Issue 30 : May/Jun 2003
My wife, Marilyn, began singlehanding our 25-foot sloop in the mid-1980s. One problem she had at that time was hoisting our outboard up and into the stowed position. I made a device for her that we call our Easy Hoist. It did the same thing as her arm but with more mechanical advantage and less effort on her part. I put a 1-inch bend on the end so it could be stowed conveniently on the stern rail when not in use.
To make it I attached a Harken #245 Micro block to our split aft stay and then added a Harken #244 Micro block attached to the Easy Hoist. It could be easily adapted to work on a single stay if a suitable means were made to attach the #245. The 1⁄8-inch stainless steel is 4 inches wide and about 15 inches long. A shorter length would work just as well.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
