How much does my mast weigh?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

If that's a normal winch handle pocket on the mast, there's no way it's a foot wide...


It looks like it might be a similar section to mine, which is a 235mm deep section and about 8kg per metre. ( Whale Spars index frame page )Take the sails and boom off, the remaining rig would likely weigh somewhat less than 200kg.

Ah, those sections look very similar, thank you. And being a Sydney based supplier it is highly likely they supplied our mast too.

I will go and measure properly now, I am feeling a bit embarrassed. I did one of those "about this much" hand measurements and then grabbed a ruler. Not smart. I woke up this morning and read the incredulity in a few posts and realised I had goofed, badly.

Matt

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GILow

Ah, those sections look very similar, thank you. And being a Sydney based supplier it is highly likely they supplied our mast too.

I will go and measure properly now, I am feeling a bit embarrassed. I did one of those "about this much" hand measurements and then grabbed a ruler. Not smart. I woke up this morning and read the incredulity in a few posts and realised I had goofed, badly.

Matt

Don't fret too much, so far less than 270 views though this may change

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Don't fret too much, so far less than 270 views though this may change

What, you mean when someone on CF freely admits they were wrong? Yep, that should generate some rubberneck traffic.

Matt

[GILow]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

If that's a normal winch handle pocket on the mast, there's no way it's a foot wide...


It looks like it might be a similar section to mine, which is a 235mm deep section and about 8kg per metre. ( Whale Spars index frame page )Take the sails and boom off, the remaining rig would likely weigh somewhat less than 200kg.

Right, THIS TIME I measured properly. It looks like our mast is the equivalent of the WS280 profile from the Whale Spars site. (Yeah, that's a bit under 1' x 6.8", so I was WAAYYY off with my initial guess).

Anyway, at 11kg/meter (thank you, that link was very useful) that gives me 167kg of mast, maybe another 30 kg of spreaders and associated hardware, 55kg of 10mm stays, 25kg of 8mm stays, 30kg of assorted wire and rope halyards, 30kg of various winches and maybe 30kg of various blocks, fairleads, terminals etc. So it should come out under 370kg. Not light, but not insane. I'll check the SWL on the crane when next at the club.

Funny, I thought this would one of those questions where everyone knew their mast weight off by heart, but perhaps my insanely inaccurate guess at the mast dimensions put people off?

Matt

[GILow]

As a brief followup, I can see why the yard master was nervous. The crane is rated for only 500kg, and would be at the limit of its height to pull our mast. Looks like I am going to have to hire a crane truck damn it.


Matt

[Hard Rock Candy]

A friend and I pulled his mast one time. we just anchored under the Frontera bridge on the Rio Dulce. We hooked a strap around the mast and pulled it with a 1 ton come along. We just hooked the come along to the Handrail. easy peasy. Mac

[Cheechako]

3 of us carried the mast off my 44 footer around the yard. 2 of us carried the mast off my 31 footer.
But the bottom line is 500 kg should be fine..... The mast is most often pulled by attaching a strop below the spreaders... is that the height you are figuring?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Hard Rock Candy

A friend and I pulled his mast one time. we just anchored under the Frontera bridge on the Rio Dulce. We hooked a strap around the mast and pulled it with a 1 ton come along. We just hooked the come along to the Handrail. easy peasy. Mac

Nice solution. Sadly I am a bit short of bridges... There's one up the river that opens at 10am. If I was organised....

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

3 of us carried the mast off my 44 footer around the yard. 2 of us carried the mast off my 31 footer.
But the bottom line is 500 kg should be fine..... The mast is most often pulled by attaching a strop below the spreaders... is that the height you are figuring?

On my numbers 3 guys could not carry our mast in a fit, unless they were weight lifters. Not if my 370kg is even close to the mark.

As for the lifting methodology, I figured somewhere below the lower spreaders would be the way to go. The crane has two cables, the main lifting cable and a secondary substantial cable to control the load. With the secondary cable attatched at the upper spreaders I think the bulk of the load would be taken by the main cable on the lower spreaders, and then the mast could be lowered to the horizontal using the smaller cable and winch. I think there is enough height, as I said, our mast is not particularly tall.

In fairness, it's all conjecture by me, the yard master will be able to tell me what to do, after all, he does it all the time, but I just wonder if our mast is too close to the 500kg rating. At my estimate of 370kg I feel we are running out of leeway.

Perhaps the real advantage of the crane truck is that the driver will be able to move the mast to the work area after it has been removed. Otherwise just transporting the mast once it is horizontal will be a major task.

Matt