Mast head spinnakers on a Mac 26S or 26D

Sep 22, 2017
20
Macgregor, Hunter 26S, 23 Wing Keel SF Bay
Has anyone converted to a masthead rig on the 26S or 26D to carry a bigger kite? I am only interested in the water ballasted sailboats (Not the X or M) and wonder what preventative measures should be taken to make the conversion safe and successful. Thanks for your first hand experience.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
The issue with be with the rig. The mast is old-school 3/4 fractional. That's a lot of thin unsupported spar above the hounds.
 
Sep 22, 2017
20
Macgregor, Hunter 26S, 23 Wing Keel SF Bay
Yes. I realize the X and M are water ballast which is why I stated I am not interested in the X or M. That is a different species of boat entirely. I also want to differentiate the specific boat I am inquiring about from the older swing keel versions that evolved into the S and D. This is a much lighter boat. I believe it would be less forgiving than its earlier counterpart rigged as a mast head. Just looking for advice from a been-there-did-this sailor on an S or D. Thanks.
 
Sep 25, 2008
957
Macgregor & Island Packet VENTURE 25 & IP-38 NORTH EAST, MD
I have a V25 swing keel, which has the same rig as the 26D&S. I re-rigged it to a 15/16 fractional rig so I could use J24 headsails, which are very plentiful and cheap used. The forestay was raised and the spinnaker block was placed about 8" above it (which put it close to the top of the mast). The spreaders were raised in the same proportion as the forestay. You can see the hound for the spinnaker block, just barely in this picture.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I have a V25 swing keel, which has the same rig as the 26D&S. I re-rigged it to a 15/16 fractional rig so I could use J24 headsails, which are very plentiful and cheap used. The forestay was raised and the spinnaker block was placed about 8" above it (which put it close to the top of the mast). The spreaders were raised in the same proportion as the forestay. You can see the hound for the spinnaker block, just barely in this picture.
very clever.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Yes, nice work. Do you have a guestimate how much the standing rigging cost to modify for the OP?
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
If you’re planning to leave the forestay where it is and simply raise the spinnaker halyard, another safe way to do this is to run another set of upper diagonals to the mast top. This helps take the reaching loads from the Spinnaker and preserve the original rig. The usual trick is to how to securely attached the new diags to the spreaders. Often you have to run them all the way down to the deck level.

I threw this quick picture together to show you what I mean. The rig is in red, the existing standing rigging in green. For stay and backstay are the black lines. the new upper diagonals are in blue. Normally they go all the way down to the deck running alongside of the existing rig.

BFC03CFF-3C50-4B56-9C3D-436DC106B63F.jpeg
 
Sep 25, 2008
957
Macgregor & Island Packet VENTURE 25 & IP-38 NORTH EAST, MD
I don't recall the cost, but in terms of boat bucks it was minimal. I did the re-rig, purchased a used J24 laminate sail for less than a new "stock" headsail would have cost me.
Stock rig

Modified rig
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
"boat bucks". i like it. I even googled it -
boat buck (n.) A monetary value equal to $1,000. E.g. I just spent 3 boat bucks on a haulout.
 
Sep 22, 2017
20
Macgregor, Hunter 26S, 23 Wing Keel SF Bay
Thank you Thecuscus! A great idea and it happens I have a very crispy J24 sail at the ready. It would look great on my 26S. An added benefit is the larger headsail which has to improve performance to weather. Any more observations on before and after conversion or comparisons with stock boat or other boats you sail with? I am still a bit unsure about ballast/righting moment of a 26S compared to the swing keels. Having the weight much lower in the water and closer to the CE in a V24 has to be a factor to consider....or not. What you describe seems like an easy weekend of pleasant labor but I still hope to hear from a D or S owner before I pull the trigger. It does incentivize me to install the roller furler I also have at hand... Thanks for the pics.
 
Sep 25, 2008
957
Macgregor & Island Packet VENTURE 25 & IP-38 NORTH EAST, MD
She sails very well balanced. There are some good videos of the sail in action on my Utube channel
Sailingwiththecuscus
 
Jan 22, 2008
198
Montgomery 17, Venture of Newport, Mirror sailing dinghy, El Toro sailing dinghy Mound, MN -- Lake Minnetonka
My 23' Mac Venture 23 cutter uses the same 28' mast extrusion as the M25-M26' sloops. The original owner had moved the outer forestay up 7' to the masthead. The shrouds were unchanged, leaving the top 7' of the mast with no side support. This worked well for me for a while. Then I got caught by a surprise squall in Duluth harbor while flying a cruising spinnaker. After I recovered from the knockdown ! I discovered that the upper portion of the mast had a distinct bend to starboard. My insurance company eventually paid for a new mast. I corresponded with NA Ted Brewer about how best to rig the new mast as I wanted to keep the masthead arrangement for several reasons. I ended up moving the upper shrouds to the masthead (actually 1' lower. ) I moved the spreaders up 3.5' and the lowers to the new spreader bases.
That was about 40 years ago and it's still going strong!
 
Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
I added jumper stays to my 26D to support the top of the mast. It was fairly simple and works quite well but it does make it a bit harder to move around when the mast is down.

rig3-7.jpg
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