The shrouds never need to be detached. Once the base of the mast is attached to the step by one pin, attach the jib halyard to somewhere near where the forestay attaches (there's an extra hole in that plate on my M-15) and raise the mast by hand as you tighten the halyard. It's easy to keep it all under control until you cleat down the halyard. Now you can attach the forestay. I use a device that's sold as a shroud adjuster that uses an over-center lever to let me attach the stay before tensioning it (but I can't find it in the online West Marine catalog). All pins that come out regularly are the Avibank quick-release type. My mast carrier (the fork that fits on the transom while on the trailer) is just a little too short to allow the base of the mast to be attached to the step while it's lowered, so it has a couple of extra pins that allow it to also work in a position that's raised by about 6in. That may not be an issue with other carriers. Giles Morris -----Original Message----- From: murray [mailto:murray@sonic.net] Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 12:55 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Raising an M15 Mast M Boaters, Can anyone tell me how to successfully raise a M15 mast single handed? It seems that I need a second person to fasten the shrouds while I hold the mast steady in place. Murray Wood M 15 MMP152410283 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats