Please tell me about your Arches!

[mikehodge]

I re-rigged my lifelines in the center section where the spreaders are and have them release like the ones at the cockpit using a another set of pelican hooks. I just have them fall to the side and the mast raises with no problem and no MAC DANCE. I took measurements to West Marine off Oceanside Blvd. and had my lifelines modified for about $80. I always launched at O’side Harbor too, that parking lot can be crazy with your mast extending out on busy days. I found getting a guest slip for a few days and going down late afternoon on a weekday you have more room to pull in sideways and rig the mast. Oceanside’s Finest Harbor Police only once addressed me on my mast sticking out into the driving lane, suggested I put a red flag on the end. Most of the time someone always stops and asks what kind of boat we have.

There are about 8 to 10 older MAC’s in slips in the O’side Harbor. I had mine, an in until Nov. of 2012. I see three or four regulars using the guest slips during the warmer months.

Note of caution: use your motor down and in idle when going in and out of the harbor crossing those breakers at the harbor entrance. We have seen a powerboat flip, everyone was ok.

Good luck on any mods.

Mike

[BOAT]

Hi Mike,

I sail in and out near the breakers all day but at the end of the day we power through the breakers.
(The reason I do it is to get the water out of my ballast tank before I pull into the ramp to get out of the water).
When I blast through those breakers with the MAC at WOT it makes people on the rocks in the campground yell and cheer.

My neighbor almost pitch poled a Boston Whaler coming into Oceanside Harbor one day because the twin Mercs on the back were going faster than he thought.

I start my day by sailing out of the harbor in the morning and if not going to Dana Point or San Diego I sail back in around 2PM and tie up at the Jolly Roger for grog. Then we go back out. At the end of the day as the sun is waning we return to drop the main sail in the calm of the harbor so I don't fall off the boat, (I use a bolted main so I go on deck to lower the main). THEN, we turn on the engine and have just a little more fun before going home. I power out and then back into the harbor. For me - it's to get the water out of the tanks.

Some of my "power boater" friends power down too soon coming back in right at the COREGS line not realizing there are still big swells INSIDE THE HARBOR!! So right about the time their own wake wash is catching up to them a following swell rams their stern and they nose in like a submarine. It will scare the crap out of you if you're not used to it. (I have been sailing Oceanside for about 30 years in different boats).
I buried my dad's ashes outside of this harbor.

Yeah, I don't plan to do a lot of mods - but the MAC DANCE with me on the bow holding 50 pounds of mast and genoa fighting the spreaders is a little scary to me. I'm not afraid to fall off in the water, it's falling off in the parking lot that scares me.

Concrete is way harder than water.

[Boblee]

Like Bartmac we made a new arch that lifts the mast up for all the reasons he quoted and to carry all the things he mentioned and more, we also raised the front mount too and the back one is adjustable an extra foot, having the arch higher also means you can drop the mast with all sailing gear intact and raise it again much quicker all that needs doing is hooking up the vang and traveller and routing the lines back to the cockpit.
Think this is it squeezed under the roof and other's on the road and water Photobucket has changed and I'm a slow learner.

[BOAT]

Raising the mast holder thingy (whatever you call it) at the pulpit is a great idea too - I really love that idea but how do you do it? Does it mean there will be this permenant ugly "thing" welded to the front of my boat while I am sailing around in the ocean?

[Boblee]

Ours is a bit ugly because it was a temporary fix and never got made permanent but you only need to duplicate above the rail like the original point below, it has never interfered with sailing or come adrift though.

[BOAT]

Okay, I guess I better get to work on a bolt on extention for that front mast mount. How did you get those black round things to stay on top of the goalposts?

[Boblee]

AH goalposts it finally makes sense, someone else was talking bout them and had NFI what they were talking about.
Ok just got a bit of flat ss and cut it to shape of pulpit rail one side and straight across at rear then welded the goalposts on, the flat is held to the rail with these rail clamps https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_item ... lutePage=1
Could be removed but don't bother and can still use old upside down goalposts (bracket)

Did have a screw rattle out of one clamp but have done a lot of k's with it there.

[BOAT]

Okay, I think the soccer NFL football thing is still not translating right. The goalposts are the big aluminum things that stick up on the back of the trailer that guide you onto the trailer when you are in the water. I got me some big black round things just like you have on yours but I can't figure out how to secure them to the top of the 'goalposts'. (I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer).

Crikey,

I do have a lorry - you folks in the land of wallaby know my truck better than the folks around here - it's a 2004 Mercedes Sprinter Van (well. 'Diaimler' for those not in the colonies).

I saw on the news that a big sharkey ate someone at the barrier reef again! You guys are brave!

[Tomfoolery]

I got me some big black round things just like you have on yours but I can't figure out how to secure them to the top of the 'goalposts'. (I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer).

I sleeved mine with PVC pipe, and put a cap on the top. The little sharp-ish ring on the cap stripped a long, tiny sliver of gelcoat when I loaded the boat and it was pushed against the cap, though I can't find where it came from, so it doesn't bother me.

But to your point, I then slit a small circle out of a pair of old tennis balls and stuck them on top of each goalpost cap. The holes are small enough that I had to really force them over, and they don't seem to want to come off. The price was right, and I'm happy.

But I needed the sharpest knife on the work bench to cut those tennis balls, eliminating the need to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, so that's something I guess.

[BOAT]

Yeah thanks Captain tkanzler, you are kind - I ain't too sharp but I know how to invent stuff - but I can't BUILD the stuff because I don't know how to weld. My biggest problem it seems is my lack of ability to weld stuff.

If I knew how to cut and weld aluminum and stainless and steel stuff I could create some really dandy things for 'boat' but since I am at the mercy of stock pieces of extruded metals and nuts and bolts and drills I'm kinda screwed on creating the things I need.

I am real good at drawing pictures and drafting - if I could find a person that knows how to weld things I could build some great 'stuff'.

I think your tennis ball idea is the best - I will go get some today.

[Highlander]

Here's another option for u
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 10Wmax.jpg

Virtory products part #CN3234

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=v ... iRGW-0mY2w

J

[DaveB]

Thats to simple.
Others like to figure it out themselfs.
Dave

Or put pelican hooks on the lifelines so you can drop them.

[BOAT]

Well, I did not disclose the first "mod" I did to boat that is probably just as good an answer to this as anything else - but it has to do with the lifelines. It has to do with the place that I store 'boat".
I will take pictures and post them before I try to explain here because you would probably not belive me if you did not see it with your own eyes anyways. My neighbors did not belive it either until I did.
I got free lunches off my neighbors the day I brought 'boat' home because of the bets they lost).

P.S.
I sure like that arch that highlander sent - man that's a cool looking arch, but I must control myself - if I do everything I like because it's cool I will have a 3000 pound boat instead of a 2000 pound boat, and if I end up with a 3000 pound boat I will need to have three or four sails up at a time like highlander and I don't have enough arms for that.

[Highlander]

Another option for u
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1794

J

[BOAT]

That's another nice one. If you saw my parking spot you might understand my issues - I will get some pictures posted as soon as i find my camera. (I can't find it!)