JamesToBoot wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 6:13 am
And my apologies if my terms are incorrect. I've never used them outsude of reading and YouTube perusing.
Please note, this is not my first sailboat. I have several years of experience single handing my little Precision 18. On that I don't have much of this stuff (its not needed) and I cannot find good pictures or explainations of what these attachments might be to satisfy my inexperience and concerns...
Hey... don't sweat it. You shouldn't feel bad about asking questions. I think the padeyes on deck beside the mast are just the attachments for winching up the mast. To use them, you need a couple tangs mounted on the mast or some other attachment point. You are right to be concerned with pulling them through the deck. The prior owner of my boat did exactly that, although it was a different deck attachment than the padeye. If those stays are not snug when you lift the mast, it can go sideways and rip it right out of the deck. I am in the process of installing a solar vent there because I'm too lazy to fix the non-skid, and hey.... everyone needs ventilation, right? In terms of the winch to lift the mast, I just lift it. It really isn't that heavy, but I do plan to put a couple of temporary lines that I'll attach to two cleats I'm mounting mid-ship. I was going to use a D-ring to attach two lines that I only use when raising/lowering the mast. Because even though it isn't heavy, it is awkward, and one whoops can lead to big damage. The key is to keep those stabilization lines snug enough that the mast doesn't start to lean.
None of the deck hardware is all that secure on a Mac, unless someone has dug into it and secured it. There are no backing plates, just big washers. I pretty much don't trust any of it for real loads. I ended up buying a 24"x24" sheet of 0.25" G10 that is going to be used on my rudder, the bow backing plate, and for various backing plates on anything I don't want ripped out of the deck. An ounce of prevention sort of thing. It requires butchering up the liner, so it is a PIA job to back all the fittings. I'm anal enough that I'm adding G10 backing plates to the side stays and the forestay attachment. Once your standing rigging is right, that is the weakest point on a MacGregor, just in case you're planning a North Atlantic crossing.
Oh... and a Roger MacGregor special. The back side of the deck isn't covered in fiberglass. That is part of the reason our deck is so floppy. The upside is that you have to try hard to get a wet core. It has natural ventilation for any deck leaks on the backside. LOL.....
I love the anchor roller setup you have on the bow. That looks like an anchor pin, but it may be part of the mast raising system. I don't have the mast raising system, so someone else will have to comment.
