How to fold the mast, fellowship 28

[50knots]

hello sailors. I want to change the rigging to a fellowship 28. These boats have a folding mast, designed to pass under the bridges of the Dutch canals, so it should be relatively easy to fold. Could someone explain the maneuver to me?

[tkeithlu]

Have you got a stand to receiv the mast when it comes down?

You're planning to rerig, not just get under a bridge, so remove all the sails - when you lower the mast the main will be in the way if it's still attached to the mast track.

Check to see whether the boom will fold flat against the mast. If not, remove it.

Tie a line to the forestay, run it through an eye or block at the bow, and back to a winch. Tension it.

Loosen the shrouds a bit so that you can get some slack in the forestay by leaning on the mast from behind.

Detach the forestay and slowly lower the mast, catching it before you run out of ability to control it with the line to the winch.

Crack a cold beer.

[Adelie]

Looking at SBD it looks like the intent is for the mast to pivot forward.

There are braces from the forward lower chainplates back and up to the cap shroud where it meets another vertical brace from the caps grout chainplates. The cap shroud turnbuckles are above where the braces meet. Those meeting points are in a line with the pivot for the mast.

You will need a bridle that goes from at or near the clew end of the boom forward and out on each side to the top points where the braces meet. This will keep the boom centered under transverse load.

To use:
A. Furl the main & strike the jib
B. Attach the bridle to boom and both cap shrouds.
C. Unpin the bottom of the aft lowers on each side, tieoff to cap shrouds.
D. Tighten up main boom topping lift.
E. Tighten up main sheet to slack the backstay.
F. Pop out pin for backstay, secure backstay to a shroud or to the end of the boom. Probably there’s a best place to secure it but it’s not clear without having done this before.
G. Slack main sheet allowing mast to pivot forward, boom acts as gin pile. The stock pulpit has a dip in the center so the main is captured and held flat above the water sticking out in front of the boat some ways. Boom will be sticking straight up in the air.
H. If the boom sticks up higher than the clearance of the bridge you need to pass under, pop the bridle off on side which will allow the boom to flip over to the other side.
The assumption is you will right the mast immediately after passing under the bridge. If not then you will want to put a roller on the bow, unpin the mast from the tabernacle and slide the mast aft to a crutch at the back of the boat.

Bruce Bingham has drawings of this in one of his books. This one I believe: https://books.google.com/books/about...ok_description

[Patrick of M]

Search YouTube for "mast tabernacle" and "folding mast"you will see the standard ways of doing this. A video is worth 100000 words.

[Adelie]

I found some links that use the "Bingham" method I described:

http://americanvega.org/images/20Low...g_the_Mast.pdf
https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic...rceful-sailor/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...ature=emb_logo
https://sailingwithjosh.com/2019/01/...n-a-flicka-20/
https://albergsailboats.org/about-th...-the-mast.html

pg-99: http://www.trekka.it/files/TheCompleteTrailerSailor.pdf

http://www.thesquarerigger.com/files...lume_edit2.mp4
http://www.thesquarerigger.com/files...d_Dulcinea.mp4

[50knots]

thanks for the contributions! I want to lower the mast to change the rigging. In the bow there is a steel structure, an arch about 2 m high that rotates from bow to stern and that cannot have any other function than to use leverage to lower and raise the mast. I have not found any video where a similar system appears. I suppose it will be with the winch and that bow. what I don't understand is: the mast is supported on the foot of the mast, which is inclined, it doesn't touch the bow part. there is also a very thick pin in the tabernacle, where the mast would rotate. but how to detach it from the foot of the mast?

[Patrick of M]

Post a picture of what you have, and answers will ensue. 8f you can't post pics, attach a link of what you have

[50knots]

Here some pictures

[Patrick of M]

Watching this Pearson 28 system

https://youtu.be/GvUu2RRRuM0

Should provide some insight
Basically the 1" polls are for P/S stability, in the first video they use lines instead. Your pictures don't show a gin pole

This video explains it better.

https://youtu.be/tM-FjH_DlqY

I believe from your pictures (a few wider shots would help) that the light 2 poles are stability poles, they should probably attach at a point (P&S )nline with the hinge pivot, and then form a triangle at a point up the mast, this will stabilize the mast during its ascent/descent.

Watch those 2 videos, the first is a diy rig but details many safety and engineering principles germaine to the task.

The 2nd video is more explicit as to gin pole function.