R25 Classic - Supporting the mast while trailering

[scross]

Advice sought! We will be trailering our 2009 R25 for the first time on Wednesday the 28th. We have a 560+ mile trip to get the boat home.
I have reviewed the "mast set up and take down" page in the owners manual for info about securing the mast while trailering and still have a few questions. While a photo would be worth a thousand words, the owners manual does not include any....
On our boat, the mast rotates forward and is "secured" to the vertical support post.
The manual says to "attach the two mast tie down cables to their storage positions in the roof clips". Can anyone be a bit more specific as to what this means?
How do you prevent the cables and hardware from rubbing on the roof surface with the mast in the down position?
It also says to "securing the mast with a tie down". What are you doing to accomplish this?
Once home, we will be storing the mast in the up position for the winter.
Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

All good questions. On our R27 we also have the forward folding mast that gets attached to a post from the back side of the bow hatch. I have replaced the push pin that came with our boat with a more secure double wired snap safety pin....google snap pin to find what one looks like. The snap pin keeps the mast from ever coming apart from the mast support when it is in the folded down position, unless it breaks. The guide wires do not rub on the brow gelcoat at all, so no worries with them.

Jim F

 

[scross]

Thanks for the suggestion on the snap pins. I use one on my old boat's trailer tongue safety latch from time to time.
Hopefully the storage for the support cables will make sense when I get to that point. Never towed a boat with a mast before.
The rest of the trailering processes I think I get having done lots (30k miles) of trailering with long but light trailers.
Towing the Tug at 9,300 pounds will be a first for me since the highest weight I towed before is about 6,500 pounds.
We plan on going slow.....

 

[knotflying]

In case it is not clear to you there are two identical clips on the face of the roof area that the clips engage into. Make sure there is a small bit of tension on your cables so that the mast does not wiggle back and forth while towing. I accomplish this by securing one side and then clip the other side and pull ever so slightly on the mast while turning the turn buckle at the end of the cable. I then thighten the nut back up to the turnbuckle so it won't loosen.

 

[SGIDAVE]

In case it is not clear to you there are two identical clips on the face of the roof area that the clips engage into. Make sure there is a small bit of tension on your cables so that the mast does not wiggle back and forth while towing. I accomplish this by securing one side and then clip the other side and pull ever so slightly on the mast while turning the turn buckle at the end of the cable. I then thighten the nut back up to the turnbuckle so it won't loosen.

Hello SCross,

As Mike points out, you adjust 'tension' on the cables via turnbuckles. The turnbuckles have 'jam' nuts to hold position.

My advice is to carry a two small wrenches (crescent type or vice grip will work) to allow securely tightening the jam nuts and prevent the side-to-side wiggling.

Once you get the rig home you will want to obtain a few spares for the cable parts that can be lost when the jam nuts come loose. There are other parts in addition to the turnbuckles with jam nuts such as small pins with securing 'cotter' pins or circle clips which can sometimes go missing.

And I second Jim F's suggestion for a 'pinned' safety pin. Don't rely on a pin with a 'ball detent' to stay in position whilst trailering.

dave

 

[South lake]

One thing I've found useful with the turnbuckles is to wrap them in electricians tape after they're tightened and secured. I've had the jam nuts work loose while trailering and the tape insures they stay tight.

 

[scross]

Great tips everyone!! Thanks. Went back to my roof pics and now see where the second set of cable attachment brackets are located just above the eyebrow. Will bring an assortment of spring clips, crescent wrenches and a roll of electricians tape with me.
This sight and the helpful TugNuters using it have been very helpful with bringing forward tips on the unique trailering requirements of our Tugs.
I now know not to trailer with the front windshield canvas covers attached, how to do the Ranger "slide" if necessary, that I need to remove the bimini canvas from the frame rather than leaving it rolled up in it's sleeve, and to use a big ratchet strap with wash mitt protectors across the cockpit rather than trying to get smaller ratchet straps to somehow work using the stern eyes. All great tips!
Thanks again all!

 

[dkoivu]

Good morning, Al and Vicky,
It is good to hear that you have your trailer and ready for the next adventure of trailering it home. We wish you safe travels and congratulations. From the photo clip, Your Journey looks well kept. Enjoy her!
Dave and Bette

 

[scross]

All in all, the recovery trip went very much as planned. The weather was perfect on Tuesday morning for our 19 mile voyage from Friday Harbor to Skyline Marina in Anacortes. The Tuff Trailer was waiting for us at the factory site north of Bellingham Tuesday afternoon. The haul out and placement onto brand new the trailer took about an hour first thing Wednesday morning and went fine. The Tuff Trailer folks had made the bunks a bit high (on purpose) and Wednesday afternoon was spent doing a fine tune of the fit at the factory. At 5 PM we left Bellingham in a steady downpour and trailered down using I-405 east of Seattle to arrive at Centralia by 10 PM. More rain this morning through Portland and we were home by 4 PM.

Trailering in the rain is not much fun. Nor is trailering in the dark. But the Tuff Trailer felt so stable, the handling so even, and the brakes (electric over hydraulic) so effective that it was very straightforward. Still, it's good to be home!

Thanks again for all the tips on securing the mast. Took about 20 minutes the first time but I think I could now do it in 10 minutes.