MacGregorSailors.com

Hi - having just spent my first ever weekend sailing (on a 34ft Dufour) I decided it was time to check out the mast and rigging on my recently-acquired - I've had the boat for 3 weeks now, but have so far only used it under power.

Like a good boy, I read the manual - which I have to say, to a civilian is fairly confusing. However, I rapidly reached the conclusion that I had no backstay, no masthead assembly, no spreaders and no vang (although one was included in the inventory). So I contacted the guy who sold me the boat - who had himself never used it (and the previous owner has died in between times).

His response was

“Some early MacGregor 19's had a three-quarter rig. The forestay did not connect to the top of the mast, but about three-quarters of the way up, resulting in a smaller jib. The 3/4 rig MacGregors also did not have a backstay, spreaders nor the second set of shrouds that connect midway up the mast. We've got evidence of a 1993 MacGregor 19 with a 3/4 rig.”

1. Does this make sense to you people who know about such things?

2. If it is indeed so, is it correct that the very top of the mast should just end in an open tube, with no stopper, closure or "end"

3. What does this tell us about likely sailing performance?

4. How the hull do I get the mast to stay up without crashing onto the foredeck?

As ever, all thoughts, ideas and views are gratefully welcomed, though I have to say that I don't think the traditional "You should buy a 200hp outboard" answer is likely to solve this particular problem.

Hi Magnetic

i cant answer your question as im still boatless,but,have you tried the Macgregor owners in the UK?

BJ

Andrew

Do you have the mast raising system , you'll need to find your fore stay yes the early mac19 was a3/4 rig check your yahoo mess. Ip/m you

John

Thanks John

yes, I have the optional mast raising system - which is basically an aluminium pole!

owners in the UK are a rare breed, but I have discovered a guy in Christchurch (UK, not NZ!) who specialiZes in Mac rigging, and I hope to spend some time with him this weekend. I know this guy will be helpful, cos his name is John too

Having plumbed the as-yet-undelivered bilge pumps, tonight I tried the wiring bit; straightforward, but enough to convince me that a "proper" approach is required, which will take time. Pro tem, therefore, the pumps may be hard wired up to some small 33Ah batteries I have, which will add a few pounds to the boat, but at least it will be low down in the hull.

Next on the list is a kill cord, which powerboaters over here wouldn't go to sea without; after that we have the delights of the transom-mounted transducer for the Garmin 498C Sounder/Chartplotter, and then I'll probably start to mess around with a more stable platform for the laptop.

One day I might actually get to sea in this boat - if I can find out how to put the mast up and - more importantly - keep it there without a backstay!

NB I just had this posting vetoed because it included the name of a well-known potency-enhancing drug beginning with "C" and ending with "ialis". I'm damned if I can see where that word appears in this text! Any ideas?

AHA! Just found it - we Brits are obviously not allowed to use the proper English spelling of the word which you guys would write as "speciali-Z-es"..... WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT?!

magnetic wrote:NB I just had this posting vetoed because it included the name of a well-known potency-enhancing drug beginning with "C" and ending with "ialis". I'm damned if I can see where that word appears in this text! Any ideas?

AHA! Just found it - we Brits are obviously not allowed to use the proper English spelling of the word which you guys would write as "speciali-Z-es"..... WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT?!

Hmm... specialises, Specialises, SPECIALISES, specialises, specialises, specialises, specialises, specialises, specialises, specialises.

Seems to work for me!

And I'm not even using clis-xd.

Gosh!

maybe I have a bigger issue than I thought, and my erectile problems don't stop at just getting the mast up....

Hi, Anadrew,

Seems you got another problem to solve!

I've test rigged my 19 in the front drive and found I had a full rig and this was easy to 'erect' with only the assistance of the 'aluminum pole'. Although I didn't try it I suspect the mast would stay up without the backstay but is probably needed with the full jib. The shrouds are located behind the mast so you have a 'triangulation' of support.

Do you have two sets of shrouds or only one if you don't have spreaders?

Being in the middle of moving hime I would have suggested you come and have a look at my Mac but as it is packed away and 120 miles from home now that doesn't seem sensible.

Let's see what the expecrts and their bigger brother Macs come up with?

Martin.

