Hi John,
Agreed on all the above. Good useful stuff!
Another useful non related tip is one I accidentally discovered just now, reading this tip. It made me notice for the Nth time that I’m an idiot who sometimes doesn’t notice even the most obvious.
When you put an asterix number (is this understandable in English?) on something in the text, that number is a link that brings you to the note on this, and at the note there’s an ‘enter’ symbol that brings you back to that point in the article.
This is very useful, of course, and I was oblivious to it. I’ve been scrolling to have a look. Luckily I have no teens around me right now to berate me for having a dried out brain.
Last edited 20 days ago by Stein Varjord
Philippe Candelier
October 13, 2025 10:57 am
Any word on the orientation of the mast. I have been reading that it should rest on the main sail track. Is this good practice ?
I also make sure the mast foot is obstructed with some rags so that there is no bird nest discovery in the spring.
Good tip on the birds. On orientation, good question. In most cases masts end up on their side because that’s the natural way they lie and I have never had a problem, although I’m insistent that they are supported in at least three places and four is better. That said, I’m thinking that the ideal way would be so that no side to side bend is induced and that any fore and aft bend results in the centre of the mast being further forward when stepped. What we really don’t want is aft prebend: https://www.morganscloud.com/2018/06/03/rig-tuning-part-2-understanding-rake-and-bend/
I too store masts on their side. They naturally want to lay that way and if we want to hold them a different way, then we need to create some fixturing to actually hold them that way. We just store outside on wood blocks and all I do is to make sure the blocking is pretty straight but it is not perfect. We used to store on the roof of a shop where the wind could be very strong and I would screw 2 pieces of wood into the blocking at angles to hold the mast down to it and then put an 8′ 2×4 along the bottom edge of the blocking to keep the whole thing from flipping over. I liked just having solid wood blocking material touching the mast so as to limit holding moisture against it but it seems John isn’t having problems with the cloth bags and insulation. Or am I misunderstanding and the mast end up indoors John?
As long as you don’t exceed the yield point of the metal, staying in a slightly deflected state is really not a big deal. From a practical standpoint, creep of metals like aluminum is effectively 0.
Good point on moisture. I should have stated that I store the mast inside and it’s even a heated building, so very dry. If outside I think you are right to be concerned and in that case I would remove the bags for the winter.
I’ve always stored outside and have had no problem with the shopping bags, although I prefer the boat show ad bags. they last a season, keep the halyards from UV’s and leak like sieves so they don’t retain moisture.
I have also seen Tyvec used for a complete covering ouside as long as its installed to shed moisture(right side out).
I have seen too many shrink wrap and stretch wrap aquariums for my taste, and wonder why the most expensive rigs are fond of this rig aquaculture, so I would absolutely avoid any non permeable covers during outside storage..
With regard to the mast on its track, never on a plastic track (Tides. Strong etc.) should it rest.
Unless of course you enjoy evenly spaced jam up points.
To avoid “parts shopping” I remove all loose turnbuckles, pins, sheaves, and I support(ed) in the past my furler reel with a cradle cut to the forward profile of the mast with an appropriate radius profile to hold the heavy lower unit.
In the case of deck stepped masts this can be extended beyond the base of the mast to support the weight of the lower unit.
(FYI- this may result in a “yard upcharge” for mast length in the more usurious of facilities. But that’s likely less than replacing bent furler sections.)
We’ve been storing our mast so that it’s resting on the mainsail track. This orientation makes sure, that both the sail track and especially the foil of the forestay furler do not gather any water that could freeze and break things.
This is of course only a problem where it’s freezing and storing outside.
Good point on freezing danger. I have always stored my masts inside, but that’s not always possible.
Dick Stevenson
October 13, 2025 11:18 am
Hi John and all,
We are often in a different boat yard every year and where mast care is in the hands of whatever labor is available. I used to protect my turnbuckles from getting dragged in the dirt and gravel by taking my old white athletic socks and pulling them up and over the turnbuckles taping the sock in place over the wire.
