MacGregorSailors.com

"Many people say the rotating mast is not a big advantage.
I was watching a you tube channel (some guy in Auzzie Land) with a 26M
He was sailing along.. and always had to "shake" the boom to make the mast turn.
Would be nice... if it worked..."

And how many monohulls have you seen with a rotating mast?

Just more carnival barking from MacGregor.

I can't speak to monos with a rotating mast buy my Prindle catamaran had one. It worked flawlessly. I could not tell you if it helped but it certainly kept the wind moving smoothly over the mast and main. Couldn't have hurt.

If anything.. prob will try to adjust/straighten it myself...see if it rotates.
If worst comes to worst.. I will call BWyachts again.
Shipping will prob. be cheaper than buying in Canada Locally... *nearly $5000 + shipping/etc)
I can then add the vang back on ...etc.etc.etc.
Will see how this season pans out.

AD

If I remember right ur is a 2007 so it has the bigger 5" M mast which is also heavier in 2008 they went & down sized to a lighter 4" M mast same shape just slighty smaller now if ur spreaders r 44" & ur chain plates r in the same position as the 2008 I can,t see why u could not go to the smaller Dia. mast u,d need to check ur spreaders Length

The older mac,s & the masts will not work on ur boat they r 26 & 28 long too short & also way to smaller Dia . they r not strong enough to support the bigger mainsail or height 30ft ur boom is about the same size as a mast I think somewhere around 3 1/2" Dia.
Geoff & I both drilled a hole in our mast base plates so as we could install a 1/4" dia. hitch pin to keep the mast from rotating while lowered onto the mast crutch otherwise the mast can turn sideways while driving down the road & will bounce up & down like crazy & poss. put a slight bend in ur mast & I also fabricated an Alum leg with a V cap on top that fits onto the mast base deck brkts same as the mast to keep my mast from bouncing in the middle & also helps with the snow loads in the winter if u store outside
I,d defiantly try to straighten it before I,d buy a new or good used one but I,d do it now I would,nt leave it till next yr

As for Mike Ford I,d just buy the Mast splice from BWY install it with two bolts just like the
When I cutter rigged my I removed the top 12ft mast section & replaced it with a 16ft top section & added Jumper Struts to the top 4ft section so I ended up with a 28ft mast from 24ft

https://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3219-1p0.htm

Mast splice for Mike would b a cheap fix I wonder if mike could post a close up pic of the mast where we can see both broken ends

J
PS Mike here,s some pic,s & messurements of the mac19 mast splice








The center hole I believe was 5/16" or 3/8" for lower shrouds attachment point & the 2 other holes were I believe 1/4" were the mast attachment points maybe someone with a can chip in

Yes.. I pin the mast when I store it on the boat.. holds better.. does not lean over.
I will go the route of trying to straightening it.. (why not.. )
That will also save some Canadian-Pesos for upgrading my Moving Map /etc.
I think I will start with the Hobie Cat .. Sand bag and bounce method..
Then if thats not successful.. or iffy.... I will ratchet strap the mast to a I-beam.. and see if that works.

Not upset or anything.. (other than BWYs comments) .. just another project..
For me working on the boat is as much fun as sailing on it. Just want to make sure I do not make things worse.. and have to wait months to ship a mast in. Do not mind buying a new one.. but do not want to wait 9 months.. or pay 3x the price of the mast in shipping.

Currently I have the mast not moving.. and pinned as well. (to be safe). ..

Was doing some poking around about remasting (again)

I wonder if any of these masts would work for a 26M:
KENYON #3049 (4.9 x 3) (old mast was 5x3)

Z-Spar #Z190 (4.25 x 3.0625) (new 4x3 replacement?)
Z-Spar #Z230E (4.875 x 3.125) (Old 5x3 replacement?)

adudinsk wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 5:51 am
Currently my mast is locked tight so it will not rotate.. It always pops to one side .. and always stays there all my might I cannot center it...
(I installed the bearings.. then removed them)
I think its the slight bow in the mast preventing it for rotating properly.. or the rigging is not tensioned correctly.

I intend on going over the rigging this season and tensioning it.. one side is wobbly loose.. the other tight..
That might be messing up my ability to rotate. if so.. the bearings are going back in.


AD

I had a similar problem with the mast not rotatting, popping and staying to one side. The problem was I had a bent mast (Not noticing I had snagged the standing rigging while winching the mast up). Got the mast straightened and now no problem. Orginally a bit worried about snapping the mast but the rigger that did it said the mast is a fairly heavy build for the size boat. I couldn't do it myself but he had ground mounted fixing points to attach blocks to and the appropriate supports for the mast.

A few years ago I also bent the mast on Miss Tecumseh… I was backing up with the mast in the stowed position and accidentally hit a tree branch. It bent the h@ll out of the rear mast support and put a curve into the mast. I had to replace the mast support, but I was able to straighten the mast myself. I used a straight 10-foot plank edge to locate the centers of the bend, then supported the mast at the edges of the bend and gently used my own weight to shift it straight. After a few ‘massages’ it was completely straight again. Granted, there was no ‘kink’ in the mast - had there been, this likely would not have worked.

Yup.. I have a bent mast too.
The bend is around the location of the spreaders.
Was planning on taking it all down.. and trying to straightening it..
No one around here will bother to do it (riggers/etc)

Was yours a 5" or the smaller mast?
Mine is the 5" one

adudinsk wrote: ↑Thu Nov 03, 2022 6:15 am Was yours a 5" or the smaller mast?
Mine is the 5" one

My boat's mast is the factory 3" X 4" X 28' extrusion. I wasn't aware that MacGregor ever supplied a 5" mast.

the 26M prior to mid 2007 had a wider different mast.
Current is 3.0"x4.5" .. this started mid 2007
Prior to that it was a 3.0" x 5.0" mast
(thats what I have)

Of course they need different caps/mounting plates/etc/

Not sure what a 26X used...


AD