I use a gin pole made from a bit of old sailboat mast, a few pulleys and a crank. If you want to be safe, use stays either side! When im righting my mast with friends we use the middle set of decktop stays to steady the mast, but ive also seen people use dedicated tracks and such as well to prevent the mast going either side.

On Sat, Nov 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM Tom Hyatt via Rhodes22-list <
rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

> Hello Rhodes Owners:
>
> I had the misfortune to intersect my mast with a series of tree limbs while
> I was moving my boat to its winter quarters. No real damage occurred except
> for my Windex and mast light being severed from their homes. So I am forced
> to bring my mast down before next season to make the repairs.
>
> I have lowered and raised my mast before with a gin pole system I
> rigged up. My wife insists (and she is right) that I should get a proper
> Rhodes apparatus to make this easier and safer.
>
> So I am reaching out to you to see if you might have one for sale or know
> where I might be able to purchase one. (Or is there an improved system that
> you know about that you could share with me.)
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Tom Hyatt
> S/V Eliza Jane, 1978
> Baltimore, Maryland.
>