How Many Quacks Does it Take to Launch a 32’ Trimaran? | Sailing Soulianis - Ep. 120

[@chiefenumclaw7960]

My girl and I split up because we couldn't agree on the fat percentage of our milk - She was a 1% whilst I will go to my grave with 2%. Meanwhile, Team Soulianis over here communicating and working together like a well-oiled machine. Many quacks, but never at one another. Good job Fam!

[@MusicMike939]

Try almond milk. Much better.

[@Daledsch]

@@MusicMike939 that's nut juice not milk

[@edwardmartin7753]

Milk’s bad for you.

[@peterwright9607]

Well done for presenting a very honest ... first time in water video...... we have to step our mast too. You gin pole far too short the pull from the winch and is too shallow an angle to head of mast. This means incredible strain at almost straight pull with no lift. Make a wooden support for cockpit end to cradle the mast in a position a couple of feet higher and even a gin pole 18 in longer will cope

[@chriskirkman5425]

Hang in there. Yeap r gave it r best shot

[@akjhome]

Now THAT is new boat ownership. I appreciate you sharing the struggles. It makes your channel more honest and you all more trustworthy.

[@dejapex1]

I have owned three Farrier trimarans. The current one is an F22 I built. I am 77 and often raise and lower my mast totally by myself - it sort of amazes me. You will soon get this mast raising business down by using the Farrier plans and the F-Boat forum. Wise decision to just get the mast up and enjoy the summer sailing. You may have to get some aluminum items fabricated but there are plenty of resources in Michigan. Thanks for the video. Good Luck and enjoy the summer. Take care

[@vanbarrettdesign]

Michiganders… you rock.

[@robertthompson9455]

OK, get a "Stand Pole" that will base on the ground and lift the mast from the mast head several feet. That will take an enormous strain off of the wench, lever pole and the step plate. Finishing the lift from this partial lift will be much easier...The Old Guy

[@artsmith103]

Or a bunk on the stern if it can handle the weight. Pole to the ground is good idea if necessary. Typically very long reach.

[@AORD72]

Or a person standing on the stem lifting the the mast up to get past the initial direct strain of the almost straight pull. Wonder how much the mast weights?

[@joeweeks7256]

You have to use a pole or a piece of wood to pick up the top of the mast to change the angle of the mast

[@artsmith103]

Some kind of bunk across the stern will help. My mast starts some 10° above horizontal.

[@jamespyacek2691]

That's what I was thinking... get it up above the horizontal.

[@richardnwilson]

Two thoughts on raising the mast. First use a longer Jin pole. Second the most force by far is required at the very beginning of raising the mast. A little help Pushing nearer the top of the mast for the first few feet will make a big difference. Good luck!

[@threedprintedmarinetechnol3330]

It was lovely to see a very stressful situation get solved with no yelling and all smiles at the end. Proving once again that my childhood boating experiences didn't need to be the way they were.

[@gsftom]

Launching and starting large boats that u don’t use often or haven’t used lately requires yelling 🙂. Lol

[@michaels1554]

So did you think all those ducks flying across the screen were for humor? 😝No, that was when all the cussing and yelling was taking place and then edited to make everything look all rosy and smiles for the you tube algorithm and audience.😂

[@kirenireves]

@@michaels1554 The ducks were launched at the situation, not at each other. Crucial difference!

[@chrisjohns7137]

Don't give up on raising and lowering the mast yourselves. It's the reason you bought the boat. Repair the deck, maybe use a temporary prop under it to give extra support during raise lowering ops. Devise a method, try it, tweak it, perfect it and make it slick and safe. Where there's a will....... Great people, great vid. Thank you.

[@SailingSoulianis]

All in due time!

[@3865ron]

I'll bet there a lot of boat owners wouldn't have posted this. Congrats to you folks for doing so. Sailing is not always fair winds and cold drinks! :)

[@stephengreen2898]

Wow… This is the MOST realistic video of what it is REALLY like when you own a trailerable sail boat…. Beautiful presentation!

