Just purchased 26M, Any 26M owners here in Austin?

[TimJ]

Just purchased a 2012 26M. Love this boat. Would like to connect with other 26M owners here in or near Austin TX to talk about the boat handling, rigging, and other mods I am considering. It has many upgrades already but I have already added a few more. I am new to sailing and have much to learn. Main issue I ran into so far dealt with trailering. Very different from any boats I've trailered before. Also looking for good destinations to explore. Cheers

[ris]

Lots of mods in the mod section. Ask away and folks here will try to help. I am in Florida so not near Austin.

[Jimmyt]

Just purchased a 2012 26M. Love this boat. Would like to connect with other 26M owners here in or near Austin TX to talk about the boat handling, rigging, and other mods I am considering. It has many upgrades already but I have already added a few more. I am new to sailing and have much to learn. Main issue I ran into so far dealt with trailering. Very different from any boats I've trailered before. Also looking for good destinations to explore. Cheers

Welcome to the Forum TimJ! Glad to have you!

Could you be more specific about your "trailering issues"? My M tows like a bigger version of everything I've towed before. Actually, when I brought it home (60 highway miles with a rented truck), I was amazed how well it towed. It seemed amazingly light and well mannered considering its size.

Also, add detailed descriptions of any issues you have with rigging, etc, including pictures whenever you can. This is a nice group of folks here (except me), and they will be glad to try and help you.

Tell us more about your boat! What options do you have and we are all interested in any upgrades the PO did, or you do.

Again, welcome!

Jim

[TimJ]

Lots of mods in the mod section. Ask away and folks here will try to help. I am in Florida so not near Austin.

Thank you ris, I have been looking through some amazing work people have done here on the site. One I haven't seen yet is changing the entry way ladder to a swinging door type so it will swing out of the way so you can more easily enter the rear birth, I have seen lift brackets swivels added and complete removal but no swing door. Just one idea i'm pondering though. Hope I get to see Florida coast one day too.

[TimJ]

Thanks Jimmyt, here are some detials:

It tows and launches amazingly well with my F150. The double axel trailer is very smooth. When I brought her into the trailer after sailing, instead of riding up onto the front pad, it hit like a brick wall even though I was perfectly straight coming in. I had the trailer in the water on a deep water steep ramp (Lake Travis Dam) and it was submerged to cover the duel axel wheel covering completely. (maybe I needed to be deeper, I just don't know). It did jump up and sit on the pad after a little more throttle applied. Then, when I hooked up the winch to real her in, she would not seat properly. I winch really hard to get it seated but what happened was that the entire front of the boat was lifted off of the trailer, literally in the air but she was seated on the rubber wheel at that point. Once I pulled her out, the boat was sitting back on the trailer but was about three inches too far back. I've never seen anything like that . I read a little about the Macgregor Bump thing but it never addressed the issue of the boat winching up off the trailer like it did... I'm sure I'll figure it out but am afraid of the damage to the bow it creates when it hits the trailer below the the target pad. I also added new runner guides today over the fenders as they were missing. Any thought on this situation? I've trailered a thousand times but this hull is much different and the trailer is much longer than I am used to. Thanks, Tim from Texas

[Jimmyt]

You need to post a pic of your trailer for better input. It sounds like you may have an aftermarket trailer. Mine has some of the quirks you mention but doesn't have the winching/nose-raising issue.

I bury the trailer to where the bottom of the v-bunk at the front is just below the surface. I crank it on with the winch in lieu of driving on. The cross-wind at my ramp can be troublesome when trying to drive on. But the trailer is deep such that only the tops of the goal posts are visible.

The "settling back" from the v-block at the winch is common to many trailer sailboats. There are a number of remedies, including using a quick brake at very low speed to scoot the boat into the block. I have never tried this, but many on this forum do it routinely. Other methods include bringing the boat out of the water, strapping the trailer on loosely, and backing into the water allowing the boat to float the trailer just below the hull. Then, you can winch it forward into the v-block and pull her out. Sumner built a sliding v-block that moves forward to load and aft to contact the boat for towing. Tomfoolery has posted the geometry that causes the phenomenon. It does depend on the ramp to an extent, but a gap of some amount is virtually unavoidable through strictly normal loading. Bumping is probably the most common solution.

[TimJ]

Thank you Jimmy, PO bought the duel axel trailer new with the boat. Based on what you said about where the V pad in the front is when you load in, I'm not deep enough in the water. I will also ease in much slower and use the winch to lift her up onto the pad. I'm not too worried about it dropping back a little after settling, I strap her down pretty tightly before I roll out. Thanks for taking the time to educate me here, I really appreciate the help.

[Jimmyt]

Tim,
Strapping it down is a good idea. There are several schools of thought about whether the boat needs to be hard in the v-block or not. My concern is tongue weight, and forward movement in a panic stop. You want to have 200-300 lbs tongue weight (my opinion; there is a lot of discussion). So if the boat sits too far back, your tongue weight might be low. Or, if you load a bunch of heavy stuff in the stern... Chances are, if it tows straight and doesn't get hinky, you have enough tongue weight.

