The cradle we built for the mast was intended for transporting the boat on the highway. The trailer we used was high to the point that we had to keep the mast as low as possibelto make sure the boat cleared the highway bridges. Thus the mast sits below the bow pulpit and just clears the companionway slide in the back.
The backbone that is used for the cover is higher than both the stern and bow pulpits so that there is a bit more room to work under the cover. It is also angled slighly (tent fashion) so that snow does not accumulate
The other reason we don't use the mast for the backbone is that there is concern for the cover to rub on the mast.