[@Ravenswingsailing]

But this video does not show what it's like to launch these boats when they're properly set up. We routinely get them from the parking lot to sailing in 30 minutes. The Corsair Marine launching videos are realistic. - a longtime owner

[@bumpkin52]

I used the same process to raise the mast on my Stuart Mariner. Getting the head of the mast at least 10 to 15 degrees above horizontal will make a huge difference. Also I attached the main halyard to the gin pole.

[@mathewdavis-adventuresandd6643]

Two good points. I forgot to mention how much a mast stepper helps.

[@SailingTipsCa]

What an adventure!!! Don't despair - the first time we launched our F-82R trimaran it took at least three hours and we had even practiced raising the mast at home beforehand!. Your gin pole looks a bit short and flimsy for the size of your mast. A longer stouter pole would help quite a bit! I think ours is about 8' long and our mast is a couple feet shorter than yours.

[@oh-brothers]

Did you try to lift the end of the mast before winching it? From dead level it seems like there is a lot of stress at play while winching.

[@AORD72]

Exactly, if they had someone lifting the mast from the stern of the boat they would have gotten past the biggest load on the halyard.

[@islandonlinenews]

Yeh, could easily walk it up with two people. Don’t even need the gin pole and winch.

[@SailingSoulianis]

@@islandonlinenews The mast is 42.5 feet long and weighs somewhere in the 150-200# range. This is not something that can be walked up.

[@islandonlinenews]

@@SailingSoulianis oh, looked more like 33 to me. you're probably right. 3 people then haha.

[@artsmith103]

@@islandonlinenews The problem is with that kind of weight, the person holding the mast head line far forward of the bow will get pulled out of their shoes.

[@PREPERMIKE2012]

As many Quacks as needed is just fine, dont get down on yourselves with the fail. Your smiles make it all worth watching and I cant wait for you to get where you want to be.

[@johnachim2056]

Congrats, great experience. We have a 1994 F 27, bought it new. We took a Catalina 30 sailor for a ride and the next year he bought a c28. We race out of Milwaukee. The 28 is more complicated to raise and lower the mast. We paid a lot of tuition learning. Next time. Tie the bow down. Use two halyards. The line connection’s need to be on the bow side of the gin pole. The most deflection is at the start of lift and at the end of lowering. The stern support needs to be higher than the deck to help on the angle of lift. The short temp lower lifting stays need to be attached the whole Time. The cap shrouds can be free till the floats are out and bolted in. There are a lot of 28 sailors in MI. That you can get input from. There also is a F boat/Corsair list that has archives of everything. Welcome to the boats with training wheels. Remember to wave when you pass the other boats.

[@shadylane7988]

LOL...in my experience, it takes 5 people to launch a '32 tri that's supposed to take two people 2 - 3 hours and even then, lines get twangled, shit gets dropped, things break, boat gelcoat gets dinged, tensions run high, people bust their backs....it's all in the attitude! Yep, the engine doesn't start, you drag rudder and don't forget to clear the power lines! And leave home with ALL apparatus, plenty of tools and replacement parts and some guerrilla tape!

[@actoraa]

One of those moments of panic that are an integral part of boating. 😂 You did well!

[@candiwings]

We have a Dragonfly folding trimaran and can fully sympathise with your struggle! When we first got our boat it was also a very steep learning curve, however the rewards have been very worthwhile. Keep learning and enjoy the ride!

[@markkendal5490]

Wow, what a team! Having had a sailboat where we could raise the mast ourselves and being terrrified each time we tried I feel your pain - and then the outboard! You folks did so well - nothing but admiration from here! 🙂

[@stevebaker4303]

Wow! You guys are usually so prepared. I mean that as a compliment. This was one of those “let’s give it a try” deals. You worked through it well. God bless your Dad! Steady as a rock. You’ll get this figured out. From watching you trying to step the mast I saw two things. First as you saw the boat was moving in the trailer. Second I bet if you would have picked the mast up about 10 degrees with some sort of crutch it would have gone up. Picking it up from the pure horizontal is really asking a lot. Keep at it!

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks Steve, all great suggestions :)

[@christopherbarber9351]

Thank you for providing the "it isn't working!" footage.

