In younger years we raised masts heavier than the M17s’ by hand, but no more. For our M17 we initially tried lifting the mast by a four part line, direct pull from the trailer crutch. At low mast angles, this was a pretty hard pull. Our system is similar to systems, other people have made for many other boats. It uses a gin pole, winch and baby stays, and has several advantages over a direct pull. It’s a safe one person lift, without strain. At low mast angles the gin pole requires 1/3 the tension of a direct pull. Baby stays provide safe lateral support for the mast, even with unlevel ground or windy conditions. There is no need to loosen and retension sidestay turnbuckles; no chance of kinks or twisting the turnbuckles. Stopping to clear a snagged stay is easy. Our system does take an extra 10 - 20 minutes to install and remove the hoist gear. Photos show parts.