This is a subject that gets a lot of attention from Dolphin owners. Being a thrifty, love a challenge bunch, we are at the top end of the trailerable boat range - most boats are kept at moorings or at slips. I don't know of any owners who actually regularly trail and ramp launch their boats except to launch in the Spring, haul in the Fall, or the occasional long road trip. Related to this subject is another page in the Technical Section - Mast Tabernacles and Hinge Plates..

We have a heavy, 30' (29'7") mast. Marionette's mast, with with standing rigging - back stay, forestay and topping lift, only 2 lower shrouds, bronze turnbuckles and bronze adjustable backstay fitting, aluminum spreaders and mast hardware, a radio wire, no electrical cable or masthead light, and wind vane, weighs in at 107 lbs. The main, jib and spinnaker halyards, topping lift, masthead flag halyard and spreader flag halyard add another 20lbs. I can just barely lift this mast to position it on saw horses for maintenance - to move it around is a 2 'man' job.

I always use the small boat crane at our club, and with a crew of 3 others step the mast on the boat while it is in the water laying up against the crane dock. On land one person runs the electric winch controls, one positions the crane boom, one on the boat hugs the lower part of the mast to keep it positioned on the boat's mast step plate, and one gingerly runs around the boat pinning the turnbuckles - trying to avoid excessive heeling. Wakes from boats, wind, inexperienced volunteers, etc., add excitement to the process.

The mast base plate on Marionette does not 'pin' to the boat's mating step plate. Instead, it simply rests on the cross pins, held there only by the downward pressure on the shrouds - like some dinghy masts do. Stan Secora (Jato), a marine architect once told me that this might be a good idea - if one ever had a rigging failure at sea and the mast went overboard it would not take a significant part of my wooden coach roof with it.

I have personally (once, 9 years ago) lowered Passage's mast with prior owner Gene Connolly, who did this regularly by himself. He used a wooden gin pole with a short A-Frame and the main halyard led to a block at the the backstay tang and then to a sheet winch. We did this in a slip, little wind or wake action, lowering it forward over the bow pulpit. It was an exciting, adrenaline pumping event. I vowed never to do this again - certainly not by myself. To this day, I am still in awe of Gene.

In addition to the problem of lifting an awkward, heavy 30' mast, a key, may the key, issue is keeping the mast in line as it is being raised. There is a tremendous load on the mast base plate, and on the mating boat plate or tabernacle. Any side to side movement at the top of the mast while it is being lifted has the effect of trying to lever the plates apart, break the hinge pin, lift or break the fasteners holding the plates to the boat or mast, or tear off the cabin roof. Delaying the pinning until the at least the upper shrouds are secure is a good idea.

Early Dolphins have only one set of lowers and these are in line with the upper shrouds. For these boats it is possible to pre rig the lower shrouds when the mast is horizontal with its hinge pinned to the base plate - provided the hinge pivot is approximately in line with the mast and chainplates. These are loosely tensioned and, in addition to pre rigged upper shrouds, do provide side to side guidance. Yankee and Pacific Dolphins have double lowers positioned fore and aft and only their upper shrouds are in line. Making sure the 'gin pole' when loaded does not move side to side is also very important

Fred Goguen has sent in his mast stepping system description, with sketches and photos, that he uses on Thankful. You can see it by clicking here.

Most of the articles one finds searching the web and sailing magazines are really for lighter boats - even thought they might be in the Dolphin length range. I have listed two below that I think are interesting.

Good Old Boat magazine had an article by Ron Chappell in their May/June, 2001 issue - No Fear Mast Stepping. You can go to it by clicking here.

The SJ23 Rigging Tips article by Bob Schimmel is well written and explains the details behind an A Frame system. It can be reached by clicking here

Hopefully, we can flesh out this subject with other resource articles and more input from Dolphin owners.