MacTrawler Myth Busted !

[Three Gypsies]

As I have written , over the winter of 2014 we converted our 2000 , 26X to a MacTrawler . After nearly 5,000 miles of cruising in 2012 and 2013 , we concluded we just were not using the sail enough to justify the problems a 30 foot pole on your boat gives you , such as drawbridges .

About the most sailing we did was to run out the jib while we motored . We would gain a few more mph , but it still didn't justify having it .

Now the Myth ,,,,

I was told that removing the mast would make the boat more 'rolly' , give it a side to side wobble .
We have been cruising up the east coast of Florida , having left Indiantown Marina last Friday 06/12/2015 . Our first day out we had a stiff wind from the east , while we ran north , Sunday all the Sunday Yachts were out with their 4 foot wakes , passing us and rocking our world .

I can say I have not noticed any difference in our Gypsy's rolling or pitching . She is the same stable boat she has always been .

I am running with the ballast tank full , the keel down around 8" and one rudder in the water , to help steer , and cruising our usual 5-8mph . This is the way I ran when we had the mast on .

When I read this , that the boat would rock more , it sounded illogical , that a 30 foot pole would ADD stability , but what did I know ? Hadn't tried it , so I couldn't say for sure , but , I have now and the myth is busted !!!

[RobertB]

I think the 30 foot pole only adds stability if there is a big sail deployed.

[sailboatmike]

It is totally illogical and opposite to the facts.

The mast increases the center of gravity (more weight up high) so increases the amount of roll, HOWEVER having the weight up high does slow down the speed (frequency) of the roll due to the pendulum effect.

The new cruise ships are all very high thus increasing the amount but decreasing the speed or frequency or the roll, they report that due to this sea sickness on these ships is highly decreased as the inner ear copes with larger but slower roll much better.

And people say Im a geek for watching the documentary channel all the time, but see I learnt something

[mastreb]

Concur, taking the mast off would only decrease the roll period, and not by much because it's weight compared to the weight of the boat is minuscule, even given the lever length. Now, sail up with any wind roll will be eliminated.

Putting the boards all the way down and filling the ballast tank will stabilize it more than anything else--and much more so than any similar sized motorboat.

[Y.B.Normal]

Motoring with the SAILS up should decrease the roll rate as the aparent wind filling the sails will develop resistance to the rolling. It'll also add a knot or two to the boat's speed.

[Seapup]

Would be interested to follow along a trip report if you have time.

Without the mast for a handhold I carelessly slid on the roof barefoot in the morning dew the last time we tried it a few years ago. The stainless mast base plate sliced my foot requiring an ER trip & 11 stitches. Left a bad taste for me and going mastless

[Tomfoolery]

Without the mast for a handhold I carelessly slid on the roof barefoot in the morning dew the last time we tried it a few years ago. The stainless mast base plate sliced my foot requiring an ER trip & 11 stitches. Left a bad taste for me and going mastless

Put a stub mast on there, with a masthead (steaming) light, which you need anyway. A couple of folks here have made some very nice ones, that look like they belong, though I don't think I saved any of those images unfortunately. But it's what I used as a model to make these images.

[FishyFabs]

The funny thing is that a mast (without sails up) decreases your chances of capsizing from a breaking wave. The initial inertia it provides keeps u upright for a few seconds longer improving your chances. Hopefully nobody on this board will ever experience that

[Catigale]

It also improves your chances of not getting hit by falling space debris, an often overlooked benefit.

[dlandersson]

Makes a nice place to put a radio/WiFi antennae.

[Rumdirty]

Let's not forget the convenience of having a place to hang laundry and bathing suits

[Mac26Mpaul]

I find it makes a good place to bolt a boom on so that I can utilize my poor mans $20 silver tarp boom awning (too poor for the full enclosure )



For some reasonI assumed that you might gain a little speed without the mast aloft but on the occasions I'v taken the mast off for a cruise, I'v not noticed any difference in speed. I guess it doesn't weigh bugger all, and doesn't cause much wind resistance..

[Three Gypsies]

Running with the sails out would add stability , but we were not using our sails so we just had a bare pole most of the time .
The bare pole isn't going to add any stability .

Imagine the toys "Weebles wobble , but they don't fall down " These were plastic toys with a weight in the bottom , they rocked but never fell on their side . Now imagine if you glued a long wooden dowel to their heads . They would fall over and stay there .

The modern cruise ships don't rock because they have computer controlled stabilizing jets below the waterline . These jets counteract any roll . These modern ships technically are not seaworthy , without the stabilizing jets they would lay over in a beam sea

[sailboatmike]

Was interesting to see a documentary the other day on one of the big cruise ships that does week long cruises from Florida to Mexico and guess what!!!!!

When the weather gets rough they have a "WATER BALLAST" system to help make life more comfortable for the passengers, I guess we are just ahead of the game

[innervations]

We could install gyroscopic stabilizers but the battery drain might be a tad high http://www.seakeeper.com