DIY / TECH THE UPS AND DOWNS OF WINTER MAST STORAGE Story and photos By | Greg Nicoll W hen we acquired Just Nick, we elected to store her for the winter with the mast up and have continued to do so for the past few years. In our marina, it appears to be an even split between those leaving the mast up and others taking them down. After some " dock- talk " , we decided this summer to have our local riggers take the mast down for a thorough inspection. Mast down proponents argue that leaving the mast up with the boat in the cradle can cause stress on the hull and rigging especially when the winds howl across Georgian Bay and land right on Just Nick's bow. There is no " give " on the rig when it is on the hard and stress and vibration could cause metal fatigue to the chain plates and critical fittings. Have you ever seen your boat heel at the dock on a windy day? The rig catches a lot of wind. I have not come across any data on the impact of this stress load to support this position, but the discussion is out there. The trouble with leaving your mast up is that you become lazy and generally don't do a close inspection of the mast and rigging. Ice and salt residue can The riggers at work preparing to take down the mast. There is a lot of critical hardware at the base of the mast and it's best inspected when it has been taken down. collect on the tops of the shroud terminals and accelerate corrosion. In the days of wooden masts, they had to be coddled and protected from the elements. Today's aluminum masts and rod rigging don't change much when the temperature goes way up, or way down but the structure they are fastened to can. It was suggested to me that I take a few turns off the rig for 18 CANADIAN YACHTING | OCTOBER 2022 the winter to reduce the stress load. Make sure to re-pin your turnbuckles when doing this procedure. I wish I could comment on protocols for a carbon mast, but not with my old boat for now. I have heard that some insurance companies require that masts be taken down for winter storage. Maybe check your policy.