sailboat mast tabernacle

Visit our Popular Forums

Monohull Sailboats
Multihull Sailboats
Powered Boats
General Sailing
Antares Yachts
Fountaine Pajot
Lagoon Catamarans

Cruising Business

Boat Classifieds
General Classifieds
Crew Positions
Commercial Posts
Vendor Spotlight

Life Aboard a Boat

Provisioning: Food & Drink
Families, Kids, & Pets Afloat
Recreation, Entertainment, & Fun
Boat Ownership & Making a Living
Liveaboard's Forum

Seamanship, Navigation & Boat Handling

Seamanship & Boat Handling
Training, Licensing, & Certification
Health, Safety, & Related Gear
Rules of the Road, Regulations, & Red Tape

Engineering & Systems

Const. / Maint. / Refit
Product / Service Reviews
Electronics: Comms / AV
Electrical: Batts / Gen / Solar
Lithium Power Systems
Engines & Propulsion
Propellers & Drive Systems
Plumbing / Fixtures
Deck Hdw: Rigging / Sails
Aux. Equipment & Dinghy
Anchoring & Mooring

Recent Photos

		> >

Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums.

28-12-2016, 19:18
Boat: Eastward ho 24, Downeaster 32, scarab sprint 18	tabernacle as far as saftety and structural soundness? I assume a well designed tabernacle would be just as strong if not even stronger then a typical boot ( not sure of the terminology, but it's the plate that sits on the and the mast sits on that). I'm Pulling the mast down for and has me thinking of designing a tabernacle, not for the trailerable aspect of it though, I'm refitting my little for some long distance cruising and making, my first concern is strength and and ability to any . However I think it would be nice to get under the odd low bridge if needed and having a little this would open up some areas and canals for exploration. But more so for lowering the mast for etc. in places, would it make sense to think of a tabernacle? Obviously going up the mast is cheaper and easier, but since I'm pulling the mast and I'll be reinforcing coach roof was just wondering thoughts on a tabernacle. And I have an eh24 heavy heavy boat about 7500lb. and not a lot of sail area. I think like 320ft. Any thoughts?

28-12-2016, 19:38
Boat: catalina 400 MKII	with a mast tabernacle, so I speak from some personal experience. Yes, they can be made very strong. Big beefy stainless plates, hinges, and pins make it plenty strong. Obviously you need to inspect it regularly, as with all boat systems. The is pretty much the same. The pelican hooks on the aft lowers need to be safetied. The operation of the mast tabernacle needs to be 100% every time. This is where I got into trouble, only once, but that was once too many. No one was hurt!!. So when you use it, be like Santa Claus - checking it once, checking it twice. Make sure no one ever sits in a location where they will be "in the byte" if the mast comes down suddenly. For example: sitting in the "below" the back stay. You state you have a 24 foot boat. That size boat is well within reason for a tabernacle. Over about 32 feet, then the forces on the system can be really high. In my harbor a lot of people use tabernacles. It seems, as I watch them, that some of them take a rather relaxed attitude. Not me. Also, it's really hard to find a local rigger here in , who will install or on tabernacled masts because of liability issues. You gotta figure that there have been some problems.

28-12-2016, 21:51
Boat: Currently Shopping, & Heavily in LUST!	up to about 30'+/- a tabernacle is definitely an option. In lieu of a conventional step I mean. And I had one on my 31' , where it made raising the rig fairly easy. Only needing 1.5 people to do so. Much bigger than that, & things can get a bit trickier. Partially due to the higher loads involved in raising them. But you can find a few 40' setup thusly. Which, if memory serves, there's a custom 40'er well described in the Dashew's The boat's name bing Mistral. And the book's available gratis at the Dashew's website The Uncommon Thing, The Hard Thing, The Important Thing (in Life) Making Promises to Yourself, And

29-12-2016, 04:56
Boat: Cornado 25	I want to do on a regular basis, the tabernacle does allow removing the stick without a yard crane or gin-pole. Safe and useful

29-12-2016, 05:39

29-12-2016, 06:01

Boat: Catalina 30

with a mast tabernacle, so I speak from some personal experience.

