J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Examine the chainplates

Good day,
As summer is drawing to a close, I'm looking at my chainplates and putting them at the top of my list. Has anyone done a spot check on the chainplates; in terms of loosening the stays so the chainplates can be removed. Is the mast able to free stand for a bit while this is being done, or has anyone done something like this without popping out the mast?