MacGregorSailors.com

I'm the proud new owner of an old boat. I recently purchased an 82 Mac 25 in pretty decent shape. I've been around boats my entire life but this is my first sailboat. I've taken her out with just the engine, no mast or sails and had a blast. She was big and slow but my family and I had a great time. Now I'm about to tackle the mast.

I was about to step the mast and thought I had it figured out when I hit a snag. There are two bolt holes in the mast deck plate but only one hole in the mast. If I'm not mistaken the mast bolts to the slotted section, but I can't figure out what the single thru bolt hole is for on top. Can anyone help?

This has been a great site to read and learn on, thank you all for your replies to others questions. I have learned a lot.

JJ

Does anyone know how to add a photo to this post so I can show what it is I'm asking about?

Pictures must be placed on a public server such as PhotoBucket. The instructions that follow are for photobucket, but other image hosting sites will be similar and this is not an endorsment of photobucket.

Go to your photobucket account.
Hover your mouse pointer over the picture that you want.
Several options will appear.
Go down to the IMG code and left click in the code box to the right.
Right click in the code box and select copy.

Now, while composing your post on this forum, right click at the place that you want the pic to appear and select paste. It will look like this:
It will appear on the forum like this:

Here is a picture that I took in the San Juan Islands:



Cool, huh?

The forum software will automatically re-size the pic for easy viewing and when a member left clicks on it, the original size will be viewable. The board does not actually download, or store the pic, it just uses the code to make your browser do the work. Repeat for up to three pics/post. It is best to use the "Preview" option, to make sure that everything is OK, before you submit the post. There is a three picture limit/post, to help protect those that still have slow internet (me when out & about).

Flickr is a little more difficult.

• Left click on the pic that you want to post.
  Above the pic, left click on "All Sizes".
  Left click on the size that you want to post. Large works best.
  Right click on the pic.
  Left click on "Properties". A window will open.
  Beside Address (URL), is the url that you will post. Copy all lines of it.
  I triple click on it and it highlights all of it.
  Above the edit window for your post, you will find a row of buttons.
  Click on the Img button and it will place [Img] tags at the point of your cursor.
  Copy and paste your Flikr URL between the [Img] tags in your post.

Enjoy,

~Rich

If the extra hole is above the tabernacle (mast base bracket), it might have been for a boom bail, which would have been part of a boom vang set-up. I'm assuming the hole is in the mast only? and is in a port-to-starboard orientation??

Well, I had some free time so instead of figureing out how to post a pic, we stepped the mast. Fortunately you guys post plenty of picutures so I was able to figure it out. It all went pretty well but I still have a question. When I first step the mast is it normal that the mainstay is a lot tighter than the backstay. The shrouds are fairly taught, but the backstay is a lot looser. I tried tightening it with the brackets that attach to the hull, but it still doesn't appear as tight as it should.

Thanks again for your input.

JJ

Use the lower hole in the mast and the slotted hole in the step. Ignore the other hole unless it is for a bail to anchor the boom vang.

The backstay should not be loose. The shrouds and stays should all be tensioned and not loose. When sailing on one tack or the other, based on what I read, the leeward shroud should not be loose and flopping; it should still be snug. Your mast should be raked back a couple degrees, so you should tension the forestay and back stay to accomplish this. You can also get meter to measure rig tension if you really wanna be anal about it.

I was able to get'r up and all is well. Thanks for all the advice. Next, a mast raising system. Any advice? I've checked out several sites and reviewed several pics. Looks like the 2 2x4 method and a hand winch looks to be the easiet and most cost effective.

Looking at my M25's mast step, and reading the owner's manual, I think those extra holes that you mentioned are for stowing the mast. If I'm correct, the holes you are talking about are forward of the vertical slot, toward the top of the mast step bracket, right? According to the manual, there is a hole (my boat's mast has it, I checked) drilled through the mast just above the spreaders to accept a 1/4" X 4" bolt. When stowing the mast, the manual says to lay be mast in the step (with upper end of mast in the mast crutch on the transom) and use that 1/4" X 4" bolt to secure the mast to the step bracket. Those extra holes separate from the slot may be the ones used for this, rather than the slot.

Thanks for the reply Choc. After looking at the mast that makes a lot of sense. Puts me at ease a little too. I'm putting the finishing touches on my homemade mast raising system. Cross your fingers for me.

Anybody have an idea for a mast crutch?

Mast raising system worked first shot. Thanks for all your input. I'll try the main sail on Sunday. Here goes nothing....