From my perspective as a wannabee expert on all things Mac, I think I speak for all the experienced members on this forum in saying that this problem and for that matter all other problems (Arabs v Israelis, Cancer, Global Warming) can best be solved by the simple expedient of buying a 90hp Honda outboard

However, due to the profane real-world exchange rate - not $2.06 = £1.00, but $1/2.06 = £1.00 - that option isn't realistically open to me (or you with your stunted peewee 40hp motor) - and so I may well take you up on your kind offer of a visit to your new country estate.

Having had some extremely constructive and helpful messages from Highlander (John), I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am the proud owner of 3/4 of a proper boat (i.e. not a ) with only 3/4 of a proper rig !

However, at least we get 4/3 of proper sea conditions over here, and having had my baptism in 6 ft swells and 18 kt winds last weekend, I feel we could perhaps show our colonial cousins a thing or two when it comes to actually handling boats in testing conditions.

So, come on then you bold adventurers of the puddles in North America - let's have your insightful and pithy commentary on the merits or otherwise of stripped-down rigging - no more of this "I can write Ci*alis" but they won't let you!" malarky - let's have some real, honest-to-goodness advice (or are you quivering down below in the cabin, terrified of those 6 inch waves which have suddenly sprung up all around you?)

"It's only a bit of water - it won't hurt you" (c) Noah 2007 BC

nice one magnetic

get a bit of banter going with our american friends,worst sea that ive ever been in was a 12 in the North Sea off of Norway.The one and only time that i have ever been sea sick,the boat was a flat hulled diving support vessel.

So what do you recon is the limit for a mac in UK sea,s

well, in terms of wind, I reckon Force 8 after I've been on the beans

In all honesty, a brisk 5 might prove a bit of a handful, whether under sail or power.

in terms of sea state, I reckon "wet" is pretty likely, "lumpy" almost certain and swells of 8 ft shouldn't be a problem, as long as they are not breaking or coming at you from the stern

in terms of geographical limits - France almost certainly out of the question (though I have read a printed article of one guy sailing a from Holyhead to the Isle of Man, and from Granville to Jersey), but I reckon all points out of Lyme Bay, the Solent or Portland are fair game, I'd certainly give it a go around the Isle of Wight, and there is absolutely nothing in the Bristol Channel that would give me any cause for concern.

I'll try it off the Anvil, or round St Albans Head and let you knwo what it thinks of the spin cycle.

Offshore it ain't; but then, 10 yards out to sea is technically already off the shore; I'd be happy out of sight of land, knowing I have the engine to get me back in a hurry. So fishing in mid-Channel is definitely on the cards

i do like the idea of the 50hp on the back of a 26x for getting out of trouble,but the sailing aspects of the 26c are also inviting.

There are a group of trailer sailers in the Uk that do the run over to france,from what i can gather,anything over a 6 starts to get hairy.

I want a trailer sailer so that i can have the choice of were to sail,if i was confined to the "Wash" with its 1 meter depth and 6 knot tides i think sailing would loose some of its apeall.

but if i can drag it up to gods country(west coast scotland) or to wales then its a different game altogether.

Im off to try my hand at being skipper on a 33ft raider next month,maybee even give the breeda or hispania a dive.

I have chartered a Bavaria 37 in Skiathos, Greece, for the last 2 weeks of August (with a skipper of course!) - that's why my daughter and I have bought the and have started the RYA Yachting syllabus.

In my "normal" life I have a 27ft Hunton Gazelle offshore cruiser with twin 206hp diesels, and to be honest, the boat is far more able to take a pounding than I am; it won it's class in a Round Britain race a few years back and it's very sturdy.

I like the Mac because its far easier to launch and trail and has just as much accomodation. It's just the tiller that takes a bit of getting used to. And the absence of the other 390-odd horsepower. And I expect those flappy bits might get in the way of my vision, if I ever get the mast up

Hey you guys in the UK and any others who may be lurking but keeping low.

Yes, there is a UK MacGregor Owners Association covering all models of Mac.

We're a very sociable and thriving group. We arrange numerous events throughout the season. We also produce a regular newsletter. The members range from novice to expert and all are willing to share knowledge (although we all admire this site too for its wealth of knowledge and camaraderie - excuse my French).

Our website can be found here

Regards

Mike

thanks mike,ive been trying to find the mac owners of GB for a while

I was looking at the pictures on macgregorowners.com and saw a 19 with double backstays. Don't know if this was standard or an add-on.