You don't want the boat to start sliding on the bunks. If it's tight in the v-block, it won't start sliding. You could also ratchet strap from the bow eye back to rear of the trailer on both sides. Once it starts sliding, the coefficient of friction lowers and that's when the viral video moments start to happen.

Always remember to bring the dagger board ALL THE WAY UP when loading. Typically, you need a bit of dagger for maneuvering slow under power. There is a tendency to forget it as you approach the trailer. Don't ask how I know this.

Also, if you ever get in a maneuvering jam, use reverse. The boat follows the motor WAY BETTER than the motor pushes the boat when you're in tight areas - particularly in windy conditions. It is much less maneuverable in tight areas going forward than the power boats I grew up with. Docking is more difficult - particularly in windy conditions. You will get used to it, but this is where I had a few close calls. I even looked at bow thrusters at one point.

Just like any piece of equipment, once you get the hang of it, it's a lot easier to operate. It doesn't take long.

[Starscream]

I've towed our X thousands of miles and on some pretty bad roads. Emergency stops, swerves, potholes, winds, mountains, you name it.

I have never strapped her down (the boat), nor has she ever sat snug up against the V. Always about 4" back. I attach a safety chain to the bow ring and then loosen the winch strap. With the gnarly old hull paint she never moved an inch.

Things might change now that I put on the ultra-slick bottom paint. I haven't towed at all this summer besides the 30km to the initial launch, so my advice might be different in a year or so.

[TimJ]

Thanks again Jimmy, all good points indeed. I did read about using reverse as a primary option for docking in close quarters or higher than normal winds. Also, the PO recently replaced the dagger board for a similar reason. He didn't tell me how it broke, just told me it was down when it should have been up . I've learned a lot sense buying this boat. The two things that keep me up a night are remembering to fill that ballast tank and remembering to raise and drop the dagger board. I'm sure it will become routine soon enough but I've read too many stories about it. Happy Sailing my friend!
Tim

[TimJ]

Thank you Starscream, that is reassuring indeed. It doesn't seem to move around on me once I have her loaded. I did notice that the rudders have a place for a quick pin for road travel so I need to get me a couple of those. My fear is showing up to the dock and finding one of them ground down to a nub because my knot didn't hold it up well enough. I'm loving how well she travels on the road. I can't wait to get to the coast with her but I'm going to stay in the lake until I am a more competent sailor so it might be a bit.

Cheers, thanks for the response.

Tim

[NiceAft]

Thank you Starscream, that is reassuring indeed. It doesn't seem to move around on me once I have her loaded. I did notice that the rudders have a place for a quick pin for road travel so I need to get me a couple of those. My fear is showing up to the dock and finding one of them ground down to a nub because my knot didn't hold it up well enough. I'm loving how well she travels on the road. I can't wait to get to the coast with her but I'm going to stay in the lake until I am a more competent sailor so it might be a bit.

Cheers, thanks for the response.

Tim

Tim,

I realize I am about to potentially have a board member be insulted, not my intention, but do not entertain the idea of towing your Mac without securing it to the trailer.



There actually was someone who jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge and survived; don’t try that either.

Be wise; take the steps to secure your Mac to the trailer. It’s that one time you swerve to avoid something, or hit a bump on a curve when you’re turning that can make you extremely sorry for not taking the proper precautions that one time.

The difference between a smart person and a wise one is that a smart person knows how to get out of situations a wise person would not be in, in the first place.

Drive without seatbelts, you’ve never had an accident.
Speed on an icy road, you’ve got good reflexes.

Really, think this one over.

[TimJ]

Thanks Ray, I'm a straps guy myself. Another user shared his own experiences and doesn't use them... I have personally witnessed two different cases of boats leaving their trailer when they weren't supposed too. That really sticks in your brain when you see it first hand.

[Jimmyt]

Thank you Starscream, that is reassuring indeed. It doesn't seem to move around on me once I have her loaded. I did notice that the rudders have a place for a quick pin for road travel so I need to get me a couple of those. My fear is showing up to the dock and finding one of them ground down to a nub because my knot didn't hold it up well enough. I'm loving how well she travels on the road. I can't wait to get to the coast with her but I'm going to stay in the lake until I am a more competent sailor so it might be a bit.

Cheers, thanks for the response.

Tim

I use a red safety line on the rudders and ladder in addition to cleating the rudder up-haul. Just throwing it out there...



PO didn't strap my boat, so I brought it home without any (forgot to check that when I bought it, so didn't have any when I picked it up). But, I've got one now. I have a 45 mph stretch of road to my favorite ramp with a reverse-bank turn that would make me extremely nervous without a strap. I have verified that you can tow it a long way at 70mph without one, though. Your boat, your choice.

[NiceAft]

I don’t have a photo ( will take one in the morning), but my has a 7/16” bolt through each rudder when trailering; they can’t come down. The lines through the rudders secure them in place, but those bolts take the tension off of the rudder ropes. I have a 2005 ; do the newer models not have the bolts?