John,
With GB mast raising crane, the entire process of raising or lowering the  
mast can be done by one person. It's simple. So simple that even our female  
Rhodes owners are capable of using it without any help. (Now ducking for  cover)
As for "can the Rhodes take a beating and still keep going", yes. Lake  
Hartwell is home to the R22 extreme sailing team. We are kind of a test bed for  
GB. We take the R22 to limits that other boats wouldn't be able to withstand.  
They are built like a brick out house. Try as we may, the R22 takes everything  
we have been able to throw at her.
 
Rummy