New mast?!?!?!

[sbcwolff]

Long story short, a low bridge and a flooded river led to us dismasting our boat Is it easy to find a replacement mast for a mac26s???
We will also call our local marina on Tuesday and see if they have any leads, but I thought I'd check here first
THANKFULLY nobody was injured! and our trolling motor brought us safely back to our mooring - but it was quite the experience..... and I still say a bad day on the river beats a good day in the office

 

[topcat0399]

Long story short, a low bridge and a flooded river led to us dismasting our boat Is it easy to find a replacement mast for a mac26s???
We will also call our local marina on Tuesday and see if they have any leads, but I thought I'd check here first
THANKFULLY nobody was injured! and our trolling motor brought us safely back to our mooring - but it was quite the experience..... and I still say a bad day on the river beats a good day in the office

It might be easy or----not. Luck plays her game with ya.

You can buy a new one $$$$$$, Watch Craig's list and Ebay
The kicker is usually the shipping.

You can try these guys:
https://www.nandjmarine.com/
Though I have had less than stellar relationship with them.

When I needed a new mast I found one not from a Mac but from a much larger boat and I cut it down to fit. Got lucky and found it on Craig's List for $80.00. I'm keeping my eye out for a lighter one but in the mean time the battleship mast works fine.

 

[DrJudyB]

BlueWater Yachts has all MacGregor masts in stock
http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/3210-1v0.ham

Also check with Dwyer Mast in Connecticut. They manufacture masts and probably have the blank extrusions. They may have drawings for the machining as well.

 

[rgranger]

I did a quick search on the Minneapolis Craig's List and found three masts that might work. You may have to cut one down but it is easy to reattach the mast head and reposition the tangs for the stays.

From the CL page click on boat parts link then type in mast.

 

[rgranger]

Found two more if you go down to the "few local result" at the bottom of the page.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Sorry about your mast sbcwolff. It is often a confluence of circumstances that conspire against even the most attentive of us. I want to know, were you under trolling motor power, sail or river current when you dismasted? A trolling motor seems pretty light weight for that. On the other hand, you had the inertia of a 26' sailboat to stop.
Good luck with your search. I think you will have little trouble finding a replacement for your boat.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[sbcwolff]

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the replies and hints. Our local boat yard has a mast from a comparable macgregor for us (with spreaders and standing rigging for 1k) We are going to pick it up tomorrow, as the idea of adjusting a mast from a different boat seems like a bit of a challenge If it were the end of the season and time weren't an issue, I would totally take it on

@Will - we were under sail, and had the river current + the wind direction pushing us into the bridge - we were going at a pretty good clip! I shouted back from the bow pulpit that it looked like it was going to be close - and my husband didn't have much time to react (thankfully he is still totally hooked to sailing! as I introduced him to the sport a few years back). Looking at the mast after it came down, the spot where it hit the bridge was about two feet from the top - the river was up about 88" (currently flooded here in the St. Croix valley), so we would have made it if it were normal river height (alas!)

I will post pictures of the newly re-masted mac soon!

 

[rgranger]

Something to tuck into the back of your mind for the possible next time... And it will only work on a relatively light boat like yours but...if you see you are about to hit an overpass, you can go to the shrouds and hang off the side of the boat to heel it over hard. That will buy you several feet.

Did your mast fail because a stay failed? I have seen video of sailboats hitting a bridge, then the boat heels over, slides under and seems relatively okay on the other side. But if a say failed... that would explain why the mast fell.

I ask because if a stay failed, you may want to check all of your turn buckles and chain plates etc. for any fatigue when you put the new mast on.

 

[sbcwolff]

Stay didn't fail, the mast bent at the base and broke in two at the spreaders, but all stays were attached and intact when we brought sails in and lugged the mast aboard. The new mast is coming with new spreaders/standing rigging, and we'll be sure to check all the attachments for any stress or fatigue.
I'll keep the hanging over the side trick in mind, but hopefully I won't have to use it!!!

 

[rgranger]

... but hopefully I won't have to use it!!!

 

[sbcwolff]

PS Everyone!! Exciting news! We got a "new" mast for the mac 28 feet, and almost all the hardware was in the right spot (just had to rivet the boom attachment on)

 

[sbcwolff]

Please note the bridge in the background.... We hit on the east side.... (off to the right in the photo) will never look at that bridge in the same way!!

 

[StargazerP303]

Good Job Wolff!

 

[Michael Davis]

Something to tuck into the back of your mind for the possible next time... And it will only work on a relatively light boat like yours but...if you see you are about to hit an overpass, you can go to the shrouds and hang off the side of the boat to heel it over hard. That will buy you several feet.

When the Volvo Ocean Racers visited Australia the last time they had to do that to get the boats to the yacht basin. Interesting to watch them heel a 65' boat 30 degrees to get it under a bridge.