I've done that on a 14 with a really old mast step with no holes in it for a hinge. Unless you have a helper to act as the hinge, holding the base of the mast in the mast step, that's the only way to do it. It's not easy, but doable, as long as there is not a lot of wind. The trick is to keep the mast balanced.

But I'd rather have a helper, and I would not do that with the longer mast on a 16.