Baby Stays and Mast Raising Docs

[MacMikey]

I am looking to add baby stays and a mast raising system to my Mac 25 (1980). Does anyone with a mast raising system have the doc's from Macgregor for instruction on installing?

If you have them or a source please advise how I can get them.

 

[caguy]

I posted a home made system that works for me. I don't think that there is a mast raising system that came with the Mac 25. The Mac26 system can likely be adapted. The Hunter 260 has a nice system as well. The baby stays are made of tubing and remain attached. They can either trip you up while on deck while at the same time give you something to grab as you go overboard.

Here is a link to that post:
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6620&Itemid=257

Here is a link to the video source posted in that link:

http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/Macgregor26Me/macgregor26me.html

 

[J. Barrett]

Baby stays

I got my kit from MacGregor. I think I tossed the instructions after the install but could take measurements/photos if needed. It was a straightforward install and the only caution I would offer is to drill the mast carefully so as not to damage any electic cables you may have inside it. And no, I missed mine. For once I thought ahead. My kit is actually for the 26 and the only things that I see that would make it better for the 25 would be about 6 feet more line and a longer gin pole. The pole only reaches to over the forehatch and doesn't allow the blocks to pull straight down to the chainplate. I've been thinking about buying a longer pole but just haven't done it. Either way, it makes it a simple task to raise/lower and I'm glad I did it. -John

 

[Robspan]

A couple of years ago, my brother bought a mast raising kit from Blue Water Yachts. I think it was supposed to be for a 26M, but we installed it on his M22 without any trouble and it works fine.

 

[MacMikey]

Thanks for the feeback. I have all the parts to build my own but the problem I am having doughts about is the location of the baby stays so that when in the down position or up position that when the process starts, I want the tension to remain the same throughout the arce/radius during the movement. I had tried the other day to guess at the position and half way up the stays became so tight I had to abort. I thought there was no sense in trying to reinvent the wheel here, and I should just ask for instructions/measurement and locations of points on the mast and the deck to locate the anchor points.

 

[vwjon-M25]

baby stays

Thanks for the feeback. I have all the parts to build my own but the problem I am having doughts about is the location of the baby stays so that when in the down position or up position that when the process starts, I want the tension to remain the same throughout the arce/radius during the movement. I had tried the other day to guess at the position and half way up the stays became so tight I had to abort. I thought there was no sense in trying to reinvent the wheel here, and I should just ask for instructions/measurement and locations of points on the mast and the deck to locate the anchor points.

I installed the kit from BWY on my Mac 25. I attached the upper end of b-stays and the bail to lift the mast 72" from the bottom of the mast. As per the instruction sheet the lower ends are 47 inches apart on the cabin top. Mine get a little tighter when the mast is lowered all the way down.

Remember that the baby stays don't have to be that tight during the lift. A little slack is better than putting too much constant pressure on your attachment points.

Think of the baby stays as the trainer wheels on your first bike. They don't have to make constant contact, but are there to keep you from leaning too far from one side or the other.

 

[caguy]

I'm sorry I missed your post. I posed the dilemma to our Calculus teacher who had a difficult time locating them. It dawned on me one night in my sleep, that it can be solved by construction. Draw with a pencil tied to the end of your stay when your mast is up and then draw an arch when the mast is down where the two arcs intercept is where you put you eye.

 

[walt]

pictures

Some picts from a 26S mast rasing systems - modified a little.

 

[MacMikey]

Thanks guys, all the information took the guess work out of the project and gave me piece of mind. The mast raising system is completed and worked like a charm. I now have my boat back in the water and will be sailing on Christmas day with predicted highs in the low 80's and winds out of the north west at about 10-15kts.