H260  Ginpole

Raising the mast is made pretty simple using the ginpole and mainsheet. However, the pole is pretty light and can flex during the raising operation. I've stepped the mast maybe 30 times and the shrouds can get hung up if you are not paying attention. That's how I bent the pole. I got in the habit of using the starboard winch to help get it up. I just kept cranking and cranking and could not understand why it was so hard until I noticed the ginpole start to bend. A shroud had gotten hung up. As a result I no longer use the winch - I get better feedback on how it's going from just pulling on the mainsheet.

Maybe Hunter makes the pole flimsy for just that reason -- it's better to bend the pole than break something else? I had the pole straightened but would like to see it a little stiffer. The pole supplied by Hunter is 8 ft 2 inches. I found that 1/2 inch black plumbers pipe fits inside the pole nicely. The pole is a lot stiffer now but it's also pretty heavy and I have to make sure all shrouds are free, or I'm sure to break something pretty expensive. 

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