Mast Raising

[belinda]

I realize this subject gets old, sorry.
I've raised and lowered the mast a couple times now with help from
three or four guys. And it's not that the mast is very heavy but the scary
part is the way it sways from side to side. I've seen something on this site about baby stays? when using a gin pole or kit. I don't know what they're refering to. Is there some temporary rig that I need to attach and then remove once the mast is up? I have a Mac 25, 1982 model. I have no way to contact the PO and everthing was pretty much a mess when I got it. Thanks for your help.
Belinda in Central FL

[DLT]

I don't know much about your boat, but here is how mine is setup (maybe yours can be adapted):

I have the factory Mast Raising System (MRS), which is essentially a pole that secures to the mast step, just in front of the mast.

There is a line on the forward side, that gets looped around the anchor roller or a front cleat. This holds the pole in a slightly forward leaning position.

On the rear side, there is a brake winch with line running up to a block. The end of this line has a loop, which is secured to a bail on the mast using a shackle. This is all that is "needed" to raise the mast.

But, to steady it, making it really a one person job, there are also two baby stays attached to the loop. The bottom of these baby stays attach to loops at the base of the stanchions on either side of the mast. They steady the mast as it goes up. We only need to steady it at all when there are high winds. We probably wouldn't even have to do that if we attached the top of the baby stays straight to the bail...

Many people, I'm sure attach these baby stays straight to the bail on the mast, but leaving them attached to the loop in the line works fine and is much quicker installing and removing the MRS.

With this setup, my 14yo daughter has no problem raising the mast on her own. I'm just there as an extra set of eyes and help untangling stuff...

[Catigale]

Welcome Belinda

I dont use the mast raising system but with a couple people on each side I would think you could keep the swaying and tip down.

I either raise my 26X mast myself or I steady up top while the Admiral (Spouse) pulls up with the Poor Mans System -see Mods.

[argonaut]

Welcome.
My boat came with the factory mast raising system It basically has two parts, a lifting part and a mast steadying part. The factory system uses a 4:1 pulley system for lifting, with a long rope, same stuff as the main halyard. It lets one person pull the mast into the upright position with they pullys and a jib winch. There are a set of "baby stays", sort of like shrouds only lower. They have little hooks on the bottom end of each stay that slip into plates mounted on the deck at the factory. The top end fastens to the mast using eyes that are secured to the mast with a hand-tightened through-bolt. They connect to the mast about 6-7 feet up to prevent the mast tipping during raising.

I altered my ginpole using the Erik Hardtle modification. (see mods page)That replaces the rope pully set with a store-bought trailer winch. It makes the process easily a one-person job, plus you stand at the bow instead of the cockpit where the mast could fall and ruin your haircut.
You have a 25 though, so I'm not sure if you have attaching points for factory-type baby stays. But they could still be added, perhaps fastened to existing stanchions close to the deck, though they need to be about in-line with the mast step so they stay fairly tight the whole time the mast goes up. Many other boats have come up with similar systems, Google "ginpole" for examples.

This is a photo of a Mac 25 that has baby stays on it. Not a closeup but you can see the starboard one at the tip of the "Club President" arrow, so at least some boats appear to have the deck mountings, even if they dont have the actual stays. The site is Logan's Run If you have the deck fittings getting some baby should be fairly easy.
Also Macgregor Boats Website has some more Mac 25 website links, you could contact them for more Mac 25 help.

BTW, are you guys in west, Orlando, or east central Fla?

[Bawgy]

http://media.putfile.com/maststep try this link for a single handed show

[Tom Root]

Bawgy, I liked that actually!

KC & the sunshine band too, with a classic from like 1976, pretty good!

I liked the PVC pipe contraption (prop rod) that was used in the intermediate step. It also looked like a line held the mast up while he went forward to pin the mast.

Even though not a Mac, all doable on a mac. Not actually neccasary, but good thinking on his part! Looks like he had baby stays also.

Others described the baby stays, and they can be as simple as a continous line that is tied off at a stancion then, tied off on the mast about head height, and tied off on the other side of the boat....stancion. It can be fairly loose also. I believe it is more important to try and have the boat either pointing downhill (easiest rigging & de-rigging) or downhill, and into the wind, or downwind (easiest).

With the exception of the Cat hull & 65' Mac produced, all Macs are simple to raise the mast, but even I have had 'snags', literally, and they can get you into trouble, just watch all standing rigging as it goes up.

Sometimes it's smooth, others....not!

[Bawgy]

For the back stay I was just thinking you could have a 1pound weight with a shackle on it . Lay the back stay off the back of the boat still attached to the stern, attach the weight so that it holds the line off the boat while the mast is raised . The weight should start at the mast end and slide down to a stop on the backstay (my stop is where I hang the boom when the sail is down ) . You could stand in the boat and pick up on the back stay to slide the weight toward the masthead . As you raised the mast the weight would slide (down ) the backsaty until it hit the stop

[Frank C]

I shortened my backstay by about 7 feet and attached a shackle. Then I rigged a quarter-inch (using a hi-tech line) as an 8:1 tackle (an inverted-V) between the two aft quarters. During mast raisting I just let the wire backstay run loose in the cockpit, then stand on a cockpit seat to attach the tackle to the shackle-end of the wire backstay.

[mrbill]

Bawgy, I liked that actually!

KC & the sunshine band too, with a classic from like 1976, pretty good!

Actually its Cut the Cake, by the average white band.........

[DICK SCHNEIDER]

Bawgy, I liked that actually!

KC & the sunshine band too, with a classic from like 1976, pretty good!

Actually its Cut the Cake, by the average white band.........

But really actually ... it's "Pick up the Pieces" by the Average White Band.

[Scott]

Excellent vid but either he's way stronger than me or his mast is way lighter. I also usually just hump it up but i struggle a little more than that and Im not a small person.

[zuma hans 1]

I pick it up by myself. It's not that hard. Just make sure that the halyards and stays are all untangled (usually I stretch them out into the parking lot) and that the sliding hatch is closed. Of course, I don't connect it to the plate until the arms are untangled from the lifelines.

Pick it up by using your knees to to all the preliminary upward motion, then walk it forward.

Really, it's not that hard. Sometimes I feel like I should be wearing a kilt while doing it, as the Scots seem to have some highland game that is similar involving logs or something silly.

And after a few tentative tests, I find it much easier to disconnect the lower stays (they just snag) when stepping the mast UNLESS I am under sail and there are crosswinds.

Coming down is just as difficult, er, easy.

[baldbaby2000]

I've owned Mac 25s and was able to lift the mast with my wife pulling a little on the forestay or jig halyard. I always tried to have the stern into the wind so there was no side force while raising it. Always check that the shrouds and thimbles aren't kinked before you tighten things. One of the best additions I made was to add a lever on the forestay so it has plenty of slack while you're pinning it and then you can flip the lever to get everthing tight.

[Chip111]

Obviously, it is not easy for her or she wouldn't have posted the question. And I beg to differ on your characterization of the process as being easy. Without side support, there is considerable sway and it takes a man's strength (the exceptional female powerlifter to the contrary notwithstanding) to overcome that sway. Belinda, you need baby stays (I don't know sailing jargon well, so I hope that is the right term) or some equivalent form of side support. If you don't get what you need from the helpful posts provided already, let us know.

I have a mast raising system with side support and before I hooked it up properly (26M), since my dealer had not done it properly, there was incredible sway. I have experienced your problem. Once I hooked it up properly, there was very little sway. I imagine the 26M mast raising kit would work on your '82 model (others correct me if I am wrong).

Chip S.