What is Mast-up Storage?
Winter Sailing at Elephant Butte Lake; Jan 2012
Sailboats 16' and under can usually be rigged and launched from the beach. Much of the Elephant
Butte Lake western shore is sandy beach, and catamarans and dinghys are conveniently launched from
the shore. Above that length, a hoist of some sort is usually needed to hoist the mast, either a
jury-rig or a permanent mast pole and crane. Such mast poles are located near Marina del Sur and the
Rock Canyon Marina. One is located next to the present RGYC Mast-Up Storage Facility.
Mast-up storage solves the problem of rigging a large sailboat before each launch and and unrigging after use. That is a time-consuming process that could take half a day or more. With mast-up storage and sufficient overhead clearance for the mast between the storage and boat ramp, a sailboat can be rigged once at a venue and then be stored dry and essentially ready to launch. The lake does not have crane hoists, but a sailboat up to 30' or so with a regular fixed keel can be readily launched from its trailer at launch ramps near the two marinas mentioned above. The trailer must have drive-on/drive-off modifications and be able to roll back on its own. The trailer is typically launched using a tow line connected to a vehicle. Trailer tongue extensions usually do not work well except on smaller sailboats (under 20') or ones with retractable keels. We will work with mast-up renters to help configure their trailers if necessary. Wet slips are also available at the Rock Canyon Marina and to limited extent at Marina del Sur (both run by a different organization).
The RGYC Mast-Up Storage Facility is a public concession operated by the Rio Grande Yacht Club for the New Mexico State Parks. The RGYC Policy Statement can be seen below ...
Mast-up storage solves the problem of rigging a large sailboat before each launch and and unrigging after use. That is a time-consuming process that could take half a day or more. With mast-up storage and sufficient overhead clearance for the mast between the storage and boat ramp, a sailboat can be rigged once at a venue and then be stored dry and essentially ready to launch. The lake does not have crane hoists, but a sailboat up to 30' or so with a regular fixed keel can be readily launched from its trailer at launch ramps near the two marinas mentioned above. The trailer must have drive-on/drive-off modifications and be able to roll back on its own. The trailer is typically launched using a tow line connected to a vehicle. Trailer tongue extensions usually do not work well except on smaller sailboats (under 20') or ones with retractable keels. We will work with mast-up renters to help configure their trailers if necessary. Wet slips are also available at the Rock Canyon Marina and to limited extent at Marina del Sur (both run by a different organization).
The RGYC Mast-Up Storage Facility is a public concession operated by the Rio Grande Yacht Club for the New Mexico State Parks. The RGYC Policy Statement can be seen below ...
| rgyc_policy_statement.doc |