Not only did this protect the turnbuckle, but it got across how I wished my mast to be treated. I think there has been more mast damage in the boat yard than has ever happened at sea.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Olli Pietikäinen
October 13, 2025 3:58 pm
One “trick” that I feel might be too obvious to mention, but still took me many years to realize.
Store all the bits and pieces (furler parts, tie-rods, wedges…) in one clear storage that has only those parts you need for stepping the mast. Have everything there and nothing else. Label it clearly.
It’s surprising how much time this simple practice saves.
Great tip. I’m not a naturally organized person, but I have learned the hard way to do better, including doing as you do.
Alasdair Flint
October 13, 2025 3:58 pm
My mast is made of varnished Douglas Fir. Wooden masts are tapered, but only on the opposite side to the track. Wooden masts must be stored track down with all the trestles levelled up to avoid them taking on a permanent bend. I don’t suppose it matters on a parallel aluminium mast. It takes me about 2 hours to remove all the standing rigging, spreaders and running rigging, so I feel it is well worthwhile. I can wash the ropes and inspect the standing rigging over the winter. I cover the mast with a strip of heavy canvas with eyelets to keep the snow and frost from it. In the spring it gets one or two coats of Epifanes varnish before being re-stepped with new split pins and finally tensioned. I used to say ” You can find my boat because I have a yellow radar reflector”. Now I just say “I’m the boat with a timber mast!”
Yes, amazing really after 35 years. She is still looking good and I have just ordered some new sails with Vectron reinforcing. I am planning to sail to Scoresby Sund next year to see the total eclipse. Whether I get there is, of course, another matter! I still have fond memories of seeing Morgans Cloud through the fog on Bear Island, not sure we would have found that anchorage without your help. Alasdair
I too remember that night with great fondness and still dine out on the story. Great to hear you still have the boat and I envy your plans. We never did get to Scoresby Sound.
I don’t think I ever told you the punch line to my dinner time story. In the morning out crew, Ted, who you will remember, and who was a mountain climber with zero boat experience, went on deck at first light and then came rocketing below saying “you are not going to believe it, there’s a varnished canoe out there”.
The elephant in the room is “why not leave it up?” I’ve never pulled a mast for winter storage. Mostly I sail all year, so that is one difference. But pulling the mast is very rare down here (Upper Chesapeake Bay), probably one boat in fifty at most, perhaps only one in one hundred. Most of those are boats that are out for serious mast service of some type, or sometimes, multiple years. And probably mast service.
The down sides are:
Cost.
Gear gets damaged in storage and during the process. You covered that.
Mistakes made when re-stepping in the spring. Probably 2/3 of the dismasting stories I have heard relate to a mast that was recently re-stepped and something was done wrong. A wire was kinked. Something was pinned wrong. The shrouds wire twisted and later hockled because the turnbuckles were not secured against turning during tuning. Mast tuned wrong. You could have it inspected, of course. Inspect after the inspector….
Wear and tear on the turnbuckle threads. damamge to electrical connections.
Sealing problems and leaks.
The advantages include ease of inspection (climbing the mast is easy), ease of doing work (yes), stability (we get tropical storms and they don’t knock boats off the stands), and vibration/wear (I would have to be convinced that was worse than the wear due to unstepping/re-stepping). Easier to fit a cover. Perhaps ice build up is a problem? I have seen mast bases burst when the drainage holes got clogged. We do get considerable snow some years, occasional ice storms, and there will be months of nights well below freezing.
Let’s hear the reasons. Down here, unless there is considerable work to be done, that mast stays up. Head sails do come off furlers if the boat will be on the hard for more than a month or so. Mainsails can go either way, mostly off.
Hi Drew,
Agree.
Alchemy has had her mast in over-winter for most of her last 15-20 years. The last 6-7 years include 2-3 years up winter & summer in Newfoundland when we could not get to her and the last 2 years in Michigan because of a family illness.
A rigging survey revealed no issues.
As said in an earlier post, most mast damage I have seen and heard of happened in the boat yard and not at sea.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Couple of reasons why our boat is on the hard and mast taken down every year.
1) Local authorities do not allow storing boats on the hard with masts stepped. Most affordable winter storage areas here (Finland) are managed by local yacht clubs but the lot itself is rented from municipality. They have these rules, I don’t know why….
