MacGregorSailors.com

Like TOPCAT mast raising system. Creature from the Black Lagoon lurking under those lily pads

Also note, when not in use traveler sheet can be pushed to the side of removed for easy access to cabin "Suite"

Freedom pics

1st pic, Christening January 1, 1977
2 & 3 Southern California Midwinter Regatta

Freedom77 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:47 am YES - split backstay with adjuster. Will also keep from chewing up the tiller on the stay.
YES - boom vang or kicker, helps keep boom down on reaches
YES - mast post reinforcement. Mast reinforcement under deck. TOPCAT has good pics
YES - TOPCAT mid boom traveler is pretty much same as mine. I put 6 "legged" bale on boom perpendicular to traveler. You will be amazed at how much better sail shape and higher pointing you will achieve.
NO NO NO - Roller furling was not one of Roger MacGregor better ideas. PITA. By the time you decided to roller reef it's too late. Two set of reef points in main will do it. You can reef in about two seconds.

Was the OP talking about a head sail roller furler or the main?

I'm fine with the hank on head sails. Having a downhaul rigged makes all the difference.

As far as the OEM boom roller furler for the main sail?
Tried to use it our 1st 2 years. It is USELESS.
My new mainsail is rigged for 2 reefs.

Since this boat is fractional rigged you can run around all year long with a loose or disconnected
backstay. You just can't bend the mast. I use 4-1 tackle to bend my battleship mast.

Useful items:
Backstay: for the boom pigtail, and mast bend
Topping lift: (mine runs boom end/mast head/mast foot turning block/house side turning block/cockpit cam cleat) use it a lot.
Lazy jacks: its like having helping hands when the stink hits. Mine are made of parachute cord - LOL plenty strong, cheap, easy to fix. I can also adjust from the cockpit.
Boom vang: I really only use it going down to keep boom from lifting too much

Still need to do SOOOON: A blocker to keep the rudder/prop separated.
Motor has chewed my rudder more than once. Have got to get this done.

It's not really a rolling furler as the boom itself is attached to the mast via a rotating bolt to which an handle is fixed so that one could let out the halyard and rotate the handle to furl the main about the boom. The more I studied it, I quickly realized that this was a storage system, only and is completely impractical and useless as a "reefing" system, since only a end-of-boom main sheet could be utilized (the mid-boom main sheet attachment point would immediately become useless with a twist of main sail over it.) I guess one could use it as a "downhaul", and I wrap that in quotes since it's not very good at that, either, unless the plan is to drop the main at anchorage. After some deliberation, this crank system will be removed in lieu of a true gooseneck fitting.

The side deck cores appear to be in good shape - I'm 245lbs so the fact that it's not cracking tells me everything I need to know about its structural integrity. That said, a couple knees would only serve to prolong the inevitable reglassing of these decks down the line so the effort is more than worth it to me. I will be adding life lines so you've got me thinking of the best way to avoid core rot at those attachment points.

I'm curious as how you did your anchor chain locker as I have also pondered the best way to stow the tackle. My current consideration is to install a circular twist-on hatch just behind the navigation lights; theoretically, this would open directly to a length of 4" PVC pipe that leads down to a separate compartment under the v-berth.

Again, excellent discussion, gentlemen! All of this input is extremely valuable to me - keep it coming!

I don't have an anchor locker - though I've kicked around some ideas to cut up the foredeck for one.
Similar to what you have proposed. Not a priority at the moment.
Th space behind the nav lights is storage now for light weight stuff
(pillows, blankets....stuff)
My nav lites have been moved to the pulpit since I have a bow roller.
Another darn thing that works but needs refinement to be prettier.

I currently carry about 300 Ft of nylon 3 strand rode with about 30 ft of chain on the anchor.
I just lay the rode out on deck back and forth along one side of the fore deck as i retrieve it.
And I have a couple of stiff wires on the pulpit I throw the chain on (crude but works - needs refinement).

Extra chain I carry (for when I go somewhere that needs more chain rode) I store it
in the space under that platform between the vberth and the keel trunk.
I call it my chain box. It is watertight space.

Once this boat had on the forepeak a small hawse pipe with a spring loaded cap on it for the rode.
It was more trouble than it was worth. I deleted it.
Besides, who wants a load of wet smelly rode in the vberth?

My main anchor always lives on the roller. Spares are elsewhere.
I often rig it where I can trip the anchor from the cockpit and back down from it as it falls.

Was reading your comments on anchor/line/chain storage. I have two sets of ground tackle. 300 ft of line, 30 ft of chain and 15 lb. danforth anchor X2. I went to a restaurant supply house and bought heavy duty grey bus tubs large enough to hold it. Coil line and chain with anchor on top. always easy to reach and store. Keep them tucked in V berth until need to use.

On your boom roller system…..
If I recall the intent for that system was to allow fir reefing by use of I believe two methods.

The first was to have ties on the sails. One was to roll up the sails then ties held it in place by wrapping around the boom to maintain the reef. I believe there were to be ties on both side of the sail or grommet hole to feed a lashing line through to accomplish this.

The second was to have a retrieval drum at the mast end of the boom. The line winds onto the drum as the sail is hoisted up. Pulling the retrieval line winds the sail back onto the rotating boom. One ties off the retrieval one to reef at intermediate settings. I don’t believe the main sail was fitted to the mast slit.

I think some were just sail storage as you described as well instead of a lazy jack or boom lashing as an easier way to do so without climbing on deck. This is especially for day sailers who aren’t interested in reefing.

To each their own.