MacGregorSailors.com

I ordered the reefing kit from BW yachts but I need a mast gate for the kit to work properly. I have a 2006M which has the mast with the "spread opening" and I'm having a hard time finding a mast gate. BW yachts doesn't sell one for a spread opening. I'm not interested in making one because the boat is in the water on a mooring and makes getting tools and electricity difficult.

On the older M masts i believe the opening is lower and closer to the mast base. In lieu of a custom fabricated mast gate (that would require a local fabricator), I believe the solution is a sail stop installed in the track to prevent the mainsail slugs from coming down to the opening. With the opening lower, this should allow your doused sail control system to work. I'm not sure if that would work if you still are just using the mainsail boltrope.

v/r

Maybe these guys have a solution.

https://mastgates.com/

Here's a video of a 26M like yours.

Russ wrote: ↑Fri May 30, 2025 8:46 am Maybe these guys have a solution.

https://mastgates.com/

Here's a video of a 26M like yours.

I think they stopped selling them.

Just so happens I was looking for a mast gate for my X. The video on u-tube is for the the original model. This is the email for the inventor who makes them. They cost about $150 . He is still making them.

[email protected]

A sail stop works quite well. The only problem with them, is they can slip out of one’s hand and go overboard. The solution is to attach a wire. One end on the sail stop, and the other to the mast.

I used the plastic mastgates.com.
Worked for a while, then deformed and started blocking the channel.
My solution = add a sail track.
Our masts were made for bolt-ropes anyway, so only partially work with slugs.

https://www.tidesmarine.com/shop/track- ... sailtrack/

NOTE: I paired this with a new sail with full batton's designed for the track.

I don’t believe an X mast is comparable to an early M mast; I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

I 3d printed this one. I found it on thingiverse. It didn’t work because when inserted in the mast slot it would squeeze it. And the sail slug wouldn’t go through it. I printed another version a bit narrower will be checking it out next week.