2) Hall outs are done by regular smaller truck cranes that require that you take backstay and forestay off in order to lift the boat. Thus the need to unstep the mast for hall out.
With good prep work and experienced crane operator it really doesn’t take that long. One hour of crane time (tops) and mast is down and boat in the cradle.
3) Sea is frozen for at least 3 months. Overwintering in ice would have it’s own risks and preparations.
–
That being said, if climate and authorities (and wallet) would allow, I too would prefer to keep the mast stepped.
Yup, good points. I’m always comfortable mast-up (multihulls are stable on the hard), but I do wonder about the rows of boats balanced on stands. Once in a while, they go down, and it’s dominoes!
Hi Drew,
Having been at many different boat yards over-wintering with the mast up, I insist that boats in line with me not be allowed to have any headsails remain rolled up on their furlers. At least one such boat yard subsequently made it a requirement when their yard guys made a big deal about the danger of going onto the deck of a stored boat trying to tame a flailing headsail that has gotten loose. Not only could the sail cause damage to the crew but the boat was in danger of going over as the guys attempted to capture the sail: with the guys still on it.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Absolutely, I often look at multies and envy the ease and security of chocking them.
Randall Webster
October 14, 2025 6:47 pm
Label Everything! Even the shrouds and stays left on the mast. If turnbuckles come off, label UP. If wiring comes out, label UP or Masthead (no fun to have to pull out and re-pull wiring installed bottom end up.) Small ziploc baggies for similar small parts, and include a card labeled for purpose. Store inside one bigger bag, as noted above.
Take time to survey for parts and rigging to be replaced. Then you have time to source those before the fun of putting it all back together again.
A good opportunity to practice your inner OCD.
I really like the pipe foam insulation tubes for protecting wires and mast. My big takeaway.
Edward Sitver
October 15, 2025 7:10 pm
A tip I received and used to good effect last year, is to pull all rigging taut to the bottom of the mast using light ratchet straps between the turnbuckles and bottom of the mast. This quickly produces a tidy package on the dolly before moving over to the rack, which is a fairly long, bouncy stroll at my yard. On my painted carbon mast I’m careful to protect the bottom edge of the mast where I attach hooks, as well as any other spots where the rigging could chip paint. This year I’ll deploy pipe insulation for most of that. Thanks for that great tip!
You do have me contemplating removal of all rod that comes off the mast easily, which seems even tidier. Then again, I somehow lost my pole topping lift after stripping the running rigging last year, so maybe I should just leave all of the really expensive stuff in one place.
Good idea on the ratchet straps. On the M&R 56 I always managed with blocks and tackles, and backed that up with several light lines around the mast at intervals to keep the rod contained but ratchets would be easier. Glad the noodles tip will be useful.
Arne Mogstad
October 18, 2025 8:15 am
Where I live (northern Norway), I don’t think anyone unstep their mast unless there is work to be done. I’m tempted to say in all of northern (arctic) Norway. I have never seen or heard about it, and I got laughed at when I asked someone in the yard about it the first winter after I bought the boat. And we have a lot of wind!! That, and I really enjoy sailing in winter, means I see no point in removing the mast. I too would be a lot more concerned about the storage conditions of the mast laying outdoor in some yard. On the boat, I know nobody will touch it, and I know it’ll survive bad weather, had almost 100 knots just a couple weeks ago when Hurricane Amy hit me. Actually, I leave all sails on unless there’s REALLY bad wind forecasted. I just remove the sheets and put a few of those luggage straps around the furled sail to keep it wrapped in case the furling line comes off. Don’t know if this is good practice, but if I take my headsail down for every little blow we get (over 40 knots), I would never be able to sail because I’m used to that several times a week.
Semi related though: my masthead have a hole on the top letting in water (and snow), plus the holes for rigging etc. so quite some water get inside. But there are no drain holes. Being worried about freezing expansion issues etc, can I just drill a 10 mm hole a couple cm up from the base of the mast? It’s deck stepped. This must be even worse with keel stepped as this water gets inside the boat? How do people deal with this issue? It seems impossible to have a fully waterproof mast?
