MacGregorSailors.com

Has anyone replaced mast with Dryer DM-6 mast extrusion for 26x?
This was in stock 3hr drive away but I instead ordered one from BWY months ago that was said would be shipped in one to two weeks and would be drilled for 26X hardware. Last update on ship date from BWY has long passed and no responses to last inquiry. I am considering canceling BWY mast order but want to be sure DM-6 is appropriate. Is weight similar? Other issue is need to maybe purchase large ladder rack for truck if going to pick it up and transport.

Another option might to be to temporarily repair broken mask. BWY sells a mast splice for M19 which appears to have 3"x4" mast extrusion. Maybe that fits inside 26x mast?

I called BWYachts too about a remast.. and shipping to Canada.
I told them that my mast was modified to have a hard vang..

The guy got VERY upset.. stating its not going to work.. etc..etc..
Went on quite a bit..

I said ok.. then maybe I will just go to the original config.... remove the hard vang..etc.

How must to ship to Canada.. Gave the address...etc.

Said he would email me... I sent a reminder email.. no reply...

Was not impressed.
Gave up.

adudinsk wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 9:29 am I called BWYachts too about a remast.. and shipping to Canada.
I told them that my mast was modified to have a hard vang..

The guy got VERY upset.. stating its not going to work.. etc..etc..
Went on quite a bit..

I said ok.. then maybe I will just go to the original config.... remove the hard vang..etc.

How must to ship to Canada.. Gave the address...etc.

Said he would email me... I sent a reminder email.. no reply...

Was not impressed.
Gave up.

I,m going to educate u right here
Youre Mast was not modified it was drilled into at the base of the sail slot to b able ro retrofit a aproxx 12"X1" T- track at the base of the mast if u look up inside the bottom of ur mast behind the sail slot u will see a approx 12' X 1" x 1/4" Alum threaded flat bar which serves as the backing plate & attachment point for the T-track it,s 12" or 14" long can,t rememmber right now as I,d have to check on my boat , U also have the same set up on the Boom T - track which accommodates ur Garhauer rigid boom vang which was designed for the with rotating mast that,s why it has a swivel attachment that goes onto the mast T - track not the Boom T- track thus allowing for the mast to still rotate ! , if u ever require to remove these T- tracks u will need to heat the S/S Screw heads with a heat gun to soften up the blue threader locker their is no lock nuts up inside the mast or boom the screws thread directly into the threaded alum flat bar inside , the beauty of this rigid vang set up compared to others with fixed mountings , the T tracks allow U to set ur rigid vang to meet ur requirements at said time & later on should u want to change the settings for what ever reason U can adjust the settings on both T-tracks just like on ur Genny tracks
The Garhauer Rigid Boom Vang is the best Vang unit u can buy for a Mac sail boat it,s components r made from S/S & Alum brkts not plastic or fiberglass rods crap like other cheaper units this thing will support ur boom as MOB retrieval system ! , U would b crazy to remove it as it adds so much more potential & support to ur rigging

I don't know who u were talking to at BWY but either u both got ur details & concepts totally screwed up because what u r saying he said is total nonsense, I took on-line rigging courses & studied rigging for over two yrs while also having many discussions in person with Certified sailboat Riggers
before I went ahead & cutter rigged both my & boats
So I have a little bit of knowledge about rigging my sailboats I do not pretend or suggest I,m a Certified qualified sailboat rigger , but I think I,ve studied enough to make me qualified to perform the modified rigging on my own boats & I have had certified sail boat riggers & racers tell me they were really impressed with my rigging work & design concepts

So now u know u do not have to get rid of ur rigid vang , but I,m sure their r lots of sailors on this site who would gladly take it off ur hands & relieve u from all this stressful criteria
FYI This is not meant to b critical of u in person or of BWY I,m just saying that sometimes we just don,t get our ideas & concepts explained right like we thought we did the first time Gez even I make mistakes like I did on my last post & had to re edit it

The info I gave u on ur rigid vang install was for ur knowledge & give u some concept as to what & how it was installed , if u should ever have to move the backing plates from the mast or boom for the T rack make sure the T for top & F for front magic markers have not faded

Hope this helps u out , no pun intended

J

I did mention to him that the make and model of the hard Vang the guy at BWY was not happy.
He went off saying "everyone has some mod for this.. but none work.. "
Me and the wife thought the vang was a great idea... but the BWY guy was not hearing any of it. He was abrupt and cut me off.. again saying nothing like that will work.. (blah..blah..blah..)

