Raising and lowering the wishbone boom with the halyard and the topping lift? Is it better to keep the haliard between the ladder and the mast. If the ladder is higher than the boom hangers?
I have lowered and raised the wishboom for winter storage with the mast up one time.
I setup an extension ladder on the cabin top aft of the mast.
By climbing the ladder a bridle was secured to both sides of the wishboom aft of the mast. The bridle was then connected to the halyard.
The halyard lifted the front end of the wishboom slightly. The hangar wires were then disconnected from the boom. The lower ends of the hangar wires were lashed to the mast for winter storage. The choker block was then removed from its attachment point at the front of the boom.
The halyard then lowered the forward end of the boom to the deck.
Two people at the aft end of the cabin top can then take the weight of the boom while a third person disconnects the topping lift.
The forward end of the boom can be supported by a board placed in the bow pulpit.
The aft end of the boom can be supported by blocks on each side of the companionway. The blocks support a board that supports the boom.
To raise the boom in the spring, reverse the process.
Ward, or anyone,
Is the halyard kept between the ladder and the mast or is it better to keep it aft the ladder?
Mast-Halyard-ladder
Or
Mast- ladder- halyard
I think you need to raise the boom then setup the ladder.
I raise and lower the wishbome single handedly, annually. The halyard stays against the mast (just as it does when hoisting the sail). When raising the wishbone the ladder is put in place after the boom is at the correct height. The overlap of the halyard and the wishbone is not a lot.. perhaps 2 ft, and the ladder is aft of the halyard.
With the halyard/ topping lift method I use, I cant see how the halyard could ever be aft of the ladder.
A friend captured my installation efforts last week.
Regards
Martin
That approach makes perfect sense. The last two times we did it. We set up the ladder first, and then raised the boom with the Halyard. It was difficult .Thanks for the info Ward and Martin
Brian Cayer
I’m curious: anyone out there who’s done this with a N26?
I’ve never tried it, and I’m wondering if there’s enough room behind the mast to set up a ladder safely.
-- Bob
Bob,
Are you looking at ‘behind the mast’ as in front of the mast towards the bow pulpit? That is what I thought was said it must be a bout of 6/7
Never mind after thinking thru my 6/7 mind I see you ment distance from the front of the cabin to the mast, duh
Brian Cayer
I can see that you’ve tied the top of the ladder to the mast, but I’m curious how you keep the ladder from rolling off to one side and dumping you into the water?
I don’t think so. Feet on the ground at the base of the ladder and arms outstretched to just grip the ladder is a standard practice I’ve used for years. Makes for a safe angle. There is at least half that distance on the 26.
RonB.
Bob,
There should be enough room to do this approach with your 26 as it works on my 22. Just started the ladder technique two years ago. Wonderful change from the previous 13 years of going up (and down) in a bosun’s chair with the wishboom resting on my thighs!!
John Gialanella
Tourmaline, Nonsuch 22 #8
Bolles Harbor, MI
I’ve done this twice on my NS22. I place the ladder on the deck, not the cabintop, just as Martin shows in his picture of Zeno. The feet of the ladder butt up against the cabintop, which keeps them from moving at all. This makes for a steep ladder angle on the 22 because there’s not much room between the mast and the cabintop, but I solve that by putting my hands, or at least one, around the mast rather than gripping the ladder itself. I also lash the ladder in place with lines running down to the cleats on the foredeck. The bridle is placed aft of the mast, as others have said, and I put in place after raising the boom. If I can do it on a 22 then it can be done on a 26. My ladder is 10 or 12 feet long, enough so that I can stand comfortably with my arms above the boom, I guess one step higher than Martin in his picture, which makes it easy to connect the hangers and fit the choker. I’ve had no issues with sideways movement, as Brian asks. It’s all pretty solid.
We use a different approach. Our 30 has a second halyard, nominally for a blooper sail. This is directly from Gordon Fisher as we have his boat. We use the blooper halyard to lift/lower the front of the wishbone. We use the halyard and a bosun’s chair to hoist someone to attach/detach the hanger lines.
If there is not adequate room between the mast and front of the house to get a proper ladder angle, you can set the ladder on the house. There may be a hatch to set the ladder against or you can tie the bottom of the ladder, which is sitting on the house, to the mast to insure the bottom of the ladder does not kick out of place.