Mast lowering on the Corsair 880 Sport

There are many stages to follow when recovering your 880 and lowering the mast.

We hope you’ll find this information helpful, be very careful and ask for expert assistance!

Corsair 880

Retrieving the boat

Whenever possible align the trailer in the direction of the wind to make it easier to motor onto the trailer when the daggerboard and centerboard are raised.

Corsair 880

Tie down tips

Use soft dock lines and padding, loop around the trailer frame and use the winches. smaller diameter line is not a great idea, more likely to rub and cause damage.

Corsair 880

Tie down tips

Use the 880 ladder or a 6-foot ladder to continue tie down tasks. Be sure to secure the bow to the trailer and the trailer to your vehicle so it doesn’t tip with added weight in the stern.

Motor tips

Use the motor support to take pressure off the tilt mechanisms. The road is much harder than water.

Corsair 880

Mast support

Be sure to use all supplied mast support lines as instructed and secure the bitter end.

Corsair 880

Mast drop preparation - be a pro

Look at the big picture…take your time. What will save time? What will cause problems? Get a good process and follow the steps the same way every time to become an expert.

Corsair 880

Teamwork pays

When possible use one or two crew on the ground and one person stays on the deck working in concert to confirm each other’s tasks and steps

Corsair 880

Prepare the halyards

Use TWO halyards, the jib and screecher halyard in tandem, to become your temporary forestay to lower the mast.

Corsair 880

Limit failure points

Tie a bowline in each of the halyards as the attachment point. Avoid using the halyard termination hardware to eliminate one potential failure point.

Corsair 880

Prepare the trailer winch

Your 880 is equipped with a custom winch fitted with a clutch. You must actively wind or unwind

the line to use it safely for your mast lowering.

Corsair 880 Sport

Connect the halyards

Finish the connection by tying another bowline in the winch line to connect to your two halyards.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Start by removing the boom handle and stow in the boat.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Remove the mainsheet from the end of the boom and stow it carefully in the cockpit without twisting the lines.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

For longer distances, remove the mainsheet from the traveler connection and stow it in a cockpit locker ready to use again.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Leave the topping lift attached to support the rear of the boom and slide the front into the cabin.

Disconnect the topping lift to carry it all the way into the front cabin.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Pad the folding seats and secure them to the beam folding struts so they don’t rub and

rattle. Shock cords are great for this, and use the same dedicated travel lines and shock

cords in the same positions every time.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Secure the topping lift to a free mounting point on the base of the mast, begin to secure

ALL halyards to the base and running ends are free from the turning blocks.

Corsair 880 Sport

Clear the mast in stages

Pro-tip: Just coil the lines and stow them in the anchor locker. No need to tie all this

loose line on the mast when transporting.

Clear the mast in stages

Disconnect the downhaul (cunningham) and stow it in the cabin.

Corsair Timaran Sport

Attach the mast raising gin pole

Insert the stainless steel rod in the front of the mast in the stainless socket where the

boom and boom handle used to be attached.

Attach the mast raising gin pole

The gin pole uses two side stays and one stay attached to the mast to help support it.

Corsair 880 Sport

Attach the mast raising gin pole

If the mast support is out of reach you may step on the pole CLOSE to the mast, it will support your weight there to reach up.

Corsair 880 Sport

Attach the mast raising gin pole

Close the hooks, tension the purchase equally and use white tape to secure each hook!! Don’t want them coming loose.

Corsair 880 Sport

Attach the mast raising gin pole

Use white tape at your set point each time to confirm tension.

Corsair 880 Sport

Halyard raising lines

Use the jib and screecher halyards, two for redundancy and bowlines in all three lines as

shown.

Corsair 880 Sport

Halyard raising lines

Tension the trailer winch and the halyards on the mast until the end of the trailer line is

18 inches from the end of the gin pole to ensure knots won’t interfere.

Corsair 880 Sport

Halyard raising lines

Tension the halyards equally and close the clutches. Put the halyards on the horn cleats

too, again for redundant safety.

Corsair 880 Sport

Lowering the mast

Pro Tip: Notice the alignment of the halyards and the gin pole. Are the halyards tracking

straight back? Is the pole straight forward? The halyards MUST land in the gin pole V.

If they are not, just back up a step and confirm why they are not aligned. Wind direction?

Corsair 880 Sport

Lowering the mast

Each Corsair 880 has a bow roller. This one vibrated loose and is missing. Be sure to take

yours off and stow it whenever you are not using it to lower the mast. It’s not designed

as an anchor roller or anything else.

Corsair 880 Sport

Lowering the mast

Communication is key with your partner. Decide based on experience who should help

guide the mast and watch for problems and who should manage the clutch-equipped

winch.

Corsair 880 Sport

Moment of truth

When you are satisfied that all is ready, put a little winch tension on the halyards to

relieve tension on the forestay. Then remove the pin and put it in a safe place.

Corsair 880 Sport

Lowering the mast

Manage the forestay to prevent damage to the aluminum extrusion. It can help to tie a

loose loop around the forestay and secure it to the gin pole. This eases it down to the

horizontal position without scratching the drum or other parts.

Lowering the mast

Guide the furler and drum rearward to avoid scratching the deck. Doesn’t hurt to wrap it in a towel with a bungie for this step.

Corsair 880 Sport

Trick Question

If you made it this far, what did you forget? Is the mast rotation bar connected to the

deck yet? If you forgot this preparation step, put tension back on the halyards

and start again.

Corsair 880 Sport

Deck fittings

Now that we have your full attention, there are three parts. the deck plate, a retaining

bolt and a quick-connect pin that holds the rotation bar to the deck plate.

Corsair 880 Sport

Deck fittings

Slide the base plate into the deck fitting. Wiggle it to be sure nothing is binding.

Corsair 880 Sport

Deck fittings

Next screw the retaining bolt into the base plate but NOT all the way tight. On some

mast rake settings it must hold the base plate securely but NOT cause the pin to bind on

the rotation bar.

Corsair 880 Sport

Mast on the rear support

That step should go smoothly, and the person on the deck can gently guide the mast to

the port or starboard holding the diamond wires to align the mast in the rear support.

Corsair 880 Sport

Secure the bow

You can leave that extra winch line loose if you choose, so you don’t need to wind and

unwind it next time. Just be sure to secure the bow of the boat before anyone moves on

the stern of the boat, and be sure the trailer is secured to a vehicle.

Corsair 880 Sport

Moving the mast forward

On the 880 Sport the mast is long enough that it now has negative pressure when it is all

the way down and pivoted on the deck mount. Don’t pull the pin until you are SURE you

can handle the negative upward push of the mast base. A spotter is a really good idea.

Corsair 880 Sport

Moving the mast forward

Pad the bow pulpit before you place the mast there. use carpeting or even a Yoga Block

to raise the mast higher at the front and lower at the back.

Moving the mast forward

As suggested, use one person’s body weight above the mast to hold it securely, and a

second person can pull the pin and be ready to assist. As soon as it’s rolled forward

about 2 feet the weight goes neutral, and it’s more manageable as you roll it forward

on the dual support rollers.

Corsair 880 Sport

Moving the mast forward

Pro Tip: Last one…the spreaders are WIDE to handle the power of this sail plan. you

most hold the diamond wires firmly as you pull the mast forward. Rotate the mast about

30 degrees so the spreaders can pass through the beams: one low and one high. Be

watchful about hitting the winches with the diamond wires. Just roll it back and forth to

clear any issues.


If you’re interested in knowing more about the new Corsair 880 Sport or Standard or any trimaran… contact Richard Allen / The 180 Marine trimaran expert. richard@180marine.com
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