Aquarius Sail Owners

Greetings to All,

I recently purchased a 1984 SC-17 and have yet to get it in the water. I tried to raise the mast by myself and aborted before I damaged either myself or the boat. I am 5'10", 185 lbs and in decent shape for a 50 year old. I read the owners manual several times and it states I should have no problem raising the mast.

With the SC-17 on the trailer, I attached the mast end to the ball and secured it with the pin. I then raised the mast starting at the tip and walked it up to the rear crossbeam. The crossbeam was too far off the ground for me to make the transition so I put the mast back down. I then jumped up on the tramp and with my rear foot on the crossbeam, I tried to raise the mast. Forget it, too heavy and very poor leverage.

I could try using a 6' or 8' step ladder to support the mast near the rear crossbar and then jump on the tramp to attempt the rest. Does anyone strap a ladder to the trailer for this purpose?

There must be better methods to raise the SC-17 (55 lbs?) mast. I read that a some use a "EZ Step" (gin pole) and a trailer winch. Does this method work well and is it safe? Please tell me your method to raise the SC masts.

Regards,

Steve,

On the bigger boats we use a gin pole to get the mast up. This is pretty much the only way to do it because as you stated the leverage is pretty poor when starting at the tramp. We also use a crutch to raise the tip of the mast about 5' off the ground and give a little helping hand.
Check out http://aquarius-sail.com/default/images ... /index.htm for pictures of the gin pole being used on the ARC-22.

Matt,

Thank you for your reply. My SC-17 does not have a ginpole or ginpole attachment. What parts would I need and approximately how much would it cost to hava a similar system for my SC-17?

The EZ-Step ginpole system is sold for approximately $160 plus S&H and requires the use of a trailer winch. I have little information on the durability and user friendliness of the EZ-Step system.

Do other SC-17 owners use a ginpole system or are they somehow able to muscle the mast to raise raise it? What say you SC-17 owners?

Steve,

I think most guys just muscle the mast up on the 15/17/19.
Here are a few tricks to make the job easier:
1) Raise the top of the mast up before starting out, that way you don't have to bend down and lift the mast off the tramp.
2) Tie a rope to the forestay that is about 25' long. Have you crew pull on the mast as you lift and raise it. This can make a huge difference.

All in all the safest way is to use a gin pole like we do on the larger boats. I don't know the pricing on the pole, but if you call our office at 651-462-SAIL they can get you a price.

My small piece of advice is to raise the mast while the boat is on the ground, not on the trailer. There is usually too much motion from the tramp, wheel springs, and tires and you end up wallowing all over the place while lifting a heavy mast - not good.

Having someone pulling on the forestay works really well. The longer the line, the better leverage the puller can get and the more they help by getting the weight off of you while on the tramp. I'm 5'7" and can raise the mast myself if someone else shackles the bridle to the forestay. My tip would be to stand at the back of the tramp, lift the mast and raise it over your head. Then walk forward on the tramp while walking your hands down the mast. You can also rest it on your shoulder and walk forward.

One other tip would be to have the boat on a slope with the rear higher than the front. This may help with the last little bit, and if the slope is steep enough, the mast will stay up by the shrouds, and you can walk around to the front and shackle it solo.