Yes, I noticed that the two winters we spent in Tromsø on the boat. But then it’s also worth mentioning that many (most?) people also winter their boats in the water since the sea does not freeze, which is an iffy thing to trust here in Nova Scotia, although getting less common by the year. The other issue is that north Norway has a lot of very sheltered man made harbours, which also makes wintering in the water much easier.
As to water freezing in the mast, it’s a problem I have never seen a really good solution to. The advantage of deck stepped is that if done right the water does not get in the boat, but then there is the worry of freezing in the section low down. So yes, I think there should be drain holes as low as you can get them although that’s not a 100% fix.
For keel stepped the advantage is if we keep heat on the boat the freeze damage risk goes down but if we can’t do that then I think that’s a compelling reason to take the mast out, since freezing water in the bilge can do all kinds of harm. This is another good reason to store in the water in Norway because the water temp is above freezing, so the bilge won’t freeze.
I also agree with the dangers of leaving the mast stored outside in the yard, so I have always selected yards with a spar shed and paid the extra. If I could not do that I would probably build a cradle and leave the mast up.
I have never understood why people take the turnbuckles off the boat when unstepping the mast. They will almost invariably been dragged through the dirt. Dicks trick with the socks may help here, but why not leave the turnbuckles on deck if at all possible? They can easily be taken down for maintenance later during the winter.
I’m with you on that one. In the above I wrote the turnbuckles for brevity, but it’s just the tops that stay with the rod (can’t be removed) the bottoms and barrels stay on the boat and then some time over the winter I service them in situ.
Huw Morgan
November 1, 2025 10:38 am
Lots of good tips here. I leave my mast up as there are no good riggers available to me. Only dropped the mast once and it was chaotic trying to safely organise etc. I always take off the sails before the boat gets lifted and run them through a sail laundry and repair service with my local sailmaker. I do use a rope cleaning spiral brush to clean the running rigging. Bought that in a climbing shop and caused panic when I said my ropes were green by the autumn😂. I have moused the lines to clean the entire length but found that standard liros mouse line broke in the top sheaves. Very frustrating but liros sent me better line at a big discount as our winter storms are getting worse! I agree entirely with your comments on idiots in boat yards…
definitely store all parts together in clear boxes; we are nowhere near a chandlers these days.
Hi Huw and all,
I have a thought for messenger lines left in place for the winter (mast up) that is so obvious I suspect all know of it and have for years.
I looked at my messenger lines waving in the breeze with some trepidation for years wondering how they would fare over a long and windy winter. And then, perhaps a comment from Eric Klem, led me to wrap the messenger lines multiple times spiral-like around whatever stay, shroud or rf foil was handy. This kept them well behaved, unlikely to chafe or to jump out of the sheave, etc. and much less likely to break with all the problems that follow from that.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
We store mast down, outside rack on Lake Ontario. Mast is keel stepped, so some moisture is always making its way to the bilge. The marina crew lets me assist stepping and I stepping, guiding from below. I always show up at the crane with lowers unpinned and turnbuckles in boots. The back stay, forestay and cap shrouds already have the cotter pins out and turnbuckles are slacked so the crew can pull out the clevis pins. I use wire tie wraps to secure the standing rigging to the mast, all turnbuckles are in Dacron boots from old sailcloth. I label which side of the mast I want up on the rack and turn the furling foil so it will be slots down. I really like the plumbing insulation suggestion in your article John.
This year I pulled the mast head casting to remove the sheaves and measure up for new ones. The old ones are 35 ears old, aluminum holdovers from wire/rope halyards and have been getting wobbly on their pins. Will be getting some new ones turned in delrin with bushings, sized for the planned new halyards in the spring. (existing halyards are not 35 years old)
I will check all the fastenings in the spring, back out screws and apply some tefgel, and replace all the various cotter pins and some sheave shafts at the mast head.
Hi John,
Agreed on all the above. Good useful stuff!
Another useful non related tip is one I accidentally discovered just now, reading this tip. It made me notice for the Nth time that I’m an idiot who sometimes doesn’t notice even the most obvious.
