The baby shrouds you describe will only work if the hinge point is at the same level as the mast step hinge. I use the same gin pole design for my 18 foot sailboat but have made two temporary side stays from low stretch line. The temporary side stays form an upside down Y configuration and has a ring at the center of the the upside down Y. The lines near the deck are positioned fore and aft to get the ring in line with the mast hinge when under upward tension. You need to find a location to fix these in position. If you have the aluminum toe rail this is not a problem. I ended up using the trailer frame for one of them. The single line going up from each side are attached to a halyard ( main or spinnaker) and put under body weight tension. I can send you the design document I acquired off line if you wish. It is probably much easier to understand. Thanks Doug Kelch M15 G "Seas the Day" Sandpiper 565 "Take Five" On Sun, Aug 25, 2013 at 9:40 AM, Lpcorin <lpcorin@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi,
I'm new to the forum and recently bought (adopted?) a Montgomery 17 (#302; Orli). I've been stepping and lowering the mast with a safety line to the forestay but would like to be able to do this with a gin pole. I made a gin pole out of a 2x4 and U bolts. I attach the gin pole to the base of the mast using a cutout and a ratcheting strap. I'm able to get that tight enough so it's stable. On the other end I attach the jib halyard to a U bolt on top of the pole and on the under side I attach the trailer winch strap to raise and lower the mast, using the gin pole. Now here's the problem - I made baby shrouds to try to stabilize the mast and preventing it from side movement. Unfortunately, my attempts to stabilize the mast raising system has been less than successful. Any suggestions on how to provide sufficient stability so I can use this system with confidence?
Lenny #302, "Orli"
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