MAST LOWERING WITH A TABERNACLE BASE

A majority of the Westsail 32's, and many of the 28's, were supplied with a tabernacle mast base, yet most owners have never attempted to lower their mast themselves. The procedure is not difficult, and as long as care is taken while doing it, it is a relatively safe and easy procedure, albeit somewhat scary the first time through. The following procedure is written for the 32, although it is the same for the 28. If the present mainsheet arrangement consists of two blocks on the end bail of the boom, and two blocks mounted on the boomkin, then these can be used to lower the mast. The only change would be the necessity of lengthening the mainsheet. You will need a minimum of 125' of 7/16" line, and the standard W32 mainsheet is only 90' long. If your present sheeting arrangement is forward along the boom, then you will need to hang a fiddle block, (or two single blocks) on the end of the boom, and use a fiddle block with becket that will be attached onto the backstay ear attachment point. Make sure the line you use is at least 125' long. As the mast is lowered forward, the boom is used as a guy pole, and the boom end will go up and forward, so it must be tied to prevent it from moving sideways. A 3/8" or 7/16" rope may be attached on each side from the end of the boom to the top of the turnbuckle for the upper shrouds. On most sets of rigging, the shrouds have an eye on the lower end, going into a toggle fork on the turnbuckle. This will serve as a pivot point for the upper shrouds that steady the mast as it is lowered, and it is just about in line with the pivot bolt on the mast tabernacle. Rotate the pin on the toggle end so that it is across the boat, so that the shroud will rotate forward without bending. Tie a line on each side, through the turnbuckle upper toggle end, and attached to the boom bail at the end of the boom, and tighten these up well. The turnbuckle top should also be held so it does not move fore or aft, so tie another short line on each of the two upper shroud turnbuckles from just below the boom guy rope to the lower toggle end of the lower shroud turnbuckles where they are attached to the chainplates. You can actually remove the aft lower shrouds now, and attach the after line directly to the hole in the aft chainplates. You now have secured the shroud pivot points for lowering the mast. If your turnbuckles are the type that have a threaded stud swaged to the wire that screws directly into the turnbuckle barrel, then this procedure just described will not work for you. In lieu of this, you can lash a ring or a shackle to the upper shroud wire, in line with the mast pivot bolt, and use this ring as the pivot point. It will mean that the shroud wire will have to bend at this point to lower the mast, and as long as the ring is not too close to the stud end, the shroud wire should take the bend without kinking. Since the topping lift is used to support the entire weight of the mast as it is lowered, make sure it is well fastened and in good condition. As a safety measure, take the main halyard and attach its end to the top of the boom end and secure it as a safety line, thereby doubling the topping lift. Lash a board across the top of the bow pulpit for the mast to rest against when it is lowered. Make sure the electrical wire coming out of the mast will not be pinched, and there are no other obstructions to the mast being lowered, such as an open forward hatch or some obstruction ahead of the boat, like overhead electrical wires on the dock.

The top of the W32 mast will project about 28 feet in front of the bow pulpit when it is lowered, and end up about 10 feet above the deck. To make the job of moving the mast after it is lowered easier, a roller support should be put onto the bow pulpit. One can easily be made using a 2 x 4 across the bow pulpit, with cleats on the underside to lock it into the pulpit rails. Attach a V shaped boat trailer roller to the top of the board, and pad the support brackets. Using this, the mast can be easily pulled back. Loosen and remove the backstay turnbuckle, and the aft lower shrouds if you have not done so already, and the mast is now ready to lower. The rest of the shrouds can stay in place, as well as all of the halyards. If you have a roller furling headstay, it should be removed and led back to prevent it from kinking. Tie a single block on one of the aft mooring cleats, and take the 120’ line and bring it forward through the single block to one of the jib sheet winches, and secure it with a few feet of slack in the line. Pull on the forestay to tip the mast slightly forward, until the strain is taken by the mainsheet. Now ease the mainsheet out, keeping at lease two turns on the winch as a safety. Be careful not to tangle any of the shrouds as the mast is being lowered, and that the wiring is not being pinched. Once the mast is resting on the board across the bow pulpit, the shrouds can then be bundled up.

At this point, the boom can be unrigged and lowered down by releasing one of the side guy ropes. If you decide to pull the pivot pin and remove the mast entirely, remember that more of the mast projects ahead of the pulpit than is between the base and the pulpit, so the mast will want to tip up at the base. Support it well, then spray WD-40 on the pin, and tap on it with a punch. Do not hammer on the pin directly, as it will mushroom the end and the pin will not come out. If it is still frozen, you might need to heat it with a small propane torch. As a last resort, remove the tabernacle base from the boat, or cut the pin just inside the mast with a hacksaw. If you have had to cut the pin or the tube to remove it, I can supply you with new ones. The old tube can be cut just inside the mast on both sides. The new tube is cut to fit inside the mast, and prevents the walls of the mast from moving together, and can be secured in place with epoxy putty. When reinstalling the pin, coat it liberally with anti-seize compound for easy removal in the future. Remove and clean the masthead sheaves, then lubricate with a white grease so they operate smoothly. Re-stepping the mast can be accomplished by reversing the procedure, but you must take special care while raising the mast that the rigging does not get tangled. It usually takes a couple of people to keep all of the wires straight, while another cranks on the winch.

Parts available:

• • New tabernacle pin and tube for Westsail 32
• • New 5/8" x 6-1/2" tabernacle bolt for Westsail 28
• • Complete mast tabernacle conversion kit to change standard mast
• • Pair of fiddle blocks, one with becket, with snap shackles

Email or call for an exact quote - randy@westsailparts.com 415 254 7296

PDF available of this content here.