When you put an asterix number (is this understandable in English?) on something in the text, that number is a link that brings you to the note on this, and at the note there’s an ‘enter’ symbol that brings you back to that point in the article.
This is very useful, of course, and I was oblivious to it. I’ve been scrolling to have a look. Luckily I have no teens around me right now to berate me for having a dried out brain.
Any word on the orientation of the mast. I have been reading that it should rest on the main sail track. Is this good practice ?
I also make sure the mast foot is obstructed with some rags so that there is no bird nest discovery in the spring.
Hi Philippe,
Good tip on the birds. On orientation, good question. In most cases masts end up on their side because that’s the natural way they lie and I have never had a problem, although I’m insistent that they are supported in at least three places and four is better. That said, I’m thinking that the ideal way would be so that no side to side bend is induced and that any fore and aft bend results in the centre of the mast being further forward when stepped. What we really don’t want is aft prebend: https://www.morganscloud.com/2018/06/03/rig-tuning-part-2-understanding-rake-and-bend/
Hi Philippe and John,
I too store masts on their side. They naturally want to lay that way and if we want to hold them a different way, then we need to create some fixturing to actually hold them that way. We just store outside on wood blocks and all I do is to make sure the blocking is pretty straight but it is not perfect. We used to store on the roof of a shop where the wind could be very strong and I would screw 2 pieces of wood into the blocking at angles to hold the mast down to it and then put an 8′ 2×4 along the bottom edge of the blocking to keep the whole thing from flipping over. I liked just having solid wood blocking material touching the mast so as to limit holding moisture against it but it seems John isn’t having problems with the cloth bags and insulation. Or am I misunderstanding and the mast end up indoors John?
As long as you don’t exceed the yield point of the metal, staying in a slightly deflected state is really not a big deal. From a practical standpoint, creep of metals like aluminum is effectively 0.
Eric
Hi Eric,
Good point on moisture. I should have stated that I store the mast inside and it’s even a heated building, so very dry. If outside I think you are right to be concerned and in that case I would remove the bags for the winter.
John,
I’ve always stored outside and have had no problem with the shopping bags, although I prefer the boat show ad bags. they last a season, keep the halyards from UV’s and leak like sieves so they don’t retain moisture.
I have also seen Tyvec used for a complete covering ouside as long as its installed to shed moisture(right side out).
I have seen too many shrink wrap and stretch wrap aquariums for my taste, and wonder why the most expensive rigs are fond of this rig aquaculture, so I would absolutely avoid any non permeable covers during outside storage..
Hi Bruce,
Good point on the dangers of shrink wrap. Horrible stuff.
With regard to the mast on its track, never on a plastic track (Tides. Strong etc.) should it rest.
Unless of course you enjoy evenly spaced jam up points.
To avoid “parts shopping” I remove all loose turnbuckles, pins, sheaves, and I support(ed) in the past my furler reel with a cradle cut to the forward profile of the mast with an appropriate radius profile to hold the heavy lower unit.
In the case of deck stepped masts this can be extended beyond the base of the mast to support the weight of the lower unit.
(FYI- this may result in a “yard upcharge” for mast length in the more usurious of facilities. But that’s likely less than replacing bent furler sections.)
Hi Bruce,
Good point about plastic tracks.
We’ve been storing our mast so that it’s resting on the mainsail track. This orientation makes sure, that both the sail track and especially the foil of the forestay furler do not gather any water that could freeze and break things.
This is of course only a problem where it’s freezing and storing outside.
Hi Olli,
Good point on freezing danger. I have always stored my masts inside, but that’s not always possible.
Hi John and all,
We are often in a different boat yard every year and where mast care is in the hands of whatever labor is available. I used to protect my turnbuckles from getting dragged in the dirt and gravel by taking my old white athletic socks and pulling them up and over the turnbuckles taping the sock in place over the wire.
Not only did this protect the turnbuckle, but it got across how I wished my mast to be treated. I think there has been more mast damage in the boat yard than has ever happened at sea.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
One “trick” that I feel might be too obvious to mention, but still took me many years to realize.
Store all the bits and pieces (furler parts, tie-rods, wedges…) in one clear storage that has only those parts you need for stepping the mast. Have everything there and nothing else. Label it clearly.