[@erichaskell]

Having learned to raise our mast on our 24 foot trailerable I know how stressful this can be. You will conquer this.

[@captchia]

Great try! You never know what you can do if you don’t at least try. Only thing I would’ve done different was practice stepping the mast at home, so when at the boat ramp you look like pros banging it up with a quickness, and you’ve addressed all the issues before hand!

[@SailingSoulianis]

Lol, I guess we have no shame. We're putting it all up on the internet anyway :)

[@meestahwah]

​@SailingSoulianis captchia does have a point here. Being able to do trial runs from the comfort of your front yard might help you get the process down pat so when you get to the far flung ports you plan to trailer this boat to, stepping the mast won't be so foreign. I do hope you get the system figured out. I have been looking forward to you cats cruising in far flung places! Cheers from Seattle.

[@captchia]

@@SailingSoulianis that’s the mark of professionals. We take lessons from our failures, and improve. Along the way, we help others learn from of our mistakes. Make no mistake, you guys are professional sailors. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s only a matter of time before you’re blue water veterans! Fair winds, and following seas!

[@billroberts3864]

@@SailingSoulianis Thanks for posting the attempt at stepping the mast so we can see the trials and tribulations involved in the process.

[@paulcrane2010]

Guys thanks for sharing such a seemingly stressful update. I can only imagine that when you’re under such pressure with your expectations and exciting ramped, that filming isn’t exactly your top priority, so thanks.

[@Ravenswingsailing]

Hi Soulianis. If you haven't already solved this, the aft mast support should be much higher. You can see that on Corsair 31s with factory trailering setups. Like get the masthead nearly 13' off the ground. And you'll want the different size lawn mower wheels back there to allow easier rolling and to keep it from jumping sideways. PM me if this doesn't make sense. Peace :)

[@ProspectingMonkey]

West Marine sells a rode bag that you attach to your bowpit will hold 300ft or 150 and up 24 ft of chain. My boat doesn't have an anchor locker either I find this helpful. I think the mesh bag alone is 69$ hope this helps!

[@bpersons14]

New boats always present big learning curves but that was UNREAL, you guys remained calm and worked together as a team to ensure you didn't ground the boat. Well done team!

[@brianmiller7934]

You all work so well together! You can practice/troubleshoot this at home, yes? This would let you check the sails and running rig with less pressure. You could get all your sheets and halyards sorted out ahead of launch time. Thanks for sharing your adventures!

[@billroberts3864]

You two are fantastic and made a valiant effort to step the mast yourselves. And you could give each other big hugs when you decided to let the boat yard to step the mast for you. You are inspirational and yes, professional because you know when to ask for assistance instead of breaking something or hurt yourselves. Blessings to you as you go sailing.

[@stelliform]

I stepped my mast on my Catalina 22 a few times in my backyard before I ever tried at the launch. And my mast is nothing compared to your mast. Great video! I’m excited for you guys!

[@alpensler5844]

You may have already figured a solution by now but I had a 23 ft trailerable sail boat for over 30 years. I first had a brace on the stern built with a “Y” attached to the top which had a trailer roller between the tip. This allowed me to easily roll the mast backwards. I then had a square tube extension made on the front of the trailer which came up about 8 feet from the winch table assembly. Using a series of pulleys and a bracket on the mast I was able to get the leverage to raise the mast once the rear tabernacle pin was in place. To top it off, I used a power winch motor with a remote to wind it up or let it down. The main thing is not to allow the mast wander left or right on the way up because it will rip the tabernacle off the top of your roof. Once you get it past the 45 degree mark you’ll be able to push it the rest of the way by hand. Stepping the mast down can be just as complicated. Also, remember that your shrouds and stays can last ten years or a thousand feet if you allow them to drag on the road. Also my back stay and shrouds had a tendency to kink on the way up if you didn’t lay them out correctly before the stepping.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Lol “ten years or a thousand feet” yikes

[@ericvanvlandren8987]

Oh my gosh, I was living and dying with you every moment! At least the preview of the next episode is less anxiety inducing! So happy and proud for you guys!!!