29-12-2016, 06:26
Boat: Freydis 49	lots of boats have Tabernacles. My Ben lexcen 52 has one and it has a big 4 spreader mast, when the PO raced her the crew would drop and raise the mast on the go using 2 poles and a powerfull Block and Pulley set up. Sorry I dont have any photos handy.

29-12-2016, 09:28
Boat: Custom 41' Steel Pilothouse Cutter	with a substantial plate tabernacle (isolated, of course, from any elements. The construction of it as seen in the link below will give you some ideas as to how to proceed, scaled for your vessel. Note the retaining pin forward. Unless the mast is actually being removed vertically by a crane, this must be removed to allow the mast to rotate aftwards for lowering. The center "pin" on which the mast pivots is in turn connected to sturdy SS threaded rod. The mast must be secured by halyards to keep it in place BEFORE the stays and shrouds can be slacked off to allow the mast to be "lifted" enough so that its bottom (a.k.a. the "butt" or "heel") can clear the base of the tabernacle. I would suggest perhaps the safest method to lower the mast back might involve a tackle on a bridge and running a down to the windlass! Mechanical advantage (and perhaps helpers with and fabricated "keepers" to ease the lowering mast down gently) are key. It's a great idea for servicing the mast and, of course, for doing the French or similar canals, like the Erie down to , where the boat could otherwise not go or would have to dismast more conventionally. The tabernacle method means that while you might have to rig a gallows aft, all your and the mast itself stays attached to the boat. Hope this helps. I put mast steps on my tabernacle last spring: . Can't sleep? Read for fast relief. Can't read? Avoid , because it's just personal reviews of sea books.

29-12-2016, 09:56
Boat: Colvic 34 - 40' Ketch	with two tabernacles and I have tried to raise the masts with three of us (note the try), never again. looks simple enough but too much effort even with an "A" frame. the amount to move it from the horizontal to 20 degrees is herculean, It also swings about no matter what you do if you are on the . So on land use a of some sort, crane or forklift. Ours are setup so that they are substantial. They have and sit on 1 1/2 inch plastes on the coachroof then onto solid supports to the sole. I would rather have this than the problems, including of the mast going down through the roof to the sole or a roof stepped mast. The tabernacle has some advantages in that it holds the mast vertical as its lifted and I can hide my spare keys in it for visitors.

29-12-2016, 10:03
Boat: Newport 28	top, You won't be able to lay your mast flat from the hinge. While a tabernacle would still , now you have to make sure you also have something to prop the mast up from the stern to make sure you clear your top. Definitely would recommend an A-frame setup to hold things sturdy, especially to attempt it on the . The hardest part you'll have, would be if you wanted to unhook the mast from the step and lay it bow to stern, because there's going to be a lot overhanging your stern, and it won't be very steady. In my opinion, it would be fine for traversing a bridge (assuming that the angle the mast would rest would still keep the height down - I didn't do the math on that), but that would be it. I wouldn't want it hinged and laying down for any extended time.

29-12-2016, 10:10
Boat: 2 tris and others	handed if necessary although for concerns I like to have a couple of helpers. A friend has a Mega 30 that uses a "A" frame type set up, from the factory. It also works very well. Design of the "catching" support aft is almost as important as the tabernacle, the further aft it can be installed makes controlling the lowered mast easier, and a good roller helps with moving the spar forward on to the boat. (assuming you drop it aft) Some boats drop forward so the boom is easy to use as a raising pole, but mostly where the mast is not lowered all the way. (like "dipping" to go under a bridge). As a thought, build your system but first try it with a short and light dummy pole instead of the mast and work out all the kinks, them when you install and raise the actual mast, it should go well. My photos are on land, but it works just as well on the water. If you are in an area that has some trimarans, go watch them launch. Many and set up their masts every time they go out. B

