MacGregorSailors.com

Sorry folks, it´s hard for me to imagine that it´s possible to get the boat from the trailer ready to sail or vice versa within one hour . I´m used to for three years and for two years now trailering and getting it in/out the water about five times a year. So I think I have lots of experiance. But to be honest it takes me at least three hours to get the job done ., actually I can say it takes me half a day.
Most of the time I have to do the work without any help with the boat allready in the water. I use a mast raising system, leave the rollerfurler with genoa allways attached to the mast, have the mainsail stowed in a lazy bag attached to the boom and Ialso leave the shrouds and backstay attached just rolling them up.

I tried to memorise what is required to get the boat ready, in the following You will find a list of the steps I could remember. They are:

at the ramp/crane:

1. dismantling the pair of transport straps and the hook of the winch
2. launch/crane the boat, get it off the ramp/crane-position to a place were it´s possible to stay for the work, remove car and trailer from ramp/crane

in the water:
3. unstrap the backstay (I use cable straps to keep the coiled backstay and the shrouts in position for transport))
4. open the mast carry bolt at the bow and at the mast support in the cockpit
5. move the mast backwards to bring the mast step in position, insert the bolt
6. unstrap the furler with genoa and the furler transport support (I use the mast raising pole)from the mast
7. open the shrouds and bring them in position
8. get the mast raising pole and the attached raising lines in position, connect the furler
9. raise the mast and connect the roller furler to the bow with the eyebolt (that can be a hard thing if You have allready the shrouds in place )
10. remove the mast raising system (I don´t have to adjust the shrouds because I leave them allways connected at mast and hull)
11. get the mainsail/boom/lazy pack assembly out of the cabin and attach it to the mast
12. install the boompusher
13. get the lines of the lazy pack in position
14. connect the jibsheet
15. take care of the furling line
16. feed the sliders of the mainsail into the mast, secure
17. connect the main raising line
18. connect the mainsheet to the main sail
19. remove the covers from mainsail and genoa
20. remove the mast support pole
21. stow the covers and tools
22. have a beer

I´m sure I still missed something, anyhow-my question is who does this all within one hour? If so, what do I wrong? How about Your experiance?

Rainer

A bunk board is what you put under the bunk. the factory put a 1/4 plastic something that bends badly. By putting a 3/4 marine plywood under the bunk (bed) cusions, it does not give. Put some foam on top of that and the stock matteress untop of it and you have a firm bed. Been working for me for 11 months.

Ok. How much taller is your setup than stock?

2BonC wrote:Sorry folks, it´s hard for me to imagine that it´s possible to get the boat from the trailer ready to sail or vice versa within one hour .
1. dismantling the pair of transport straps and the hook of the winch

22. have a beer

I´m sure I still missed something, anyhow-my question is who does this all within one hour? If so, what do I wrong? How about Your experiance?

Rainer

Takes me an hour or so but I do it all on land including having a beer but I don't include having a beer in my time otherwise it could very well alo take me half a day.
Q1

The one option I'd recommend is roller furling for the headsail, and get a good sunbrella sewn-on cover. If at any time you decide to leave the boat in the water for any time (we leave ours in from May - October 1) and it's so nice to be able to hit the water in minutes, and put the sails away equally fast. Not much harder rigging the 26X with furling than 26M that sits next to ours which doesn't have it. The problem is once you buy the headsail, if you later go to furling you will either need to have work done on it or buy a new sail.

Just a short answer to Hamin X.

I am sorry but...

I did not mean to be arrogant...

It happens that mi boat as a very interesting history...

It was bought directly from Macgregor and shipped bi container through the Pacific to the Portuguese city of Macau in China in 1997

From there he traveled to Hong Kong... China coast line... and so on...

Later in 2000 it was shipped bi container from Macau to several other places.

Finally in 2004 it was sent to Portugal Bi container.

From Portugal bi trailer it went to several other places...

So as you see I was not exaggerating...

It is almost a circumnavigating Mac... (Pacific... Indic... Mediterranean...)

It only needs to cross the Atlantic...

Why did we spent so much in transport instead of selling it???

Well because it is also one of the most intensively modified Macs I know of...

And... That Boat is a kind of family heritage...

I promise to tell is stories and mods in a website that i just started...

http://www.arianeoveleiro.blogspot.com/

Well... I will try...

Best Regards

Jose

Returning to the point...

It is possible to do it in 1 h (I do it)

But it is possible because I keep the main in the boom with a lazy bag, lazy jacs and reefs without disconnecting anything from the mast and the genoa stays in the harken furller inside a sumberela bag...

Mi setup not very different from the Hardtle Knot Shore.

http://www.always-online.com/hardtlefam ... s.htm#boom

I did another important little mod on the furller clevis pin system bi inserting a lever bar

This way the entire system is not disassembled and (IF CAREFULLY PACKED) it's a breeze.

Thanks to Harley check list even the admiral work is rapid

Best Regards

Jose

Jose

My apologies to Jose. I had assumed that his boat had crossed the Atlantic via container ship from the East coast of the US. As we all can see from his post above, I was completely wrong. It would seem that he does indeed have the most traveled Mac in the world.