[@matthewsciarrotta2118]

In boats and in life its about adapting to the changes. You guys seem to have that process mastered. Could you have one more variable thrown at you. When Kirk figures out how to get the mast up without the boat yard's help a video of "how" it was done would be great.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Absolutely in the cards :)

[@Sailspirit99]

Here in Perth, Western Oz, we call those thingys that help prevent the sideways movement while raising a deck stepped mast “wobble stoppers” 😂😂😂 ⛵️😎

[@robertschapler670]

use a longer (x2) 4x4 post. cut round hole in bottom to take the base of the tabernacle and try again. The longer "pole" will greatly improve the leverage and thus ease the load overall.

[@jfierstien]

I learned to sail on Lake Charlevoix. It was fun seeing the boat launch area and a tiny shot of the town. Hopefully we will see the old ferry and of course the bridge when you take it out on the big lake.

[@davidtiedt2767]

y'all did great and i loved every minute of the video...... brought back memories of stepping our mast for the first time... second time and many more times.... Y'all did wonderful... thank you.... as for electric... naw... gas is the way but it is all a learning process... congrats..... job well done...

[@itsbriankearney]

Still showing the sense of humor at 15:45...well done. Terror is the absence of humor, and vice versa!

[@billharrington172]

I feel you. The stress. The failure. 50 things going wrong all at once. The joy with ultimate success. I've been there. Well done!

[@allanc6241]

I give the three of you 👍👍👍for not pushing a bad situation. You have a great back yard with lots of room to work out all the problems and correct them one at a time in stepping the mast.

[@humbledsparrows4687]

Years ago, we had a Chrysler 26 and we stepped the master just like you were attempting to do, it worked great. That was the best trailer sailer we ever had.

[@sailingsomeday5975]

Love the spooky music as your drifting at the rocks

[@kleinbiker1]

I've stepped several large masts using this gin pole method and it's def not for the faint of heart!

[@Thomas-ts2gl]

On my 25' Catalina about a 30 ' mast. I made about a 6' bracket with a roller and guides that attaches to the stern, set the mast on the roller and walk the mast back to attachment point. It puts the mast at enough that you can directly attach to the mast. I use and electric wench with cable to raise it. And to raise it by myself. I also made brackets off the center pivot point of the mast that the mast side guide wires can attach to keep it centered as it goes up. Hope this helps.

[@svaileana]

Apologies is this was said before, but halyard to gin pole then cable from winch to gin pole. The winch should only pull the gin pole forward which then pulls the halyard forward along with the mast. Making the halyard one continuous cable with the winch only compresses the gin pole. Love the channel!!

[@SailingSoulianis]

I can see this working IF our gin pole is the exact length of the J measurement AKA from the mast to the bow roller that the winch line comes up through. Otherwise with a shorter pole, like we currently have, the winch line would be pulling at the wrong angle to the gin pole once the pivot moves beyond the 45 degree/mid point.

[@jameshulderman634]

Great video! Cool to see some other multihauls in the mix ;) Very suspenseful watching you guys step that mast, That is a scary moment. We take for granted being able to due it by hand on the F18 Catamaran. Great comunication and decsion not to use the trailer step mast system that day. Lots of load there, hopefully you can get it sorted for ease this season.

[@christip20]

You guys could go look at “Tulas Endless Summer” channel from maybe a year ago?.. They used a Corsair for a season and they were able to raise & lower the mast on that one, although I can’t remember the size. But… you can probably see a lot , like lines going inside or outside. You probably already know them & can just call and ask anything you want to know. They’re Billy & Sierra & they’re on a motor boat they got for $100 & refitted it while they’re waiting on their Catamaran to to finished. I loved watching those videos, these boats are so fast and light. I can’t wait to see how it goes with a family. Congratulations!

[@nanoceramics2747]

Keeping your cool in stressful situation is the only way to staying safe. Stepping a 40 foot mast when you will only be two people can get people hurt or at a minimum cause some serious damage. I had the experience on my boat with a 50-foot mass with all of the precautions taken the wind came out of nowhere and almost killed a friend. I am trying to scare you! and suggest that having your mast stepped at the boat yard is the best solution. Congratulations to you both it is a beautiful thing to see a couple working as a team. Stay safe and enjoy every moment with your little one.

