I made a crutch from 2x4s that I actually sit on the ground behind the stern and tie to the stern rail. It works well but does not sit as high as one sitting inside the cockpit. However, it is plenty sturdy and especially resists lateral movement. Of course, it's useless if you are lowering or raising your mast while your boat is in the water. :-)

Tom Hyatt

On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 10:33 AM Ric Stott <ric at stottarchitecture.com>
wrote:

> The lintels can probably handle the compressive loads but without added
> connections to the stern rail would most likely fail to handle the lateral
> loads of the mast and sliding it forward and or aft. I would mount it on
> the stern and lash it to the stern rail, the way GB designed it. It’s
> simple , direct and easy.
> Ric
> Dadventure
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 29, 2023, at 10:03 AM, peter beckerman via Rhodes22-list <
> rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,   Sad to say that summer is over and winter haul-out is fast
> approaching :-(.  As I contemplate lowering my mast for the first time, and
> wishing to avoid a repeat of the experience in raising the mast (another
> story) I am planning on building a mast crutch to simplify the process (my
> boat did not come with the GB mast raising system or a crutch).  My
> question for all you experienced Rhodies is:  can I safely hang a mast
> crutch and the weight of mast/boom/furler assembly on the pintles?  Are
> they robust enough for this load?  I assume they are ( but you know what
> happens when you assume).  What says the collective wisdom?  Note:  I only
> plan to use this for raising/lowering, not for trailering/storage.
> > Thanks all,     Peter
>