I forgot to put the pin in when I dropped the mast on my -14 today. That was a nasty surprise when it popped out. No harm no foul but i won't try to repeat that stunt.
yikes!
glad no one was hurt
good lesson
MN3
Tim:
Turning the 'way back' dial toward its stop, I was taught the best way to step a Hobie 14 mast by Hobie Alter at the Mid Winters East Regatta (1976 or 78?) in Tampa, FL. While up on the tramp, 'wrestling' the mast to assure it was still "hooked," (the mast foot had a hook molded into the mast foot bottom back then), he ask me what (the h...) I was doing. "Stepping the mast," I replied. "East Coaster," he replied, "do it like this." He move a shroud up to last hole on one side, attached the fore stay, stepped up onto the tramp, stood the mast up next to the front cross bar, (resting the mast base on a towel) and in one swift motion lifted the mast up and lowered it into the mast base. He got off the tramp and said to place the shroud back into the proper position and to break off the hook. I have been doing stepping and un-stepping my and others Hobie 14 masts like I was 'taught' for over 40 years ago and have not 'dropped one' yet. I would suggest you take off the 'new fangled' mast link, too.
Michael Gilley
Shell Point, Fla.
Only a novice on this site but a cat sailor since '69.
tnell wrote: I forgot to put the pin in when I dropped the mast on my -14 today. That was a nasty surprise when it popped out. No harm no foul but i won't try to repeat that stunt.
I've dropped the mast on my H18 a couple of times over the years when the mast base casting broke, luckily no damage but scary.
Did you upgrade the mast base on the H14? I thought yours had the old style "no pin" base.
____________
Damon Linkous
I got the link kit. The base was compatible. It required drilling the mast foot(?). Works really well as long as you remember to put the pin in!
Edited by tnell on Jul 24, 2017 - 04:11 PM.
stood the mast up next to the front cross bar, (resting the mast base on a towel) and in one swift motion lifted the mast up and lowered it into the mast base.
an all the chicks will dig it too!
my jaw dropped when i saw 70 year olds at the harken a-cat finals here in dunedin a decade or so ago were taking their masts off by simply lifting them straight up and off (I never saw carbon fiber masts before)
I know it's a smaller extrusion than the h16,
what does a h14 mast weigh?
MN3
I tried the lifting it straight up method in the backyard with the boat sitting on the ground. It's way too wobbly for me to be comfortable doing it that way. I can lift it easily enough, but I can't balance it.
Wait a minute....i never did it with forestay attached. Maybe that's why it was so wobbly. Now I gotta go review the manual again!
Edited by tnell on Jul 24, 2017 - 11:32 PM.