing it under the gin
pole shroud until the butt of the mast is at the mast hole. NOTE,the mast will
have to be rotated as it passed under the shroud. Care should be taken not to
brush the mast head fly or vanes against the gin pole shroud.
*
B begins to lift on the block and tackle while A holds the mast butt near the
mast hole. C walks forward supporting the mast as it is raised.
*
Once the mast is raised sufficiently it will be directly above the mast hole. C
will guide the mast into the mast hole as B lowers the block and tackle. The
gin pole's shrouds will make contact with the spreaders as the mast is stepped
if the rope shrouds have been secured well aft of the lower chain plates
*
A goes into the cabin and guides the mast butt over the mast pad so that it
fits snugly as B lowers the mast to its pad.
*
The single large wedge should be reinserted between the mast and the stem end
of the mast hole.
*
Reattaching the mast's shrouds and stays. These should be done hand tight. When
everything else is complete you can retune the standing rigging.
*
First attach the lower shrouds.
*
Second attach the forestay.
* Then attach the backstay.
*
Unscrew the fasteners from the base of the gin pole.
*
C and B should stand on opposite sides of the gin pole and be ready to support
it as its shrouds and stay are removed.
*
A detaches the gin pole's forestay while C and B support it.
*
A then detaches both of the gin poles shrouds keeping them in hand and positioning
him or herself on the cabin hatch top.
*
B and C then walk the gin pole forward off the deck quarter adjacent to the
slip float onto which the pole is to be taken. A keeps a strong positive
tension on the shrouds as B and C move forward supporting it.
*
C then dismounts the boat and climbs the stepladder which should be just
forward of the boat and slightly to the side on which the gin pole will
descend.
*
B and A lower the gin pole into the control of C who is standing on the step
ladder.
*
C and B then move the gin pole forward toward the saw horses.
*
A dismounts the boat and takes the butt end of the gin pole from B.
*
C and B move the pole to the saw horses and begin the process of securing its
lines.
· The upper shrouds are now
reattached.
The
rest is clean up!!! (Time to go have a beer, Editor’s note)
Dave Killen
Kittiwake #1069