[@opinionsmatter5201]

Love the duck

[@ginniejoblue3541]

I owned an F27 and now an F32AX. Raising the mast is terrifying. This brought back lots of memories of those first few times. Nice job keeping your cool. It can be a very frazzling experience. I'm not sure I've seen this mentioned in the comments-- when you're going to motor, spread out those floats. Sharp turns with wind can lead to capsize if still folded. I was holding my breath the entire motor, but you made it! Great video and thanks for sharing the realities of our amazing trailerable tris!

[@rumblechick73]

Well, that was a cluster-quack! LOL But entertaining to watch...even if a bit stressful. For future reference, always test your anchoring system BEFORE you need it. Glad the preview shows success coming soon!

[@petermcminn9508]

Nice work you 2. Tough situations are part of the story. Good to laugh and persevere as you do😎

[@noahcraciun2230]

Hey guys, I like watching your videos. I'm sure you know by now, but you have to give the mast a little bit of a boost to help get it started when raising it with a ginpole. You could put tons of pressure on the trailer winch, if the mast is level, it will never have the boost to get up! I have been doing this and similar mends for years, and we always have someone walking with the mast to guide it and help with the initial boost! Hope this helps!

[@sailingmahina1]

My wife and I sail a Corsair F27 Stepping the mast is very stressful… my wife and I really appreciate your honesty… we have a ladder system attached to assist raising our mast…

[@geniexmay562]

Very fraught!! Well done for not having a melt down!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@stephenwissel7902]

I love you guys, all the issues and NOT one angry word. It will get easier with practice.

[@jeremyk496]

I bought my first "big" sailboat a couple of years ago, a 1980 O'Day 25. Being able to trailer, store, and step the mast myself were big selling points. However, after a short season of sailing (also in MI BTW with a brother that lives in Racine...small world), I have now accepted that I'm not willing to spend go through the hassle of stepping the mast each time I want to sail. It's stressful, to say the least and takes about an hour if everything goes well. Then, you still have to launch the boat, park the truck/trailer, etc. and do it all in reverse when you're done sailing. I just leased a slip in St. Ignace for the 2023 season with the hope of more time on the water and less in the parking lot. 😀Maybe I'll see you guys out there!

[@frankchristensen5778]

A WHOLE TRIBE OF DUCKS!!! Well done on finding and fixing the fuel Issue. Happy sailing guys. Greetings from sunny Perth, West Australia. 39°C today! Cheers, Frank.

[@keebearfull]

Good to know I share "O Sh_ _ !" sailing moments with you guys. The heavy handful I've know have ALL been along the eastern shores, bays and docks of wonderful Lake Michigan's connecting waterways. There's a lot worse places than Lake Charlevoix to make memories. Love this episode. Keep keeping it real!

[@alansaunders8377]

Welcome to the world of trailer sailors. When we show up at the ramp, everyone gathers around for the show. It is very stressful. As I was watching your video, my wife came in the room,. After watching several minutes of it with me, she left the room. She remembered those days when we took our Macgregor 26M to the ramp and stepped the mast. It was nerve racking to say the least. There are ways to reduce the stress. Practice at your house first. Practice makes perfect...or at least close enough to it. I remember on one launch I had readjusted the stays that are attached to the mast to prevent port sway and starboard sway. Apparently just a little bit of slack in the lines can equal a lot of sway. I had to hold on to the mast in order for it not to swing over into another boat in the marina (yes, we were stepping the mast in the water, not a good thing to do). Eventually we always got things sorted out. The moral of this story is this: Practice everything at home until you become proficient. It will reduce stress considerably at the dock.

[@michaellau5645]

Love the quacks!! You guys--awesome!!

[@haydenpruitt5199]

Oh cool fellow michiganders I just bought my first sailboat last week I cannot wait I like your videos by the way

[@johntesar2522]

It might help to have a longer gin pole. I have read that the gin pole should be minimum of the quarter of the mast length. I also echo the comments below regarding picking the mast so it's not horizontal at the start of the lift. Thanks for the videos. I have been a fan since you to the boat down the river from Chicago.

