Leaving Mast Up in Winter

[stephanie]

Hola Amigos!

Any downside to leaving mast up/rigged during the Winter? Stored outdoors in Michigan. Don't mean to appear too lazy....just practical!!

Thanks,

Stephanie

[grandillusion]

no major downside, just make sure to slack up all the turn buckles a little, larger yachts do it all the time, BUT on a 7.9 the mast is so easy to take down and restep why not take it down and use it as a center pole for your tarp and cover it up for the winter, freezing water under any of your fittings is not a pretty thought, if you do take the mast down and don't cover it either remove the spreaders or point them up so water can't run down inside them and freeze, thus expanding and cracking them

[mmmmmmbill]

It's better to drop the mast.

First, the rig is subject to many less fatigue cycles in the wind

and second, the turnbuckles, which have a upward facing water collection point at the wire-turnbuckle interface (is there a simple word for this?) will not collect ice, which would, with the freeze-thaw cycle, loosen the joint.

Assuming, of course, you keep the turnbuckles out of the weather after you drop the stick.
I keep my shrouds inside. The masts hang off my deck rail uprights.

Bill

[Tim Bosma]

Stef,
The winds in michigan will whip the mast around no matter how you set the rigging. Your hull will not be able to roll with the loads and the mast step and chainplates are not engineered to take that kind of thrashing. 1/2 hr expended will save a lot of late grief.

[stephanie]

Thanks all! Mast is coming down this weekend!