Which sailing boat for Shannon and Lough Ree with easy mast lowering?

nikersh

I regularly want to sail solo from Clondra to Lough Ree to sail. Can anybody recommend a good sailing boat with inboard / outboard that's easy for one person to lower the mast when under power on the Shannon and raise the mast and safe to sail when I get to Lough Ree.

JamesM

I would think something like one of the Drascombe range, or some of the day sailors around 20ft, with shallow draft, listed on this page http://yachts.apolloduck.ie/listings.phtml?cid=205

There are sailing boats in Holland and England suitable for rivers and canals. They have weighted masts that can swing down for a bridge and up again very quickly.

nikersh

Thanks so much and really helpful.
Love the Drascombe which I've sailed.
Any names for the the Dutch / English boats?

nikersh

Thanks for the advice - great forum!

JamesM

Apolloduck.ie and adverts.ie have some suitable boats for sale.
The following videos show different methods of lowering yacht masts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1oHCoRuxRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2XnCyMvWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfYTiKryKBc

hytrogen

My beneteau 28.5 has a mast lowering system, I can do it single handed if needs be as it has an 8/1 block and tackle lowering arm attached with an extended a framed cradle off the transom.
We had the same rig setup on our old McGregor25, she was a fun lake boat, cruised the whole length of the Shannon from Lough Allen to Derg on her over many summers. I can highly recommend the McGregor26' as well as a versitile multipurpose trailer-sailor.
In the end it all depends on your budget and desired size of boat

hytrogen

Another wee 18ft with a real light mast would be a pirate18, bobs like a cork, light as a feather and a substantial wee cabin inside, swing keel too to about 6" draft if memory serves me?

nikersh

Thanks for all these great suggestions!

pedroeibar1

nikersh wrote: »

I regularly want to sail solo from Clondra to Lough Ree to sail. Can anybody recommend a good sailing boat with inboard / outboard that's easy for one person to lower the mast when under power on the Shannon and raise the mast and safe to sail when I get to Lough Ree.

I have a 17 foot cruiser with a +/- 20 foot mast. I think I would just simply buy a motor boat if I had to de-rig and re-rig the mast on a regular basis. Setting-up time and tuning on each occasion would be a total pain. If you look at the member forums on daysailer class associations, it is a constant topic on how best to organize it short-handed. Doing it on the hard is difficult enough, but to do it while afloat would be a nightmare. What do you do with the legs when not in use? lash them alongside to foul genny sheets/deckspace?

The only way it can be successfully achieved is with a proper mast tabernacle with a pin through the mast to provide rigidity and allow it to pivot. Alternatively use ‘legs’ on the tripod system, the mast being the third leg. I dislike the notion of a gin-pole as it allows lateral movement. Any bit of wind and you will have problems, and a furled sail on the forestay will be enough to cause windage.

The biggest problem to avoid is damage the mast's base plate, most of which are made of diecast alloy and quite brittle. Break that (easily done with mast-lifting stresses) and you are off the water for quite a while as those for the older classes are difficult to obtain.

Tabnabs

Or drop the mast for the rivers and only raise it again if sailing for, say, a week. The magic word you're looking for is mast 'tabernacle'.

Something like this would be ideal



http://yachts.apolloduck.ie/feature.phtml?id=494836

hytrogen

pedroeibar1 wrote:

I have a 17 foot cruiser with a +/- 20 foot mast. I think I would just simply buy a motor boat if I had to de-rig and re-rig the mast on a regular basis. Setting-up time and tuning on each occasion would be a total pain. If you look at the member forums on daysailer class associations, it is a constant topic on how best to organize it short-handed. Doing it on the hard is difficult enough, but to do it while afloat would be a nightmare. What do you do with the legs when not in use? lash them alongside to foul genny sheets/deckspace?

I find it harder and more precarious to execute it on the hard, it's much easier afloat as the vessel will move in her natural buoyancy to find stability and somewhat less to go wrong (falling into trees onto cars etc.)

pedroeibar1 wrote:

The only way it can be successfully achieved is with a proper mast tabernacle with a pin through the mast to provide rigidity and allow it to pivot. Alternatively use ‘legs’ on the tripod system, the mast being the third leg. I dislike the notion of a gin-pole as it allows lateral movement. Any bit of wind and you will have problems, and a furled sail on the forestay will be enough to cause windage.

Agreed the tripod approach is cumbersome and you do lose a lot of deck space and things to catch onto easily.
My system used the secondary halyard and spinnacre halyard as active stabilisers creating the A-frame for the mast to lower evenly. I fix them to the deck just forward of the speakers, loses the spreaders and the ginPole does the rest of the work with the 8/1 block and tackle leading back to the winch. It's the best way to release the forestay tension after the back stays are eased. She comes down in a line onto my cradle off the transom with plenty of head height for the trap to get in and out of the cabin when I cruised along the river.
I timed the whole operation, including a strong cup of coffee, and had it down in less than a half hour, same going up then a few mins retensioning the stays and spreaders

JamesM

"Norfolk wherries (in the UK) were supposed to have some pro crews who could 'shoot the bridge': they would approach a bridge under sail, drop the mast, and raise it on the other side of the bridge. Good luck with that "

You won't even need an engine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fn1tL6jZv0

nikersh

Thanks to you all for being so good.

nikersh

Whats the minimum bridge clearances going from Clondra to Lough Ree or up to Lough Allen?