Hi everyone,
Had a bit of a disaster today. My wife and I were enjoying a great sail, but when it came time to drop the main, things went seriously wrong. My wife brought us head-to-wind and I went up on deck to pull down the mainsail. Just as I started... snap!
Something snapped where the roller furler connects at the masthead. The entire rig came crashing backward, and the boom snapped in half.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, which is the most important thing. However, the boat has taken a beating. Alongside the broken boom, the mast base plate is badly bent, and the gooseneck bracket is mangled.
Does anyone have recommendations for a reputable rigger in the Solent area that could replace the boom and repair my damage please? I am based around Chichester and Langstone Harbour
, so someone local who can come out to assess the damage would be ideal. I don't mind if they are further away as I could motor or trailer there.
Thanks in advance,
Steve Heathcote
MacGregor 26M (2008)
Macgregor 26M, Year 2008
Oh no ! So sorry to hear about this. A couple of years ago I used Riggit in Southampton for a total refit after my forestay failed in a similar place. Fortunately the Imexus foresail halyard goes through the mast so it didn't collapse . They weren't cheap but claimed to be less than other bona fide riggers and the beauty was that I could bring my boat to them on the water from the Hamble. Years ago I had a new forestay on my M from riggers at Deacons boatyard on Hamble it had broken at the base below the furler drum causing mast collapse while on its mooring. I think it went down slowly because I had another line tied at the pulpit so I got away with just a twisted mast foot that I managed to get straightened . I had also had a forestay failure years before when running with the wind so the genoa just billowing out
forwards . I quickly took a spare halyard gord to keep the mast up and headed for nearest port of Brixham. The rigger there pointed out that the usual Macgregor system of cable crimped around a loop means that it it prone to fracture especially as we might stress that area in transportation. He did me a suaged connection with a long metal section to avoid that in future....it worked.
Another thing that can seriously stress the head if the forestry is getting jib wrap and then forcing the sail to furl....never force a furler , it will always cause problems.
These days I routinely fix a spare halyard down to the pulpit , but it must be as far forward as possible bd REALLY tight, otherwise it will get caught in the furler.
Here ends the lesson !
Good luck, Roly......PS...while your insurer might wish to say broken forestry could be a maintenance issue ,all the rest if the damage could probably be claimed.
Thanks Roly some extremely good advice for me. I think I'll ask my rigger if he can put in a spare halyard for the forestay. I was recommended an excellent rigger, Barry based at Emsworth Harbour. I managed to remove the broken boom and sails, then used the mast-raising device to lift up the mast onto its central pedestal - not easy when it was leaning far out to the port quarter. I used extra side-support lines as I raised the mast slowly. Will motor over to see Barry tomorrow and drop off the mast and jib for repairs. He said probably can fit a Z-spar boom. Hope the mast is not damaged. I'll be enjoying motoring my mastless 26M for a while!
That's good to hear Steven . I riveted a D fixing to the mast half way between the forestry and the top and used it to fix a pulley that I used as spare line or spinnaker halyard.
Thinking about your boom , Im not sure the damage but potentially it could be re welded with an internal strengthening sleeve since there are no lines that run inside......unless you want to investigate a boom roller furling set up ! See past mag issues for details on an X.
Thanks. Interesting about the boom, will ask the rigger today.
I've also joined the forestay failure club! This happened about 4 weeks ago after putting my 2002 Mac 26X on a mooring in Swanage Bay. She wasn't fully rigged at the time with her boom, but luckily I had fitted my usual jackstay just above the gooseneck to the D ring on the foredeck used for the mast raising gin pole, so the mast did not come down and some quick thinking from friends who spotted it saved the day. Back on the drive now, waiting for new rigging from Poole. The forestay failed just inside the furler on the mast, so impossible to spot the wear previously: worth checking more thoroughly than I did though, and definitely worth having a backup forestay!
you were lucky for sure Ian, my wife was lucky the mast and boom fell to part and the furler fell to starboard ....like an invisible shield around her at the wheel. She said she's going to buy a lottery ticket!
some pics of the cause and damage
6 Gooseneck bracket snapped off-for estimate
7 snapped wire on top of furler forestay-for estimate
7b eye where the snapped furler forestay attached to-for estimate
5 broken boom-for estimate_0
Sorry to hear about your incident Steven. As Roly has said, you can get the boom sleeved on the inside, it would be bonded & rivetted to make a good strong fix. I'm sure that this is not what occurred to your Mac but very surprised that this hasn't happened to many more have not de-rigged. I can't believe the amount of macs I've seen still using the original rigging including the horrible Mac stay adjuster's with a crimped loop. Many aged at 26 years or more. It's well worth thinking about upgrading the rigging especially if you sailing on the sea. This was the first thing I did when I purchased my X seven years ago. I increased my forestay to 7mm & the shrouds to 5mm. A couple of years later I changed my furler from the CDI to a much better performance Plastimo 609s which gives you easy access to the turnbuckle for adjustment. All my rigging is adjusted using turnbuckle's & the use of a spinlock tension gauge every time I rigg the boat. As my sailing coach said to me back in the early 70s a fine tuned sailboat is a safe & happy boat. I hope this information is of use to you all. Let's hope that we don't hear of anymore de-masting. Let's all have a fantastic sailing season with plenty of happy adventures. Good luck with your repairs Steven & hope that you are back on the water very soon.
I have to add that I really don't like the design of the CDI furler, it invites trouble.
All other furling systems that I'm aware of retain the use of the foresail halyard, so the sail is still supported independent of the forestay. This gives the same rig strength as a simple system without a furler, where the forestay supports the mast and the halyard supports the sail. This both distributes the loads and provides redundancy.
The CDI simply locks the sail onto the furler, with the forestay taking all the load. In my view, a CDI should never be fitted without a significant upgrade to the forestay. The standard Mac one is just not strong enough.
When I bought my 19 several years ago (since sold!) it had no furler, and I decided to fit one. I immediately though of CDI, having had one on a 26X, but found they're unavailable in the UK. So I looked at alternatives, and found the Plastimo one, which ended up being so much better than a CDI. I was even able to arrange it so I could hank-on the existing sails, allowing for an easy swap between jib & genoa!
So if your CDI needs replacing (or even if it doesn't) I can highly recommend the Plastimo. It's a good price too.
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
I think these reports need to be wake up call to all of us who trail our boats....our rigging is often light and make take unusual twists in transport so increasing risk of stress fracture. However as we can design the boat more easily than other boats we have ample chance to inspect ....big note to self here ! Also we are often buying older boats without service history. Usual good advice would be to change rigging , at least the forestay every 10 years. Also upgrade to the thickest your furler can take , probably 4 mm. Extra line to pulpit Also good.
If in emergency , without spare halyard then quickly detach topping lift and take forward , or mainsail halyard id it runs from top of mast.
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