It’s surprising how much time this simple practice saves.
Hi Olli,
Great tip. I’m not a naturally organized person, but I have learned the hard way to do better, including doing as you do.
My mast is made of varnished Douglas Fir. Wooden masts are tapered, but only on the opposite side to the track. Wooden masts must be stored track down with all the trestles levelled up to avoid them taking on a permanent bend. I don’t suppose it matters on a parallel aluminium mast. It takes me about 2 hours to remove all the standing rigging, spreaders and running rigging, so I feel it is well worthwhile. I can wash the ropes and inspect the standing rigging over the winter. I cover the mast with a strip of heavy canvas with eyelets to keep the snow and frost from it. In the spring it gets one or two coats of Epifanes varnish before being re-stepped with new split pins and finally tensioned. I used to say ” You can find my boat because I have a yellow radar reflector”. Now I just say “I’m the boat with a timber mast!”
Hi Alasdair,
How good to hear from you after all this time, and thanks for the fill on wooden masts where I have no experience. Do you still have the Virtue?
Yes, amazing really after 35 years. She is still looking good and I have just ordered some new sails with Vectron reinforcing. I am planning to sail to Scoresby Sund next year to see the total eclipse. Whether I get there is, of course, another matter! I still have fond memories of seeing Morgans Cloud through the fog on Bear Island, not sure we would have found that anchorage without your help. Alasdair
Hi Alasdair,
I too remember that night with great fondness and still dine out on the story. Great to hear you still have the boat and I envy your plans. We never did get to Scoresby Sound.
I don’t think I ever told you the punch line to my dinner time story. In the morning out crew, Ted, who you will remember, and who was a mountain climber with zero boat experience, went on deck at first light and then came rocketing below saying “you are not going to believe it, there’s a varnished canoe out there”.
For others: Alasdair cruises a beautifully maintained all varnished (including the hull) Vertue sloop. Here’s a bit about just one of his amazing voyages: https://www.morganscloud.com/2012/03/27/a-well-deserved-medal/
The elephant in the room is “why not leave it up?” I’ve never pulled a mast for winter storage. Mostly I sail all year, so that is one difference. But pulling the mast is very rare down here (Upper Chesapeake Bay), probably one boat in fifty at most, perhaps only one in one hundred. Most of those are boats that are out for serious mast service of some type, or sometimes, multiple years. And probably mast service.
The down sides are:
The advantages include ease of inspection (climbing the mast is easy), ease of doing work (yes), stability (we get tropical storms and they don’t knock boats off the stands), and vibration/wear (I would have to be convinced that was worse than the wear due to unstepping/re-stepping). Easier to fit a cover. Perhaps ice build up is a problem? I have seen mast bases burst when the drainage holes got clogged. We do get considerable snow some years, occasional ice storms, and there will be months of nights well below freezing.
Let’s hear the reasons. Down here, unless there is considerable work to be done, that mast stays up. Head sails do come off furlers if the boat will be on the hard for more than a month or so. Mainsails can go either way, mostly off.
Hi Drew,
Agree.
Alchemy has had her mast in over-winter for most of her last 15-20 years. The last 6-7 years include 2-3 years up winter & summer in Newfoundland when we could not get to her and the last 2 years in Michigan because of a family illness.
A rigging survey revealed no issues.
As said in an earlier post, most mast damage I have seen and heard of happened in the boat yard and not at sea.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Couple of reasons why our boat is on the hard and mast taken down every year.
1) Local authorities do not allow storing boats on the hard with masts stepped. Most affordable winter storage areas here (Finland) are managed by local yacht clubs but the lot itself is rented from municipality. They have these rules, I don’t know why….
2) Hall outs are done by regular smaller truck cranes that require that you take backstay and forestay off in order to lift the boat. Thus the need to unstep the mast for hall out.
With good prep work and experienced crane operator it really doesn’t take that long. One hour of crane time (tops) and mast is down and boat in the cradle.
3) Sea is frozen for at least 3 months. Overwintering in ice would have it’s own risks and preparations.