[@ramesa1154]

Great video, I use a similar system to raise and lower my mast on a Seawind 24 Cat. It works but the initial lift from horizontal is difficult so I use my crew (wife and children) to assist with pushing the mast up as high as they can whilst I pull her up. Good luck it is a fantastic boat, I am a little envious!

[@BrianStDenis-pj1tq]

I had forgotten what a "quack" was on your channel the first time I saw the title of the vid. Then I remembered and clicked immediately! Fun video to watch, good job.

[@zachhawkins5225]

Man.... that's gonna be a GREAT story..... in like 5 years.

[@SailFlyTri]

You guys are so calm about this. Is that the magic of editing or were you all really this chiller out and happy. This video should be thought in schools on how not to get overly irritated. Bravo

[@asufluffhead]

You realize reality TV is edited too, right?

[@aussiequest9543]

So good to see you smiling at the end. What a frustrating time for you both

[@DesertSurfer]

You all will get there. I rig my 26 footer by myself from tow to launch including installing outboard, rudder and stepping mast in around an hour.

[@sailingeden9866]

Most people use a mast crutch to lift the mast to a higher starting point.

[@cowsjohnson2306]

Oy what a long day . Stepping a mast on deck can be easy it just takes learning the curve. As others have said the far end of the mast has to be up on an angle so the lift has already started, say at between 9 and 10 o'clock. The temp side stays will also be a learning curve but don't give up . I went thru the same problem I ended up making my own deck step plate assembly ,now it's a one person job . Best to you both . Angus

[@SchieEngineer]

Loved watching this episode. I have been watching you guys for a long time. I crew on a Tartan and I had purchased a MacGregor 25x. This reminded me of the first time stepping the mast on the MacGregor in my driveway. Getting it started is always the worst as all the tensions in the lines are highest. I would actually assist it up for the first few feet by hand lifting the mast from the back of the boat as someone else was on the winch. This would would greatly decrease the tension needed to get it started and once it was up a few feet the tensions really weren't that bad. I hope you guys can figure out stepping the mast as that is when the fact of being trailerable really comes in handy.

[@Moshiah11]

That was awesome communication during that. I definitely strive for what you guys accomplished, but my wife and I could definitely take pointers from you. I'm really surprised with how the instructions had you setup that gin pole. The way that I've seen it setup is that both the halyard and the winch line are both attached to the end of the gin pole instead of being directly attached to each other and sliding over the gin pole. That way you have less pressure pushing down on the gin pole and the force of the winch line all goes into pulling the gin pole forward which tips the mast up.

[@artsmith103]

I suspect they'll do it more like you described in the future. That's how my 26ft boat mast is. I'm also suspicious that isn't the factory specified kin pole, as in too short. No way the factory supplies a pole not ready to use. But these tris are more DIY, which again could result in too short pole. I'm sure the bugs have been worked out by now.

[@EdToml]

Must have been a REALLY frustrating couple of days. Its never fun when you are drifting towards land when you do not want to be... Glad you got the boat deployed in the end. Quack!

[@sailingheretic]

This reminds me of the first time I raised the mast on my Laguna 26; lotsa stress, but we finally got it done, though it wasn’t pretty! But I have to say, at least my outboard didn’t die that day!

[@markayers5397]

usually when using a gin pole you would use a line from the pole to the middle of your mast or around the spreaders and a second line from tge gin pole to the winch. this way you are not dragging a line across the top of tge pole and the pressure is not compounded by friction. it's hard to tell if that is what you are doing in the video if so please ignore the comment. Also, when you are just starting to lift, that is the maximum pressure on your line and downward pressure on your hin pole. at that point if you have someone pushing up om the top of the mast, you will find even a little up pressure will make the mast go up and lower the pressure on the gin pole greatly. just may two cents from raising hobie masts by hand for many years.

[@mm.stgermain]

wow, I forgot about these guys. Welcome back to my algorithm

[@tomgreen5701]

I know it was stressful for both of you, it was a great video!

