New to sailing

[jahemk]

I grew up driving Jon boats on the creeks and rivers.
More recently have been using pontoon, ski & deck boats on lakes.

Have been interested in sailing for some time and am interested in how well a 26M might do with a 90h 2c Evinrude Etec? I've no misconceptions that it will compare to the bigger ski or deck boats.

Would this make a reasonable starter for sailing? I at least know that if I've no wind or am just bad at it I can drop the sail and motor home or wherever;)

Also, I've read that you can sail with the Dagger board partially down. The best local lake for sailing has an average depth of less than 6 feet. It is known as a sailing lake as it is 26K acres in a flat area. Is this going to be an issue? Or will it perform well partially down?

Thanks to all

[bubba]

There are 90 hp on Mac's and they handle fine.
The little 26 acre pond is probably best suited for Hobie cat 16 that don't need the dagger board down banging into weeds and stuff. The :macm:and are cruising boats made for bigger water. When I am sailing I usually turn away from shore when it is 20 ft deep just for the safety of my boat.

[c130king]

Just for a counter point...I sail in the St. John's river in Jacksonville, Fl and several areas of that river where I sail are less than 6'. I just raise the dagger board about 2 feet or so (3 feet or so of board sticking out). It works, but you have to accept that it is not optimal for sailing upwind. When the water starts to get around 4' deep though you may have rudder issues.

And I have run the dagger board into the mud before...just sort of feel kind of foolish when it happens.

Jim

[captronr]

Welcome to our therapy and you asked some good questions.

It appears you like water, but you might want to see if you like sailing before you spring for an M.

There's gobs of 16-20 ft day sailor boats that you can pick up for very little money, and sell them for about the same in a year or two. That would give you a chance to learn to sail while not dinging up a newer boat. If you love it as we all do (or we wouldn't be here), then buy your M or X or whatever.

Or keep your power boats and just get a smaller cheaper sailboat and then use the one that matches your mood and weather. For many years, we had a 30 yr old ski boat, and a 14, then 16 ft sailboat. Often, we'd take them both to the lake. Kids and wife would ski and I would sail. Even with the extra towing, I had almost nothing in both boats.

Of course, now that I have an , the day sailor just sits................

Try to get on a lot of larger boats before you buy also.

Enjoy,
ron

[jahemk]

Thanks for the replies. The local lake is 26k (26,000) acres. ~2.5miles x 15 miles. While it provide ample space it's depth is the concern and it sounds like this boat can sale reasonably well with the dagger board partially set.

The advice on starting with a cheaper, older sail boat is probably prudent.

We've reduced to a single 24' deckboat w/5.0L 220hp i/o. While the M may not perform like it, even with a 90 EvEtec, the hope would be we could trailer to other local lakes or KY with access to the big river and Gulf.

Is the M capable of handling the Mississipi when under power?

Thanks again,

[Charles Henderson]

Hi,

I sail the Mississippi on a 26X. The 26X has a centerboard, while the 26M has a dagger board. The centerboard works well for shallow water. When it hits bottom it lifts up; with the daggerboard you come to a suddent stop! A 9 ft deep channel is maintained along the river by the Army Corps of Engineers. The boat handles the current fairly well, but you do have to keep an eye out for barges! Those leviathans need about a mile to stop, so you really need to be able to get out of their way! Having an operational big motor onboard is really nice! The real problem is that the river is not really that wide along much of its course. So, you have to do a lot of tacking!

Chuck