42 colvin

Hi,
I have a friend here in Vancouver who recently obtained a 1992 Colvin, junk rigged. It came with the masts down. We are attempting to reason out a simple way to pull the masts up with out having to involve a lot of expense in a marina.
Both masts swivel and lay down to the stern. As I understand it, there should be a line running from the stern mast to the bow mast and hence downward to the bow (or/and bowsprit, no bowsprit in place on this one).
It appears that the foremast has to go up first, then the stern or mainmast second. Judging from what I have dug into today in regards to Thomas Colvin and his design of this craft I have to believe the process should not be a complicated one as there would be many reasons one might have to drop the masts and then put them up again.
Advice would be much appreciated.

 

Two choices....

Set up a gin pole, usually an A-frame arrangement over the butt of the foremast. It needs to be 10-15' feet high off the deck. Then hoist (lift) your foremast from a block at the apex of the A-Frame. Hoist line runs to the masthead. Once the foremast is up the mainmast is easy.

Another method is get one or two other sailboats alongside and lift with their halyard or halyards. A boat on either side works well with lots of control.

Good luck and stay out from underneath!

 

Thanks Tad
I drew a scale drawing of the set up on this beast and reasoned that the foremast could be yarded up via the forward stay with the help of a couple pushing and a couple pulling. (Fom the dock). I suspect it weighs about one hundred odd pounds. Stern mast not much over, if it is, two hundred, both aluminum.
I then reasoned that the halyard on the foremast, if long enough, could be utilised to pull the main or stern mast up.
The foremast is 28' 4" and the main 35'. In the instance of the foremast, if one had a line attached around the mast about half way up the process would be easily facilitated if my reasoning is logical. One would of course have to untie that line. We have a "breeches bouy" (sp.?) type of apperatus on board and it appears it would support enough weight if the halyard and block at the top of the mast would, to yard someone up the mast to untie the rope.
It is sixteen feet from the swivel mounting for the mainmast to the stern of the boat. (9' from bow to fore mast, 16' from there to stern mast and 16' to stern).
I reasoned that a line (fore mast halyard) attached at that point to the stern mast, running from the height of the foremast would nicely haul up the main with a little boost underneath it. Same scenario, yard a body up the stern mast using the stern mast halyard to untie the fore mast halyard which at this point is tied around the stern mast. (At 16 feet)
OK, the gin pole set up. On either side of the fore and stern masts, on the "gunnel" (sp?) there are mounts for the side stays of the respective masts. An "A" frame could be pivoted from these points allowing it to fall either to the bow or the stern, running at somthing between 30 odd to over 45 degrees or more either stern or forward as it pivots up and over with the masts coming up. The bow stay from the top of the fore mast to the "A" frame could be used with the block from the "A" frame to the bow could it not?
According to what I have been able to dig up on the net, Colvin's associate believed in free standing masts where as Colvin had them stayed to the sides and the rear. I have not been able to determine if the masts in mind were tied to the keel or not. These are not.
I noticed in some of the sketches of these craft a line appears to be running from the top of the stern mast, hence downward on an angle to the fore mast and thence downward on a sharper angle to the bow and some with two, one to the bowsprit which did not come with this craft. Any ideas as to how to attach that line between the two masts? Proper name is triactic stay my pal tells me. Necessary or not?
Also, with these Junk rigged sails, do they run before or behind the masts? Which side, fore or aft should the blocks for the halyard be on of the mast? It appears to me that both sails can be either to port or starboard, or in fact one to port and the other to starboard which I assume creates maximum sail area when running down wind. So at one position, the sail will be behind the mast, at the other in front of the mast. Thoughts?
Please excuse me for my lack of knowledge of nautical terminology. Seriously.
I did not intend to turn this into a book, However. I am a Northern Alberta farm kid, electronic and electrical stuff, no problem. Motors, gas or diesel, no problem. Building, construction, no problem. Plumbing, no problem. Oil field, no problem. Tractors, implements, cats, backhoes, picker trucks, etc. etc.
Have several boats from 12 foot with a 9.9 up to an old 23 foot Fiberform hard top express cruiser. But this stuff is brand new to me. Got 2 2/3 university degrees as well, have no idea what for.
Well, in my mind here is somthing new, somthing to learn about, Yess!!!! Still got a few years left (hopefully). I thank you in advance for assisting in my education.
Vectencian