To remove a mast, if you have no shears convenient, place another boat with a mast as tall, or taller than yours, close alongside, and lash her fast. Then place a sling round the mast to be removed in such a position as you think the stick will balance. To this hook in the throat halyards of the assisting boat. Remove the wedges, and if the fit in the partners is tight well-grease the houseings. Then send a man in forward with a sharp-edged bar and let him pry the heel out of the step as you hoist on the halyard. Use your own halyards as guys to steady the spar. Keep the spar steady; if allowed to fall over it will very likely split the partners. You can step a mast by reversing this method.
Booms:
Booms are frequently sprung and spoiled by hauling down hard on the sheet and pulling up the lift. The boat being left at anchor, it rains; the ropes shrink, and the end of the spar is pulled up and the spar sprung out of shape. Do not set up taut on your lift if it looks like wet weather.
Rigging on racing craft:
The less running rigging you have on a racing craft the better, as a complication of tackle, lifts, sheets, etc., make it more difficult to handle sails quickly. Use as simple tackles as possible, and have as light gear as will do the work. The running rigging of a racing yacht should be constantly looked to, and at the first sign of weakness be replaced by new.
Hoops:
Hoops, to work easy, should be quite some bigger than the mast. Grease the foreside of the spar frequently, and they won’t stick when hoisting. If you don’t like grease, you can keep them from sticking by taking a piece of small line and with it linking them together by clove-hitching each one. In this way they will be kept horizontal when being hoisted. Always put on several more hoops than there are grommets for, so that if one breaks you can replace without removing your rigging.
Blocks:
Don’t buy or use cheap blocks; they are the worst investment you can make, as they will be an endless source of trouble. Don’t use blocks with sharp edges to the shell, as they will soon fray and strand your gear. It is a common practice of riggers to put on a block the swallow of which will just carry a certain sized rope; consequently, when the cordage gets wet and swells, it sticks, and the sail won’t come down. This generally happens in bad weather, when you want things to run smoothly. Always have the swallow bigger than the rope, by at least one size. For instance, if using a 12-thread rope, have the block made to carry a 15-thread.