Covered slip - lowering/raising mast on water

[NewtoMac]

Hi everyone,

I am considering buying a Mac after selling my West White Potter when I moved to Dallas a while back. But because of the heat down here, I'd like to be able to keep it on one of the lakes in the summer in a covered slip. That would mean I'd need to be able to raise and lower the mast on the water when exiting/entering my slip.

I know that raising/lowering the mast while on the water would have been difficult on my previous boat. What are opinions on doing that on the Mac? Has anyone attempted to keep a Mac in a covered slip?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[captronr]

If you have the mast raising system, which I think is standard on a mac, it's as easy to raise/lower the mast on the water as on the hard. I would not want to try it just floating in a lake--it would be best to tie up to an open slip, lower it, and then go to your slip.

Having said that, I would not want to raise/lower the mast every time I wanted to go out. The advantage of being in a slip is fast access to the water.

If heat is an issue, as it is when we have our boat on Grand Lake, Oklahoma, build an A/C mount for the hatch, purchase a small window A/C, and have it COLD inside the boat. It's a hassle to move it or step over it going in and out, but you can't beat 68* in the hot afternoon and evening. And it would be faster than raising/lowering the mast every time you went out.

Hope this helps.
Ron

[Gypsy]

After we bought our we practiced , several times , raising and lowering the mast in the yard. We got it down to a fine art .


Where we launch , due to a power line , it is necassary to raise the mast after launching .
On the water with the boat rocking , etc it was a whole nother ball game !
One time the boat rocked at a critical time and the mast went swinging out . No damage was done but it was a close disaster !

Raising and lowering the mast is not as easy as it is shown on the video.
With the addition of 'baby stays' I think next time will be a lot easier for us , but still its not an easy job.

[grnwtrcruzn]

For me I think it would come down to how often you entertain others on the boat. While I've managed to get the mast raising to a reasonable time IMHO; when there's others on board their glares tell me they don't get much enjoyment out of this feature on the mac.

[Catigale]

Ive done it solo on Cayuga Lake in Upstate NY (dropped the mast to get under the RR trestle at North end to enter the Erie Canal system...In small waves or chop I sure wouldnt want to do it myself....with two it would be okay.

[Russ]

Another consideration is how much you want to lower the mast.

Simply lowering it to the crutch, it will stick out quite a bit from the stern probably causing a navigation hazard in your marina. But it would require only 1 re-attachment at the forestay and make the process easier/faster.

Now to completely stow the mast, you'll need to unhook it from the base and "walk" it and the standing rigging forward. That's the part I hate the most and how I bent a spreader.


--Russ

[pokerrick1]

With baby stays raising and lowering the mast when the boat is stable (not rocking) is no big deal. BTW, the mast raising system is not standard but about $75-$100, and well worth it. More of a problem is, I think, the blocking effect of the lowered mast in getting into and out of the cabin and moving about the cockpit -- - and if you have to do the "Macdance" and walk the mast forward - - - furgedaboudit! - - - even though there are better ideas now for lowering the lifelines when doing that.

Better IMHO to air condition the boat - - - call Mike Inmon at the factory for the latest A/C ideas - - - you didn't mention if you were considering an or an The A/C might pay for itself eventually with the difference between a covered and uncovered slip! There are new systems now that fit in the V berth that both heat AND cool a Mac, and they include a thermostat installed above the mirror and that run on electricity at the slip.

Good Luck - - - and welcome aboard

Rick

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I had to do an emergency repair that required lowering the mast in the water. It was not much different than doing it on the trailer. I wouldn't hesitate doing it again if needed. The mast raising system is a must though.

Bob

[mika]

What's a "baby stay"? Anybody have to use these when raising the mast on land?

[Divecoz]

Well, its not the optimal idea IMHO but I have done it.... I even did it while being towed ....across Port Charlotte Harbor by Sea-Tow hahahaha
The Sea-Tow Captain was VERY...... Impressed!!!

[Mac26Mpaul]

As long as the boat is not rocking too much, its just as easy to do it on water as it is on land. I often do it with the boat at anchor before I bring her in, as I just prefer mucking about on the boat when it is on the water for some reason.. Just make sure you have some spare ringdings for your furler (if you have one). If you drop it while trying to get it in when the boat is on the water, it will ruin your day

I dont think I would leave the mast in position and overhanging the back of the boat as suggested. You might end up with a bent mast...

[Gypsy]

What's a "baby stay"? Anybody have to use these when raising the mast on land?

Baby Stays are something I learned about on this forum . They are stays that connect to the mast approximately 6 feet up . on my boat , they connect to the base of the forward lifeline post .
They keep the mast from swinging out while you are raising it .

My boat already had the holes drilled in the mast for the stays . So it was an easy job to run a piece of 5/16 stainless steel all thread thru it and screw eyes on the ends .
I then ran plain rope to the base of the lifeline poles and clipped it on. After I raise and secure the mast , I remove mine so as to make it easier to go to the bow.
They make a big difference in keeping the mast stable as it comes up !

[Mac26Mpaul]

A baby stay, sometimes referred to as an inner forestay (mistakingly as thats something else) is not an aid to mast raising.

Pretty confident the baby stay is another smaller stay which connects where the spreaders attach to the mast and besides giving the mast some extra strengh, controls the slight bow that the mast should have in it. Its actually usually found on spreaderless rigs I believe.

[Gypsy]

A baby stay, sometimes referred to as an inner forestay (mistakingly as thats something else) is not an aid to mast raising.

Pretty confident the baby stay is another smaller stay which connects where the spreaders attach to the mast and besides giving the mast some extra strengh, controls the slight bow that the mast should have in it. Its actually usually found on spreaderless rigs I believe.

Whether " Baby Stay " is the proper name for them , or not , thats what we were calling them , when they were being discussed .
The "Baby Stays" we talked about are there as an aid to raising or lowering the mast.
Being only 6 feet up the mast , they wouldn't do much good in supporting the mast , once its secured in place.

[pokerrick1]

I meant "baby stays" as the ones attached to the mast raising system that attach to the bottom of the safety lines at the deck. Don't leave home without them.

Rick