Pretty is as pretty does...This homemade guide suspended from the bow pulpit holds the trailer winch strap in place for mast stepping and unstepping on our trailerable boat. Just take it off when youre done. (Its too ugly to leave on!)

Trailer Winch Strap Guide

This will require 2 people to do smoothly. One on deck, and one to operate the trailer winch.

Trailer strap

This is made of a metal nut and bolt, a rubber roller, 2 metal brackets, and a piece of romax electric wire. The wire should be long enough to wrap around the pulput rail and then back on itself. Four feet should do nicely.


Start with your mast horizontal on the deck, the foot sitting at the tablernacle, and the head end resting in a padded (with gray pipe insulation) metal crutch mounted in the rudder gudgeons. Your backstay and shrouds are attached to the boat. Your windex is in place. The trailer is as level as possible, especially side to side. For safety, attach a come along or chain to the nose ring on the boat and secure it to the trailer before you release the winch strap. Pull the winch strap up and over the guide to the base of the mast and attach the job halyard. Snug your line down and cleat off to mast.

Insert the tabernacle bolt in the back set of holes in mast foot and tabernacle. This will hold the mast foot in place and act like a hinge as you lift the mast. Once you start winching the mast up, the person on deck guides or balances it to keep it centered while it comes up (no lifting). Watch the shrouds too, so they dont catch on something as the mast comes up. Winch it up smoothly and quickly. Once the mast sits on its foot, the strap will act as a temporary headstay while you attach your front tabernacle bolt and the wire headstay.

Secure your connections, and youre ready to launch! Watch out for overhanging trees and power lines.

PS
I would like to see how to step the mast on the water; one fellow mentions using a block near the headstay attachment point.

Close up of guide gizmo