Racing the Clock to Restepping Our Mast | Winter Refit Setbacks Ep. 60
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This week aboard our sailboat, we were racing the clock to prep our bare mast for restepping — and winter had other ideas. With a hard deadline looming, we took on an ambitious list of mast projects, working in cold temperatures, late nights, and even falling snow.
Our goal was to get the mast fully ready to go back in the boat. That meant installing the mast track, running all electrical wiring and lines, and mounting critical hardware including pad eyes, blocks, the gooseneck, and radar. We also upgraded the deck hardware by switching from traditional mechanical rope clutches to constrictor clutches, a less common setup in the cruising world that offers a cleaner, simpler approach.
While prepping the mast, we cleaned up the standing rigging and ran into an unexpected setback while servicing the furler — discovering a bent extrusion. We ordered a replacement, only to have the wrong size arrive, pushing us further behind schedule.
To finish the masthead, a friend stepped in to help weld a custom plate that will support the VHF antenna, anchor light, and weather station. On the day of the weld, the weather turned brutal, with snow dumping down as we worked.
Despite the long days and hard push, we ultimately missed our deadline and had to reschedule the mast stepping for another month out. We’re still waiting on the correct furler extrusion and new turnbuckles, but we’re confident that next time, we’ll be ready.
⛵ In This Episode:
Mast prep for restepping
Mast track, wiring & line runs
Pad eyes, blocks, gooseneck & radar install
Constrictor clutch upgrade
Standing rigging cleanup
Furler extrusion setback
Custom masthead welding
Cold-weather and night work realities
Refit deadlines vs real life
If you enjoy real-world sailboat refits, technical mast work, and honest sailing life — setbacks included — this episode is for you.
00:00 We have a date
00:18 Channel intro
00:36 Hardware
01:08 PSA
01:49 Mast track
04:10 Wires and cables
09:17 Pad eyes, gooseneck, and blocks
11:26 Running rigging
13:32 Standing rigging
14:19 Radar
17:39 Clutches
19:34 Furler
21:32 Mast top plate
23:02 Wrap up
24:57 Like, subscribe, comment, emoji
25:21 End card
#SailingLife #BoatRefit #SailboatMaintenance #CruisingLife #Rigging #MastWork #DIYBoatProjects #SailingCouple #SailboatRestoration #LiveaboardLife
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#SailingLife #BoatRefit #SailboatMaintenance #CruisingLife #Rigging #MastWork #DIYBoatProjects #SailingCouple #SailboatRestoration #LiveaboardLife
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Sailing Roam
👋 Hi, we’re Geri 👩🏻⚕️(a retired nurse) and Shawn 🤓 (a not retired technologist). We’ve gone on the greatest adventure of our lives instead of living the comfortable and predictable suburban world we left behind. Living aboard Roam, our cruising catamaran, we explore and immerse ourselves in new cultures, do boat repairs in exotic places, and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. Roam isn’t just the name of our boat, it’s kind of a philosophy. We’re not taking the shortest routes or using a formula to sail around the world. We’re not in a hurry either. We’re meeting the people, seeing the places and getting distracted by things we find interesting along the way. We’re unconventional and we’re living the best life we can imagine! Join us as we turn our 11-year old catamaran into our perfect adventure platform and see what’s over the next horizon. We can’t wait to meet you wherever you are! Clamptite Tools link: https://clamptitetools.com/?sld=syroam 10% discount: gerischaffer10
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Racing the Clock to Restepping Our Mast | Winter Refit Setbacks Ep. 60 Location
- Mathews (37.437006,-76.3206618)
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