29-12-2016, 10:20
	to the structure of the boat, given that there will be thwartships racking forces on the tabernacle when the mast is being lowered and raised. Think "moment arm". The spar on the EH24 is about 30 feet long, and the truck will therefore be some 12 or 15 feet aft of your transom when the spar is lowered. You will need to get at the truck by using your dink or by being appropriately secured alongside in order to reach it. You are hoping to set this up for singlehanded operation. Therefore, if I were you, I would not rely on only the forestay taken to a gin pole and thence by a handy billy to the stem fitting for raising the mast. Because there will be no twartships control of its movement until it is up and shrouds reset, you really need sheer-legs to control it. That means carrying two extra spars for that purpose, although with a little thinking it might be possible to adapt the boom to be one of them. The sheer-legs need to have hinge fittings/attachments of some sort at an appropriate place on each rail The hinge pin in the tabernacle needs to be stout enuff to take in shear the forces of the mast when stays and shrouds are under full tension plus the compressive loads generated by the sailing. Wedging under the heel could relieve the pin, but things begin to get complicated. It can be done, but hardly worth the effort for the sake of doing at the truck. You can do that by climbing (safely). However, whether your proposed modification is worthwhile overall depends on badly you want to go under low bridges. Where I sail there is only one low bridge I ever want to go under. And it's a lot easier just to take the two hours to go around it :-) TrentePieds

29-12-2016, 10:41
Boat: Morgan Out Island 41

29-12-2016, 14:05
Boat: 2 tris and others	either on a boat this size. The mast certainly is under 150 lbs and probably more like 130 lbs. With some sort of hinge/tabernacle to control the base, two strong guys could probably it and push it up with a pole. Really! I have watched it done with larger masts. Probably not safe and certainly not single handed! I never use the forestay as part of the lifting system, it needs to be loose, particularly if you have a system on it. Typically I use two forward halyards to/over the lifting pole and then a three or four part tackle to the tack point and maybe back to a , or if on a , I use the trailer if possible. The side loads should be taken with the raising side wires or a very light weight A frame, the initial loads on the halyards are a little high but quickly drop as the mast comes up. The last third of the way, it gets really light. With an 8' to 10' raising pole, the max loads on the halyards should be less than 500 lbs. B

29-12-2016, 18:09
Boat: Newport 28	for another Eastward. And the pictures certainly show a tabernacled mast. If it helps at all.

Thread Tools

Rate This Thread
:

Posting Rules
post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
	Jon Neely	Monohull Sailboats	6	05-06-2013 22:11
	Bluefuss	Monohull Sailboats	16	18-01-2013 11:58
	macmanmike	Construction, Maintenance & Refit	2	20-07-2012 04:52
	victory598	Monohull Sailboats	4	16-08-2011 23:54
	Minggat	Deck hardware: Rigging, Sails & Hoisting	5	19-02-2009 20:43

- - - - - - -

Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time.

Practical Boat Owner

Digital edition

How to fit a tabernacle to your boat

Barry Pickthall
June 25, 2024

Fed up with having to employ a crane every time he wanted to take the mast down, Barry Pickthall shows how he installed a tabernacle

A mast hinged on a tabernacle being raised by men

The mast hinges on its tabernacle as it is raised aloft. Credit: Barry Pickthall/PPL Credit: Barry Pickthall

Even if you’re able to share the cost with other boat owners, hiring a crane to lower your mast has its drawbacks.

It dictates when you have to de-rig for the winter refit and be ready for the spring launch.

I’ve enjoyed some fantastic crisp, sunny sailing weather right up to the end of December and have no wish to winterise my 8.23m (27ft) traditional cruising yacht Sea Jay until the last moment.

Well, you can do as you please if you have a deck-stepped mast and replace the step with a tabernacle.

The 5mm stainless steel plates at the foot of the tabernacle. Credit: Barry Pickthall/PPL

It was a trip to Holland that gave me the idea.

Almost every Dutch yacht has a hinged mast so that it can navigate under the bridges spanning the IJsselmeer inland sea and canals.

The systems have become very refined with a permanent A-frame on the foredeck and a winch to lower and raise the mast simply, all within minutes.

