Mast moving ideas?

[smj]

Kudos to you. A rigging company charged $2900 to remove and transport our 56’ carbon mast 45 miles, and I’m told the mast weighs less than 140 lbs.
This was paid for by the previous owners insurance company. Sounds like highway robbery to me.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Many sailors don't realize that oversize permits are granted routinely and inexpensively by nearly all states and provinces in the USA/Canada. For a boat, most states will grant a one-year permit allowing multiple trips; in my home state they're under $100 a year. This makes the purported 8'6" maximum beam for trailer sailors irrelevant in most cases.


There are only a few really problematic areas:

• Boats over around 12'6" abeam (varies by jurisdiction).
• Boats where the nature of the route and the boat means that you have to use part of an oncoming lane without yielding to oncoming traffic. In most states you have to pay for a police escort.
• Boat and trailer heavier than the rated capacity of your truck
• Sufficiently overheight that detailed route planning is required with many obstacles, usually over about 14'6".
• High-traffic areas and holiday weekends, which usually have time restrictions. For example US1 from Homestead to Key West does not allow oversize loads during the day

Lots of big powerboats get hauled by their owners on a trailer, relatively few big sailboats.


In practice, skill, confidence, and having a large enough truck available are more of a limitation than the regulations.

Exactly. It cost a grand total of $10 for the permit and it was good for several weeks.

I did lack the skill. My first turn, I didn’t realize it was more limited than a 5th wheel and got caught with my pants down as the mast started to touch the truck fender. I had to run over a little plastic reflector pole on a spring in the median that sprung back up. It was ugly though.

[Chotu]

Oh yeah. Left something off the list for DeValency and maybe our friend Mark with the manatees:

Yankee Ingenuity


Sorry my southern friends. It’s a thing. Ha ha ha.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by smj

Kudos to you. A rigging company charged $2900 to remove and transport our 56’ carbon mast 45 miles, and I’m told the mast weighs less than 140 lbs.
This was paid for by the previous owners insurance company. Sounds like highway robbery to me.

Might be the first time I’ve ever felt bad for an insurance company. Ha ha

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ah. It may not have been obvious in the pictures but let me include what made it all legal:

1) department or transportation permit, specifying the exact trailer setup

2) It’s very far away but that’s actually a brand new, real trailer with a 1100lb load capacity and working lights, license plate, IS Department of Transportation approved

3) all lights worked at all times for the tow

4) safety towing chains from mast to truck as well as mast to trailer

5) Professional real flag on the back

6) many wraps of bright fluorescent tape down the whole length.

7) the soft hitch may have been iffy, but I think the law is about the safety chain, not the hitch.

2 cops passed me on the trip so... it was legal. They would have definitely pulled me over if they could.



There is quite a “can’t do” attitude of fear on this forum sometimes. My only worry about all this is everything they seeped into my brain from years of forum reading telling me I can’t. I think a lot of this negative energy on here is not justified.

Not speaking to you, DeValency. Just in general. So many people white a defeatist “can’t do” attitude.

This is teaching even more and way more impressive details. And all of it for $400!

I'm in the last (I hope) quarter of my two years major refit, started in St. Lucia, continued in St. Maarten and now in Savannah, with a plan to sail back home in May - while I did most of the complex things myself. As a great believer in the value of "CAN do", somehow, when it gets to the highways, my common engineering, military and seamanship background is of a little help.

Agree we should always look for the ways to do things, think out of the box and stay innovative. Was following up your project (not everything) - impressed with the unique way of thinking and creativity.

[jeepers]

A "one way" rental 26'+ U haul truck with "your" car on the U haul car trailer (not a dolly) behind,. Put lumber across the roof of the box & strap the mast to ONLY the truck box with 5' of the mast hanging out front.
(make sure the mast won't slide forwards or backwards nor side to side..
Make wide left turns.
NO right turns.
You "square" the block if you need to go right.
That is you go one street past your needed right turn.
Then turn left.
You are now parallel to your desired street but going the opposite direction.
Then turn left again.
Now you are approaching your desired street.
..& yet left again.
Voila you are now on your desired street heading in the desired direction.
You are now on the street you wanted to turn right on and approaching the intersection you desired to make the right turn at.
A couple of blocker cars/ trucks are handy to have as they can block lanes for you to turn from outside to inside lanes.
If you have never done anything like this before..
Do a couple of dry runs in just your car with your blockers with you..
Communication is a good thing to have to all vehicles.
As well as lights, flags etc etc.

[caffel]

Keep looking for local riggers. Most of the ones that sell rod rigging will own or have access to a telescoping trailer that can be used to transport masts or very long rods. My most ambitious job of that sort at North Sails East was to transport a 65' rod from Bridgeport CT through Brooklyn and back out to Greenport Long Island (extreme eastern end of Long Island). We used an everyday van to pull it and the trailer could be manuvered by hand in a pinch.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by DeValency

This is teaching even more and way more impressive details. And all of it for $400!

I'm in the last (I hope) quarter of my two years major refit, started in St. Lucia, continued in St. Maarten and now in Savannah, with a plan to sail back home in May - while I did most of the complex things myself. As a great believer in the value of "CAN do", somehow, when it gets to the highways, my common engineering, military and seamanship background is of a little help.

Agree we should always look for the ways to do things, think out of the box and stay innovative. Was following up your project (not everything) - impressed with the unique way of thinking and creativity.

Wow. Refitting while in exotic places. I will never again complain about the sourcing side of my project (takes 1/4 of the time of building a boat). It must have been very challenging and required a can-do attitude for sure!

Best of luck on yours. I understand what goes into that. And thanks for the kind words.

[Chotu]

It never ends with people who don’t read the thread. Lol

[SimonFirth]

I moved a 15 metre section on a trailer designed for rowing eights. Small overhang aft with forward section over the roof of the tow. Be very careful on tighter corners or you will end up joust with the oncoming traffic.

[SimonFirth]

The word was “jousting” ... as in a knight with a lance. In USA you need to be very careful on right hand corners.