–
That being said, if climate and authorities (and wallet) would allow, I too would prefer to keep the mast stepped.
Hi Drew,
I don’t have any huge fundamental problem with storing mast in, and have even done so. That said, here are some thoughts on it: https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/11/01/the-dangers-of-storing-with-the-mast-stepped/
Yup, good points. I’m always comfortable mast-up (multihulls are stable on the hard), but I do wonder about the rows of boats balanced on stands. Once in a while, they go down, and it’s dominoes!
Hi Drew,
Having been at many different boat yards over-wintering with the mast up, I insist that boats in line with me not be allowed to have any headsails remain rolled up on their furlers. At least one such boat yard subsequently made it a requirement when their yard guys made a big deal about the danger of going onto the deck of a stored boat trying to tame a flailing headsail that has gotten loose. Not only could the sail cause damage to the crew but the boat was in danger of going over as the guys attempted to capture the sail: with the guys still on it.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Hi Drew,
Absolutely, I often look at multies and envy the ease and security of chocking them.
Label Everything! Even the shrouds and stays left on the mast. If turnbuckles come off, label UP. If wiring comes out, label UP or Masthead (no fun to have to pull out and re-pull wiring installed bottom end up.) Small ziploc baggies for similar small parts, and include a card labeled for purpose. Store inside one bigger bag, as noted above.
Take time to survey for parts and rigging to be replaced. Then you have time to source those before the fun of putting it all back together again.
A good opportunity to practice your inner OCD.
I really like the pipe foam insulation tubes for protecting wires and mast. My big takeaway.
A tip I received and used to good effect last year, is to pull all rigging taut to the bottom of the mast using light ratchet straps between the turnbuckles and bottom of the mast. This quickly produces a tidy package on the dolly before moving over to the rack, which is a fairly long, bouncy stroll at my yard. On my painted carbon mast I’m careful to protect the bottom edge of the mast where I attach hooks, as well as any other spots where the rigging could chip paint. This year I’ll deploy pipe insulation for most of that. Thanks for that great tip!
You do have me contemplating removal of all rod that comes off the mast easily, which seems even tidier. Then again, I somehow lost my pole topping lift after stripping the running rigging last year, so maybe I should just leave all of the really expensive stuff in one place.
-Ed
Hi Ed,
Good idea on the ratchet straps. On the M&R 56 I always managed with blocks and tackles, and backed that up with several light lines around the mast at intervals to keep the rod contained but ratchets would be easier. Glad the noodles tip will be useful.
Where I live (northern Norway), I don’t think anyone unstep their mast unless there is work to be done. I’m tempted to say in all of northern (arctic) Norway. I have never seen or heard about it, and I got laughed at when I asked someone in the yard about it the first winter after I bought the boat. And we have a lot of wind!! That, and I really enjoy sailing in winter, means I see no point in removing the mast. I too would be a lot more concerned about the storage conditions of the mast laying outdoor in some yard. On the boat, I know nobody will touch it, and I know it’ll survive bad weather, had almost 100 knots just a couple weeks ago when Hurricane Amy hit me. Actually, I leave all sails on unless there’s REALLY bad wind forecasted. I just remove the sheets and put a few of those luggage straps around the furled sail to keep it wrapped in case the furling line comes off. Don’t know if this is good practice, but if I take my headsail down for every little blow we get (over 40 knots), I would never be able to sail because I’m used to that several times a week.
Semi related though: my masthead have a hole on the top letting in water (and snow), plus the holes for rigging etc. so quite some water get inside. But there are no drain holes. Being worried about freezing expansion issues etc, can I just drill a 10 mm hole a couple cm up from the base of the mast? It’s deck stepped. This must be even worse with keel stepped as this water gets inside the boat? How do people deal with this issue? It seems impossible to have a fully waterproof mast?
Kindly, Arne
Hi Arne,
Yes, I noticed that the two winters we spent in Tromsø on the boat. But then it’s also worth mentioning that many (most?) people also winter their boats in the water since the sea does not freeze, which is an iffy thing to trust here in Nova Scotia, although getting less common by the year. The other issue is that north Norway has a lot of very sheltered man made harbours, which also makes wintering in the water much easier.
