The Little Dipper is referring to as a trailer-able cruiser – so the mast is removable. We had a hard time the first time that mast was raised, mostly because of inexperience. There were some instances when someone just had to stand off the boat and hold the mast – which felt like wasted time and effort.
The following day, Sarah was watching sailing videos, and mentioned someone built a mast holder that rests on their rudder fixtures. I didn’t even have to see it to know exactly how to make one – what a great idea.
I started by cutting some 2×4 blocks with the miter saw to fit in the fixtures perfectly. Then I marked and drilled an appropriately sized hole for the connecting bolt.
I tried to keep the tolerance as tight as I could to prevent any wobble. Then all that was left was to tie the blocks together with a support, and add on some guides.
This has an added bonus of better securing the mast in transit. I was quite happy with how it turned out, and the fact I already had all of the parts ready in my garage. Though it would probably be better if made out of treated lumber.
We tried it out this week, and it was a huge help. 10/10 would recommend building one of these.