Continues below…

A group of people mast raising on a yacht

Do-it-yourself mast stepping

If you’re thinking of hiring a boatyard crane to step your mast, why not consider this low-tech, low-cost alternative? Rupert…

A mast step on a yacht which is curving, and not supporting the mast

Rebuilding a damaged mast step

Rupert Holmes repairs a compressed water-damaged mast step – a common problem for boats with a deck-stepped mast - and

A woman on a yacht sorting out the sailboat lines

How to get more life out of sailboat lines: step-by-step

Dena Hankins shares how to make your running rigging last that little bit longer

A boat motoring after suffering a dismasting

Coping with a dismasting & rig checks

Faced with a sudden dismasting in 40-knot gusts, Rupert Holmes explains how he and his crew saved his boat, and…

Since I plan to take the mast down only once a year, I didn’t need a permanent system, so worked with Collar Masts, the wooden spar specialist based near Oxford, to come up with a simple but equally effective system on Sea Jay that would use existing equipment.

It helped that Collars was making a new mast for us, but the principles remain just the same when converting an existing mast, wooden or aluminium.

Design a tabernacle

The first stage is to design the tabernacle. This has to be of sufficient height for the mast to hinge down clear of the deck and rest on the pulpit.

It also has to be made strong enough to stop the mast from twisting the tabernacle out of shape.

The tabernacle folded. Credit: Barry Pickthall/PPL

The cheeks need to be a close fit with the mast to prevent any side movement, and with doublers welded to strengthen the area where the hinge and securing bolts pass through.

I had Sea Jay ’s tabernacle welded up in 5mm stainless steel plate which cost £400 unpolished, but having it fabricated in mild steel and then galvanised would have cost less.

The aft shroud plates provide the pivot point for the feet of the A-frame used for hoisting the mast. Credit: Barry Pickthall/PPL

The mast itself needs to be no different to a normal deck-stepped spar, though it is important to measure the distance between the foot and pivot hole to ensure just enough clearance for the mast to hinge down.

To be sure, we made up a dummy lower mast and then replicated the pivot hole position on the actual mast once we were happy we had it right.

Making the A-frame

For the A-frame, I utilised the two alloy scaffold poles I use as sea legs on Sea Jay .

They were too short on their own, so I extended them using two lengths of square alloy tube, scrounged from the local scrapyard, that provided a sleeve fit inside the scaffold tube.

These were drilled and bolted where the rope ties usually attach to the base of the sea-legs, and the feet were then bolted loosely to the aft shroud plates to provide the pivot point for the A-frame.

Lifting the A-frame into position. Credit: Barry Pickthall/PPL

The scaffold poles were bolted together at the apex of the frame and the forestay led through and attached to a pulling rope.

We had plenty of willing hands to help hinge the mast up from its resting place on the pushpit, so simply fed the rope through the bow roller to our tug-o-war team on the ground.

If you have neither space nor manpower for this, then you will need to set up a multi-purchase system – minimum 5-part – led back to a winch, to haul the mast up.

For safety’s sake, you must always have at least one person steadying the mast in line as it goes up to counter any effect from the wind or motion of the boat.

10 steps to lowering the mast

A diagram showing how to lower a boat mast

Release tension on the backstay.
Release lower shrouds, set up a halyard as a temporary forestay and tension.
Set up the A-frame, bolting the feet to the forward shroud plates to act as the pivot point.
Secure fenders across the deck just in case the mast is dropped.
Release the forestay and attach a multi-purchase tackle led back to a primary winch. Ensure that the purchase system will extend the full arc that the A-frame makes.
Lead the forestay through the top of the A-frame and apply tension to the multipurchase system.
Remove the lower retaining bolt in the mast step and slacken the upper pivot bolt.
Release the temporary forestay.
Ease the multi-purchase line a few inches while a mast hand gives a backward push to the mast to ease its foot out of the tabernacle.
Once you have some initial movement, the mast man now steers the spar down as the multi-purchase is eased slowly.

Raising the mast is the opposite of lowering

Attach the cap shrouds and backstay, remembering to loosen the side-stay bottlescrews to give sufficient slackness. Check that halyards and stays are free, and haul away.
Once the mast is vertical and the forestay bottlescrew can be attached to the stem fitting, you can replace the lower retaining bolt in the tabernacle and fasten it up tight. If this is the first time you have raised the mast, mark and drill the hole for the retaining bolt.
Now set up the standing rigging in the usual way, and you are ready to sail.