As to leaving sails on, I would not do that with headsails: https://www.morganscloud.com/2009/09/01/gale-and-storm-preparation/ But I’m fine leaving the main on, and did in Tromsø.
As to water freezing in the mast, it’s a problem I have never seen a really good solution to. The advantage of deck stepped is that if done right the water does not get in the boat, but then there is the worry of freezing in the section low down. So yes, I think there should be drain holes as low as you can get them although that’s not a 100% fix.
For keel stepped the advantage is if we keep heat on the boat the freeze damage risk goes down but if we can’t do that then I think that’s a compelling reason to take the mast out, since freezing water in the bilge can do all kinds of harm. This is another good reason to store in the water in Norway because the water temp is above freezing, so the bilge won’t freeze.
I also agree with the dangers of leaving the mast stored outside in the yard, so I have always selected yards with a spar shed and paid the extra. If I could not do that I would probably build a cradle and leave the mast up.
More on the choices here: https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/11/01/the-dangers-of-storing-with-the-mast-stepped/
I have never understood why people take the turnbuckles off the boat when unstepping the mast. They will almost invariably been dragged through the dirt. Dicks trick with the socks may help here, but why not leave the turnbuckles on deck if at all possible? They can easily be taken down for maintenance later during the winter.
Hi Hans,
I’m with you on that one. In the above I wrote the turnbuckles for brevity, but it’s just the tops that stay with the rod (can’t be removed) the bottoms and barrels stay on the boat and then some time over the winter I service them in situ.
Lots of good tips here. I leave my mast up as there are no good riggers available to me. Only dropped the mast once and it was chaotic trying to safely organise etc. I always take off the sails before the boat gets lifted and run them through a sail laundry and repair service with my local sailmaker. I do use a rope cleaning spiral brush to clean the running rigging. Bought that in a climbing shop and caused panic when I said my ropes were green by the autumn😂. I have moused the lines to clean the entire length but found that standard liros mouse line broke in the top sheaves. Very frustrating but liros sent me better line at a big discount as our winter storms are getting worse! I agree entirely with your comments on idiots in boat yards…
definitely store all parts together in clear boxes; we are nowhere near a chandlers these days.
Hi Huw,
Sounds like you have a good plan in place. Great tip about the spiral brush.
Hi Huw and all,
I have a thought for messenger lines left in place for the winter (mast up) that is so obvious I suspect all know of it and have for years.
I looked at my messenger lines waving in the breeze with some trepidation for years wondering how they would fare over a long and windy winter. And then, perhaps a comment from Eric Klem, led me to wrap the messenger lines multiple times spiral-like around whatever stay, shroud or rf foil was handy. This kept them well behaved, unlikely to chafe or to jump out of the sheave, etc. and much less likely to break with all the problems that follow from that.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Hi Dick,
Great tip, thanks.
We store mast down, outside rack on Lake Ontario. Mast is keel stepped, so some moisture is always making its way to the bilge. The marina crew lets me assist stepping and I stepping, guiding from below. I always show up at the crane with lowers unpinned and turnbuckles in boots. The back stay, forestay and cap shrouds already have the cotter pins out and turnbuckles are slacked so the crew can pull out the clevis pins. I use wire tie wraps to secure the standing rigging to the mast, all turnbuckles are in Dacron boots from old sailcloth. I label which side of the mast I want up on the rack and turn the furling foil so it will be slots down. I really like the plumbing insulation suggestion in your article John.
This year I pulled the mast head casting to remove the sheaves and measure up for new ones. The old ones are 35 ears old, aluminum holdovers from wire/rope halyards and have been getting wobbly on their pins. Will be getting some new ones turned in delrin with bushings, sized for the planned new halyards in the spring. (existing halyards are not 35 years old)
I will check all the fastenings in the spring, back out screws and apply some tefgel, and replace all the various cotter pins and some sheave shafts at the mast head.
Hi Bill,
Lot’s of good thoughts and tips, thanks. I too am very careful to be ready for unstepping since it makes all the difference: https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/12/06/9-tips-to-make-unstepping-your-mast-easier/