(rather rude we thought in his reply)


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

Via email long ago.. I did even send him a link to what I had (looked it up long ago)
https://www.garhauermarine.com/product- ... oom-vangs/

They said this is not something you want to do .. it will not work...
(yet it does... maybe its magic?! LOL)

AD

adudinsk wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 5:54 am Via email long ago.. I did even send him a link to what I had (looked it up long ago)
https://www.garhauermarine.com/product- ... oom-vangs/

They said this is not something you want to do .. it will not work...
(yet it does... maybe its magic?! LOL)

AD

I don,t know why u,d even mention that it,s got nothing to do with the sale of a new mast ! & It,s none of their business as too what u do with ur boat , I,m thinking they likely just don,t want to b bothered drilling these extra holes in the mast base sail slot so as they can,t b held liable if something were to happen whether related to it or not it,s not a standard mast any more once u start drilling more holes in it I believe they sell the mast non drilled or predrilled either way u just drill the extra needed holes u want !
as for the mast not always rotating all u have to do is pull back on ur mainsheet to bring it back to center position & then it,ll rotate the rest of the way by itself no biggie & it happens even when using a soft vang or not one at all !

Now I know Klacko repairs damaged masts & list Macgregor extrusions as in stock likely cut to length once purchased but u could call them & send them some pic,s of ur mast for a quote to repair & would b a lot cheaper to ship or go & get by urself as they r only a few hrs drive from U whether u take ur old mast there for repair or buy a new one
https://www.klackospars.com/contact.html

Have u check for a local Mast & Rigging company in ur own area ?
Hope this helps u out J

If my mast broke from something like rigging failure and not corrosion, I think I’d just sleeve it with an internal fiberglass or metal sleeve. At least temporarily. If the repair is strong enough to stand up to regular mast raising strains, my opinion is, it’s fine for sailing.

Ix.

Ixneigh wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 2:25 pm If my mast broke from something like rigging failure and not corrosion, I think I’d just sleeve it with an internal fiberglass or metal sleeve. At least temporarily. If the repair is strong enough to stand up to regular mast raising strains, my opinion is, it’s fine for sailing.

Ix.

I agree. I broke my Hunter 170 mast and spliced it by cutting the slug slot out of a 2' section of mast and compressing to fit inside the mast. The guy from Dwyer who coached me on this said that such a splice, when properly riveted, would be stronger than the original mast.

No I was going to drill the holes for the vang..
I just wanted the mast as listed on their site. Predrilled as per original, and with floatation.
They were not happy about shipping to Canada either.
Made it clear that a 40' truck has to get into the marina. (Told them our huge crane that lifts boats out makes it just fine...)
Told me I would have to be there for when they arrive. (told them no probs as long as they give me a window.)
They also told me that with covid it would take much longer (told them no probs.. I have lots of time)
Lots of excuses not to bother with the order.
Told me they would email... and or call back..

Never got shipping prices... they just ignored me. and my emails I sent later.
Wish I took the sales person's name.


AD

The mast rotates HARD counter clockwise.
For me to center it, without even the boom.. its impossibly hard to do.. then it snaps back.
Another 2008 mac at the club.. their mast moved with ease in all cases and never pulled to one side
not sure what is going on.

AD

The mast rotates HARD counter clockwise.
For me to center it, without even the boom.. its impossibly hard to do.. then it snaps back.
Another 2008 mac at the club.. their mast moved with ease in all cases and never pulled to one side
not sure what is going on.

AD

I called that Klacko Spars last year.. they said they just redid a Mac26M. No shipping, just pick it up.
Got a quote for nearly $5000 plus tax for a mast drilled as per original spec (no vang)
Wife flipped out. (I was stunned)

They said they could not straighten, or were not interested in straightening the mast.

I would suspect with shipping/duty/exchange BWYachts would be much cheaper.

Talked with the old timers at the club, they said if there is a bow in the mast you can adjust it with rigging, but since its a rotating mast.. they thought no. I did find a Hobie Cat group that showed how to straighten their rotating masts. (sand bags, and bounce on it..) Might try that at the end of the season.

AD

Dwyer is an iconic company as they provided the vast majority of spars for new boat builders in New England and Canada for decades. Anything they make will be quality.

With diesel costs worse than gas and a severe shortage of truckers, the cost to ship by will be outrageous. The only way a new mast makes fiscal sense right now is if you can go pick it up yourself.

The cheapest and simplest solution is an old Yankee hack.

Do a daily search on Craigslist, Facebook, etc. in your area for derelict Mac 25's and 26 Classics. Buy one and retrofit the spars for your boat.

Don't waste your time with a rotating mast. This was simply another MacGregor gee-whiz claim that does nothing for the boat. Just pull the hinged mast step from the donor boat.

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...
I will pay with rigging.. and try to remove the wow from the boom myself.. with a ratchet and bar method.. or like the Hobie ppl do.. sandbag and bounce..

Also the spreaders would not be in the way as much for wing/on/wing..

Been looking for a bombed up Mac26m.. that was going cheap for parts.. nothing around here..

AD

If you have access to a boat trailer big enough and are close enough to drive to the supplier, you might consider lashing the mast to the trailer. It might take some creating bracing, but if you cantilever it out over the tow vehicle and lash it down to minimize bouncing, it could work. I have seen this done by others successfully.