Enjoy reading How to fit a tabernacle to your boat?

A subscription to Practical Boat Owner magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price .

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals .

PBO is packed with information to help you get the most from boat ownership – whether sail or power.

Take your DIY skills to the next level with trusted advice on boat maintenance and repairs
Impartial in-depth gear reviews
Practical cruising tips for making the most of your time afloat

Forum Listing
Marketplace
Advanced Search
About The Boat
Gear & Maintenance
SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Hinged Mast Step OR Tabernacle

Add to quote

I am wanting to put a system on my Catalina 27 and enables me to raise or lower the mast myself - not always be dependent on a crane everytime. I have read several accounts each of people who have used a hinged mast step. Catalina 27 - Installing the hinged mast step Also read a number of accounts of people who have a tabernacle system. I would be interested in opinions here. Which system is better and why? thx, markb

I have a tabernacle, it seems weaker to me than a hinged step.

I have a home made hinged mast step and lowering rig that works quite well single handed for me. Pics of it in action can be seen at Bristol27.com under SV Moxie.

I followed Judy's method in your link, and raised the mast with that, and it's been up ever since-so I can't say how it goes taking it down. But-sinking the stainless steel inserts in epoxy to the cabin top is great for lateral/fore and aft anchoring, but if you have the base of the mast attached at the hinge and the mast resting on the stern pulpit, there's a lot of leverage acting to pull the whole thing back out of the cabin top. (We accounted for that by having a poor schlep sitting on the stern pulpit with the mast resting on his shoulder for the time it took to do final preparations before raising it with spinaker pole serving as gin pole. It could have gone a lot more smoothly.) I've heard about/seen on You Tube a technique using a 2X4 A-frame to spreader height to raise lower the mast-I'll probably try this next time around-and from You Tube, it might be simpler than the hinge...

?
176.5K members

Top Contributors this Month

Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email
What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media
Media New media New comments
Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com
Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale
Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday
Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe

Mast tabernacle

Thread starter CaptainStan
Start date Jan 6, 2024
Forums for All Owners
Trailer Sailors

CaptainStan

I haven't made a tabernacle but I think one could speed the rigging process of some trailerables. I have in mind a tabernacle with an integral roller, so that the mast can be positioned longitudinally once it's dropped.

I leave the mast in the tabernacle and put a red flag on the end of the mast sticking out past the boat.

Tedd said: with an integral roller Click to expand

My mast only extends forward beyond the bow and it does not extend beyond the stern so no red flag is necessary.

This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more…

COMMENTS

Tabernacle Mast - Marshall Marine Corporation
Mast hinges are available for both the Sandpiper and the Sanderling allowing greater flexibility in maintaining and transporting the boat. The sail and rigging need not be removed to raise and lower the mast, making it easy to take the boat with you wherever you want to explore.
Mast tabernacle testimony and experience - Cruisers & Sailing ...
If you can actually find a sailboat with a proper tabernackle, they're great, but 99.99% of small sailboats today are not fitted with one, they have a mast hinge which is far weaker. a Tabernackle has both a hinge bolt and a securing bolt, lowering the mast with a tabernackle gives you control all the way down as the sides ot the tabernackle ...
How to fit a tabernacle to your boat - Practical Boat Owner
The first stage is to design the tabernacle. This has to be of sufficient height for the mast to hinge down clear of the deck and rest on the pulpit. It also has to be made strong enough to stop the mast from twisting the tabernacle out of shape.
Installing A Sailboat Mast Tabernacle, 1968 O’day DS1
decided I would like to make it easier to 'step the mast' on my '68 O'Day DS 1 sailboat. the Tabernacle(hinge) I decided on was from Rudy at D&R, which seem...
Hinged Mast Step OR Tabernacle | SailNet Community
I have a home made hinged mast step and lowering rig that works quite well single handed for me. Pics of it in action can be seen at Bristol27.com under SV Moxie.
Mast tabernacle - Sailboat Owners Forums
I have a tabernacle in my Siren and I want to build one for the Sandpiper. It will be high enough that the boom can be left on the tabernacle with sail on it. Has anyone made a tabernacle for their boat?