"Holiday Candy" for Trailer Boater

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Good point about the rudders not kicking up in shallows. That was one of the reasons I chose the X over the M due to the amount of times you hit ground here in shallow Western Florida. But an interesting design none the less, note the much larger rudder brackets holding the boards. On my 2000 Mac, there are a lot of cracks around the area where the rudder bracket holds the rudders (on both sides)...no doubt from sailing with following seas...I wonder when the first one will snap off..

[Moe]

115 liters (4.0 cubic feet) is huge for a boat of this size. It's probably a built-in made of poured foam with a cooler unit.

[DavidG]

That would be a great way to solve the X vs M debate though....just buy both.

[Frank C]

quoting Me Mine: Looking at the headsail. I noticed the clew was supported with some type of hard leach to hold the small sail low on the deck while allowing the sheet attachment some 10” above the foot of the sail ...
You mean this picture, eh?


I'm confused by that rig. Yes, it seems it would enhance the pull downwards on the leech for power, but looks as if it would greatly impair stretching out the foot in higher winds ??? Other pix reveal a very large reinforcing patch along the clew/leech. It's apparently the sailmaker's strategy for sweeping the lower foredeck, while also permitting a good lead to the cabintop tracks, about 8 inches higher than the foredeck ???

quoting Me Mine: I like the Toe Rails on the bow, and wonder how the small side deck, slightly angled, to better allow access to the bow when heeled ...
Yes, I DID notice the side decks. One of Roger's innovations was to eliminate side decks, adding a good 18" to the Mac's cabin width. I'm betting that this boat has a LESS "open feeling" cabin.

quoting Me Mine: Traveler - How about that Traveler and mainsheet created to keep the cockpit opened up,
Hmmm - I saw only one picture that might reveal a traveler, and that one appeared pretty ineffective ???

quoting Me Mine: Head Sail Furler - It appears the furling drum is recessed into the deck? I cannot tell if there is some type of foil associated with the headsail, or if it functions with the ability to sail with the headsail partially rolled up?
Yes, it certainly appears to have an embedded furling drum. That's a pretty sophisticated design - common on racing rigs, I think. It surely MUST HAVE a foil, since one pic shows the headsail furled, eh?

Regarding the question of a bigger motor - I'll bet the builder would be horrified to hear the question of adding more horsepower~! Anyone who has designed embedded furler, a retracting sprit, a loose-footed mainsail and a fancy headsail leech(?) .... is clearly more interested in sail performance than motoring. Besides, with a half-ton of permanent ballast, simply upgrading to 100 hp can't possilby add Mac-like powering performance. It needs to shed ballast and plane, two things this boat surely is never intended to do. It probably can't take advantage of anything more than 10hp.

Finally (noting my harmony with Moe) ... one of Roger's 26X innovations was her full interior liner. A full liner is an improvement that's practical for only high-volume builders, where the added cost can be spread out over many more units, an improvement that Roger's clearly reluctant to (yet) undertake for the 26M. He's undoubtedly waiting to fully debug the cabin layout.

I note that this builder took the more conventional approach of placing both head and galley immediately at the companionway, where headroom is greatest (note the complete, formal bridgedeck?). But also noting this boat's carpeted interior hull, this builder must still be in "the same boat" with Roger ...
waiting for enough sales volume to justify a full interior liner.

[They Theirs]

Etap 24i Belgian Trailer Sailboat
Russian A25 Trailer Sailboat
British Parker 235 Trailer Sailboat
German/Polish ViTa PowerSailor Trailor Sailboat
I see in this photo the Traveler is attached at the end of the boom, and the mainsheet is run forward to a center cockpit attachment to be easily accessible, very common rigging in modern sailboats.



I was unable to see any pictures of a partially furled headsail, I was not clear in stating that it may be a wire setup or a foil and may be an on/off setup, especially with that exotic clew attachment and the possibility their setup will not power-up or down well when rolled.

Your probably right about the builders ideas for auxiliary power enhancement. Looking at the hull design and seeing the aft drops off sharply, leads me to believe this craft would not motor well above hull speed.

I noticed what appeared to be a faucet and shower wand in the head. Looks like there may be a shower in this builders design, and the head is recessed back behind the cockpit entrance, (This certainly is a desirable feature everyone likes) at least preventing the direct view into head when entering the cockpit.