[@MrPaulcm1]

Hey at least you guys gave it a go and well done on not losing the plot. All in all a good learning experience. :)

[@sailingschooners8668]

Yer driving me quackers, stay safe guys

[@samotisfamily]

There is a couple that has a trimaran that has launched a few times that I have seen at Blackpoint Marine on Alfred's channel the Chit Show. Love your videos no matter what type of boating you do, everything you guys are doing is completely relatable in one way shape or form!

[@macariobernal1914]

What a learning experience for you guys. Congratulations on your first water experience.

[@paulwilde7105]

Oh man, heartbreak at the boat launch is so relatable. The first time my wife and I had our little Buccaneer 18 out, we had so much trouble setting up (and got "quacked" at by a few speedboat owners who thought we were in the way a little too much while doing it), only to finally launch and blow back onto the shore. Being REALLY green, we didn't really know what to do once we blew back on shore, so I jumped out and stood in waist deep water for an hour waiting for the launch to open up again for us to take out.

[@SailingSoulianis]

😬 hopefully you can look back on that now and smile!

[@paulwilde7105]

@@SailingSoulianis Yup! Makes every successful launch feel even better!

[@yougeo]

I love the way that you guys came together when you failed with the mast rather than getting angry at each other which so many couples do period the failure brought you closer rather than pushed you apart which is just such a good thing and the way it should always be period

[@toddreddington9673]

I like watching you two ~ or three !

[@jerrymiller276]

Tritannic? Name change ceremony in the future? I hope! This reminds me of my first time launching my first trailer sailer. It was a hilariously ridiculous comedy of errors with, fortunately, no damage or injuries. But it caused me to make a step by step checklist from hooking up the trailer to getting the boat rigged and in the water and back out onto the trailer with the trailer parked and unhooked. That checklist saved many an error and the only problems occurred when I thought "I've got this" and didn't check it step by step. Pilots use checklists to keep them from stupid mistakes and damaging airplanes or worse. Why not sailors, too?

[@lancepearson62]

First time for a complex rig and you did not kill one another. Very good. I suppose you have thought of this but I have watched other farrier and like mast raisings on trailers and no one else's bow goes down. I wonder if your trailer bunks can be adjusted as that is not a good thing for either mast raising or trailering I would think. The roughly foot of bow movement down is something I have never seen on a boat trailer of any kind when settled. Added already to your project task list? I bet that list is long enough to keep you busy this winter. Love to see the next one when you sail her the first time. Your dad is a gem also.

[@waynejenkins421]

Launch day is always stressful, I feel your pain. A few suggestions from an F31 owner. My boat lives on a mooring during the season so it's a similar scenario. Consider always starting the outboard and running it about 10-15 minutes when you are at home just before trailering it to the ramp. That way there's no surprises at the ramp (been there done that). Also think about stepping the mast with the boat unfolded on the mooring. I find I'm much more relaxed when I can take my time and not worry about onlookers. On the mooring the boat is always pointing into the wind so there's less concern about the mast swinging. I usually use the screacher halyard as the primary with a spin halyard and jib halyard as a secondary and tertiary line all attached forward of the yoke to a shackle on a 5/8" 3:1 block and tackle arrangement that anchors to the stemhead fitting at the bow of the boat. The line then goes aft from the stemhead fitting to one of the 2 speed winches. It's VERY important that the attachment point for all the shackles is forward of the yoke. As you winch the mast up the shackles also move forward and will catch on the yoke. They won't clear the yoke until the mast is about 30-40 degrees up. There is a huge load on the raising line until about 50-60 degrees where the weight starts to transfer to the mast base so using the 2-speed winch and block and tackle makes it much easier. The block attached to the stemhead gets in the way of attaching the roller furling drum, so once the mast is vertical I take the backup halyards to the bow pulpit to temporarily hold the mast, then quickly transfer the block to the bowsprit to bring the mast forward of vertical and attach the roller furling drum to the stemhead fitting. The stemhead seems MUCH beefier than using the bowsprit pad eye for the whole operation, but maybe that's just me. It adds some extra steps to do it this way, but it's worked for 23 years. At any rate, good to see you got the boat in the water.

