[Rhodes22-list] How robust are the pintles?

[peter beckerman]

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