I cannot understand your holding the full liner as being an improvement overlooked by Roger? I believe he realized there was little structural strength of the previous designs liner, and upgraded the strength of the M hull and like the A25 designers changed the interior for a more appealing look.
I think Roger along with others see your full liner idea as a Been There, Done That item.

[Frank C]

I see in this photo the Traveler is attached at the end of the boom ...

(Hmmm - new moniker for the New Year ??? )

Okay - yep that's surely an end-boom traveler. I missed it in skimming the pix earlier. The mid-boom cleat is a little confusing to me (no mid-cockpit end-controls for the traveler). One usually wants all boom controls led to either end of the boom ... but I suppose there's no-harm, no-foul in this lead. I guess that same picture also clearly obviates a 26X-style backstay, eh?

You're right that a headsail furler isn't always competent for reefing, and we see no "reefed" picture of this standard jib. But with so many disadvantages to reefing the headsail .... and considering this builder's other sail performance enhancements, maybe he DOES judge a reefed headsail as heresy. He obviously feels that a sprit & assym is very important. Besides that, I'm not sure reefing the Mac's standard jib adds much benefit either.

Yes, I did notice that the head is neatly tucked into the companionway structure, that this head is somewhat larger than the 26X, and that it includes a sprayhead. The under-cockpit volume (starboard & aft) is blocked by the head, but no worries - it must be accessible through that big lazerette hatch.

Finally, I never suggested that a full liner targets any improvements in the hull structure. Except overhead, where it sandwich-strengthens the deck, it's purely a cosmetic improvement for quicker, easier maintenance. You know, mold & mildew resistant!? ... well-appreciated in my case
(not too sure about Moe!)

[They Theirs]

Frank C

I think you nailed the roller furler on the small Mac Jib. I cannot see much benefit in rolling back the small headsail, but I do like the better performance in medium or better air. The Genoa has limited pointing on boats with wide chain plates and is of lesser value for this point of sail when partially furled, but is necessary for balance on the early powersailor. I think Roger and the A25 designers are well aware of the popular new rigs without backstays and sporting large roach mains with small headsails and huge Asymmetrical Spinnakers. (This certainly hints of Sport Boat, but youll never find a sport boat providing the kind of motoring and interior comfort the Macs have.)

The Traveler is a long way back for the short, light boom on the Mac. Ive heard stories of those wanting to change their mainsheet attachment point, but too far forward and the load overwhelms the potential to break the boom, and I wonder if the end boom sheeting would not also require an upgrade of he boom.

I like your reference to Mold and Mildew in the M interior without the inner liner. Ive been waiting for postings complaining of the quiet carpet hull interior walls Greening-up, and as luck will have it, most of the inside bottom of the hull has a bottom interior liner to maintain. Its no frame grid with floorboards, but the marvel of the Mac is the structural benefit of the ballast tank under the inside bonded bottom liner, not that this bottom liner is any structural marvel, but I like the design.

Yes, I believe anyone with a full liner, as the X would appreciate the ease of maintenance, good point!



I might add that the transom deck of this builder opens with the track for access to the boat from the ladder. I noticed in one of the trailer photos this part of the deck and traveler is in the up position. I do not know if an X with the same short boom as the M could benefit from the long traveler on that transom, it would sure make for a difficult bimini Top.

[They Theirs]

Trailer Sailboats and PowerSailors to Compare

Etap 24i Belgian Trailer Sailboat
Russian A25 Trailer Sailboat
British Parker 235 Trailer Sailboat
German/Polish ViTa PowerSailor Trailor Sailboat

[Catigale]

Dimitiri - in the Aluminum Welding thread I am currently investigating welding materials for both AL and steel which the homeowner can perform - I even thought about the older style rudder brackets in the thread

I have another Al job to tackle, if I end up getting some material for steel maybe you woulld be interested in trying to strengthen those cracks before they go??

Anyone else welcome too!!

pm or em me if you want....Stephen

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Stephen, thanks for the info. I guess my post was somewhat ambiguous...the cracks are in the fiberglass of the rudder, not in the metal of the bracket. I suppose if the brackets were bigger they would grab a larger part of the fiberglass and be stronger. This is kind of how it looks with the boat in this thread.

As I have a 2000 X, I have the beefier SS brackets versus the thinner aluminum ones I've heard the earlier boats have. In the later model design, I'm not sure I've heard of any brackets breaking although I think there have been several cases of broken rudders.

[They Theirs]

Vladimir

Im going out on a limb here and saying the Mac!