[@Tomm9y]

The halyard needs to be attached to the gin pole and the winch strap at the same time. That will prevent the gin pole from moving for and aft in relation to the mast, it would require enough pre-tension of the Halyard. I would also pre-lift the mast by hand onto a strut, that significantly reduces the initial load. As the mast rises the load reduces. You can even add safety ropes to the side decks up to the mast at the speaders, remember to tie off low down on the mast, e.g. around the goose neck, in time you can make a bridle with two arrachment points to the deck and a centre link at the height and in line with the tabernacle pivot. Lastly the boat must be securely strapped to the trailer and support the rear of the trailer. Practise on a calm day! I have used this method on a monohull for a long time.

[@artsmith103]

Very well explained!@

[@SailingSoulianis]

All good tips thank you!

[@bmw19877]

Oh how awesome. The 3 of you are great. If you are ever vacationing in the Phoenix, AZ area, you could leave Renata with me for a week or 2 - she is so smart.

[@markbias1466]

There's always trouble the first time, glad to see you got things going the right way... As always, great episode! 😀

[@candylook50]

Very impressed by how you were able to keep your cool - bravo!

[@fboatbum]

Oof. Can totally relate. Even after 25 years of doing it, raising the mast still gets the heart pumping. Lots of good advice on the gin pole and aft mast support. Would also recommend that you spread one of the floats out at the dock before taking off it all possible. Have known a couple of f-boats that rolled over with both floats folded.

[@lolotty]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@OMIF1]

Reminded me of the first launch of my boat. Mast stepping is ALWAYS tense, no matter how many times you do it. Anyway, after a wonderful first sail on my new boat at my new marina when coming in at the end of the day I drifted slightly out of the main channel, bounced on a sand bar and my outboard (Honda 9.9) sucked up some sand and destroyed the impeller. Outboard would only run for moments and the wind was carrying me out of the channel. I was alone, running around trying to set the anchor, wound up peg-legging on the keel on the sand bar and had to call my new marina for a save. They brought out the working pontoon and towed me in, making sure I understood that, maritime law states that they could have charged anything they wanted for the save or just taken ownership of the boat. :p First days are fun! I was at that marina for 5 years and the owners were always great.

[@michaelmargaret4265]

I know this video is well well beyond when filmed. But, for this spring when you try again, I had a 25 footer with a 32' mast that I trailer sailed and raised the mast with a gin pole. I always had a wood 4x4 stilt about 12 feet long with a "Y" yoke on it that I would jamb underneath the mast about 3/4 of the way down to raise up from horizontal position temporarily until I started cranking it up. The other end of the stilt was on the pavement. This gave enough of a mast angle to take the vertical stress off the gin pole. It basically gives the system a head start! You might have to experiment how much you need to stilt it but it should work.

[@AORD72]

Exactly, the initial low angle creates the most load on the halyard, if they even had someone lift from stern to get past the initial high force tight angle of the lift they surely would have be fine. Surely all it probably would have taken was the height of a person standing on the stern.

[@jsimpson3250]

You guys are doing it!! Love to boat!! Being on the west coast thought that boat would be perfect for sailing down to the Sea of Cortez then trailer home. Glad you got her in the water without incident or injury!! Enjoy Cheers

[@randybourdon2791]

Well, that was a lot of quacking this week guys😂😂

[@johnpearson4502]

New boat new learning just have fun relax you got your friends from boot key harbor

[@dave.willard]

I have a MacGregor 26M and the first time stepping the mast with their ‘apparatus’ went about like your experience. Once I did it once though it was much easier going forward.

[@waynedoeblin6801]

Trials and tribulations,you got there in the end.I guess you still have to devise a plan or method to be self sufficient with the mast,and somehow,I just think you will 🙂

[@SailingSoulianis]

It's is a bummer that we couldn't raise the mast the first time on our own, however, we will get there. We knew the likelihood of all this going to plan right off the bat was pretty low and that there would be plenty of improvements we'd need to make.