There's nothing on my mast where the top of the baby stays should attach and I don't want to drill any holes. Is there a trick to temporarily putting something on the mast to stop the stays from sliding down?
Help with forestay / roller furling
- Thread starter Jim Hawkins
- Start date
See if you can bribe a friend with a beer or two to help control the swaying. It looks like you're doing this on the water, so pick a time with no wakes from passing boats.
https://tomeshew.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/stepping-the-mast-with-a-gin-pole/
I usually just grab the windward lower shroud and pull laterally against the prevailing breeze as I lower the mast. I pull at 90 degrees to the shroud, as noted in the poorly-done MSPaint drawing attached.
https://tomeshew.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/stepping-the-mast-with-a-gin-pole/
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OK, I heard the deck attachment for the stays should be 2" before the mast, OR even with the front of the mast, OR centered on the mast so Since I'm using rope that will stretch some I went with in line with the front of the mast since that's where the holes from the teak rail happened to be. I tightened the stays as much as I could, then wiggled the ropes and worked the knots to gain more rope and then re-tightened, over and over and finally went below to tighten the eye bolts for the last bit of tension I could put on the stays. I could use help but I want to learn to do this for when no help is available. Here I go again...
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All went well until right at the end the Gin pole decided to lean way over to port, twisting the mast and threatening to wreck something. But, I know what to do. 1 more block in the stern and I can go forward to work the tackle and steady the Gin pole at the same time. Alternately I can also add a second set of stays to the top of the Gin pole. I do believe I'm starting to get it.
Thanks everyone and look for my new thread "Re-fitting the mast"
Thanks everyone and look for my new thread "Re-fitting the mast"
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Ok, with the 2 blocks as mecanimal advantage, take the tail of the line around the base of the mast and above the cleats so that the line will slide. Now once you release the forstay, you can move to the mast and control the side sway yourself without adding baby stays.
Yes, you will need baby stays for the gin pole. Looking at all your pictures you did a good job of getting the mast down on the water. Looking where you put your rope baby stays, when you remount the hand rails, just drill a hole through handrail in that location. You can then put in an eyebolt threw the handrail using a nut on top to secure the handrail. You may want to use a stronger fender washer inside as a backer plate.
I was at my boat (26S) yesterday and took the picture below. The position you described for the baby stay deck attachment is about where mine are (which were on the boat when I bought it). The baby stay attachment on the mast is close to 5 foot above the deck. Always worked well.
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Thanks Walt, Bill, I really don't plan to do this again except for going back up. This boat is just a project until I find my next boat. I will do both suggestions, it's easy to use a small line attached to my baby stay anchor points and the top of the gin pole. It won't have to be tight or exact, just snug and in addition I'll run my line forward again around the mast so I'm standing by the pole if anything should go awry.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Question for you MacGregor guys; did MacGregor really call them 'baby stays'? Because 'baby stay' is actually the proper name for a piece of standing rigging. Sorry can't help myself... fav line from a fav movie.... ;^)
FYI, if you search on baby stay (which I just did for the first time), you will find two definitions and the one Jackdraw is referring to is a stay under the main mast fore stay that goes between the mast and the deck and it is used to control "mast pumping" and also to induce mast bend to flatten the sail.
I dont know where the term "baby stay" used for the set of side stays that keep the mast in line when being raised came from but I have seen it used on not only the Mac forums but also general trailer sailor forums for as long as I have been looking at these (since about 2007). So to "nip the issue in the bud", you would be at least 10 years too late, maybe a lot more than that.
While I dont mind calling our mast raising stays something else such as maybe "limp junior side stays", at this point I think the term baby stay for the mast raising stays is likely here to stay.. you would get pretty worn out trying to change the use of this term. Looks like the trailer sailors might have stolen this name / it has a second meaning.
And thanks to Jackdraw for pointing this out.. I learned something new (as I usually do from his posts)..
I dont know where the term "baby stay" used for the set of side stays that keep the mast in line when being raised came from but I have seen it used on not only the Mac forums but also general trailer sailor forums for as long as I have been looking at these (since about 2007). So to "nip the issue in the bud", you would be at least 10 years too late, maybe a lot more than that.
While I dont mind calling our mast raising stays something else such as maybe "limp junior side stays", at this point I think the term baby stay for the mast raising stays is likely here to stay.. you would get pretty worn out trying to change the use of this term. Looks like the trailer sailors might have stolen this name / it has a second meaning.
And thanks to Jackdraw for pointing this out.. I learned something new (as I usually do from his posts)..
Walt,
Great post; you are exactly right, those are the two primary reasons for the existence of babystays in the traditional sense. Interestingly, with the emergence of fractional rigs as the dominant sloop setup, babystays are starting to disappear. Mast pre-bend and backstay induced bending solve the same problems. I have not seen a babystay on a new boat for 20+ years.
You're also right about being able to 'nip it in the bud', that was never my intent, and when I hear a discussion about trailersailors and babystays I kinda figure what going on. Just want to pass on what the vast majority of non-trail sailors might think about when they hear the term, so you might be prepared for a misunderstanding. Easier to correct if you know there are two definitions! ;-)
Great post; you are exactly right, those are the two primary reasons for the existence of babystays in the traditional sense. Interestingly, with the emergence of fractional rigs as the dominant sloop setup, babystays are starting to disappear. Mast pre-bend and backstay induced bending solve the same problems. I have not seen a babystay on a new boat for 20+ years.
You're also right about being able to 'nip it in the bud', that was never my intent, and when I hear a discussion about trailersailors and babystays I kinda figure what going on. Just want to pass on what the vast majority of non-trail sailors might think about when they hear the term, so you might be prepared for a misunderstanding. Easier to correct if you know there are two definitions! ;-)
Thanks Walt and Jackdraw. I appreciate the information. Even though we try to keep our terminology consistent different meanings always creep in to confuse the issue.
In answer to your question, Macgregor has a habit of avoiding nautical terms in favor of terms that may be easier for the novice to pick up. Personally I think the novice should learn the proper nomenclature so that everyone is speaking the same language.
In answer to your question, Macgregor has a habit of avoiding nautical terms in favor of terms that may be easier for the novice to pick up. Personally I think the novice should learn the proper nomenclature so that everyone is speaking the same language.
Bud, they're not the only ones. I hear these all the time, too often.
Translations
Kitchen = galley
Toilet = head
Bedroom = berth or cabin
Living room = saloon or salon
Windows = ports or portlights
Rope = line
Couch = settee
You point makes sense. But that being the case, he could have done everyone a favor but not picking a name ALREADY in widespread use as the name of a different part of the rigging!