~Rich

When Ifirst bought my M in 2003 budget restraints had me cutting the furler. Two years later we admitted it was a big mistake, should have bit the bullet and got the furler. Today I am glad it happened because I got what I feel to be a beter mousetrap, Schaefer Snapfurl CF700. Do your research before getting any of the more expensive options as you may decide another option elsewhere is better. The lines aft is a good dealer purchase at the start, but really you should get a basic starter pakage and sail for a year then decide what really fits your needs. And yes the furler does make trailering harder as I just got my furler this spring and had first hand experience with the extra dificulty, it is heavy, cumbersome and unweildy and adds time to set-up. I slip mine for part of the year so it is not as big a problem but first season splash it adds time to the setup.

I am a little suprised at the 1 and 3 hour set up times. Perhaps there is a reason to raise the mast on the water etc, but even with inexperienced help I can do it in 30 to 45 minutes. I pull up to the ramp area where I can back to the ramp with the mast up (no power lines around). First the trailering strap across the back comes off. As I walk around the back, I raise the motor and remove the 2x4 block and pull the rudder locking pins, pins go in my pocket, 2x4 and strap go into the back of the SUV. Then I climb over the front and start removing the bungees that held the rigging and mast raiser to the mast, when I get to the back they go into the clothes basket under the starboard seat with the fire extinguisher and flares. I put the spreaders on the mast and my son who is usually helping has all lines clear and pulls the pin on the mast. We bring it back and pin it to the deck and set up the mast raiser, the mast is raised and the forestay attached, the mast raiser comes off and goes down over the side to be put into the SUV, next we attach the boom, the main sail has remained attached to the boom so it is only necessary to insert the sail slugs and attach the halwyard. I go forward and sit in the hatch and attach(hank-on) the jib then climb down and put everything into the SUV, my son is puting on the GPS and getting out the cushions, etc. I back to the ramp, get about half down, pause while lines are passed to the "boys" at the pier and I unhook the bow strap, I ease on down, she floats off, they pull her to the pier and I go and park the trailer, usually one of the "boys" comes and gets me in a golf cart which we load with any last minute items like coolers and life jackets and bags, By the time I am back, my son has filled the ballast and raised the vhf antenna, I drop the DB a few inches, fire up the OB, wife gets in, lines come in and we are off. Once clear of the no wake I head into the wind, throttle back to just maintain steering, wife takes the helm and my son and I pull up the main sail, then we lower it and untangle the halwyard and try again. The jib goes up next and we are sailing, I motor sail till I am well clear of the launch area (I say for safety, but it mostly to outrun the kids in the sunfish) and then cut the engine. There is a lot of prep done the night before, loading the cooler(s), packing snacks, checking/getting gas, checking/charging batteries, hooking up the trailer to the SUV, washing the leaves and dirt off the deck and cockpit surfaces, etc. Next year after my knees get replaced, I am definately going to try for mast up storgae at the ramp if any is available. That short time is still too long IMHO.

but even with inexperienced help I can do it in 30 to 45 minutes

Well, there is the answer, you have help!!! I could set up my boat in 30-45 mins with help too, but by myself, not trying to set any speed records in the hot FL sun, it takes 1-1.5 hrs. Its all those danged little things that take forever. I'll bet no one times how long it takes them to clean out the pottie, wash the decks off, tie the drink cooler down, get the cushions out, change the headsail out, get 5 kids worth of junk on the boat, off the boat, on the boat, off the boat...you get the picture, it all adds up to a lot of time. Wow, if we want to go boat camping, it takes me a whole day to get ready...and a half a day to clean up...and I have my boat on a lift ready to go!!

What HE said!

A rare occasion where Dimitri and I are in agreement ...
Oh wait ... this isn't in the Pub!

Frank C wrote:What HE said!

A rare occasion where Dimitri and I are in agreement ...
Oh wait ... this isn't in the Pub!

Yeah, but Frank starts rigging on the right and Dimitri on the left. Still polar opposites, even if they do end up in the middle somewhere.

~Rich

The one thing we dont use daily is the flat screen TV. The Walrus furnice is a must have for sailing in the fall, winter and spring to take turns warming up. Replacing the light bulbs with high output LED bulbs saves your batteries ( 2-6volt batteries for cabin and 1 for motor is great for 5 to 6 days off the grid even runs the freg too. A 3 quick reef reefing system is very important for the main. Having a dodger and connecting biminy with side curtains and sturn rail seats makes another 1/3 the living space and out of the rain and the burning sun and splash ( a Blue water system).

I've had my X for a couple months now. I've taken the boat from trailer to water in 35 minutes and from water to trailer in less - but I usually take my time and do it in about an hour for piece of mind and relaxation. Heck this is supposed to be fun right?

But I live 4 minutes from my usual ramp so I probably don't take down as much as some of you have to. The mainsail stays on the boom and the whole thing gets stowed below, all lines stay put, I leave the bimini on and so forth. I've gotten a process I follow everytime started and that helps.

I've also learned to leave my wife and son at home while I rig. They slow things down for me, but my son is 20 months so she has to watch him and can't help anyway. My wife prefers it that way too. I just give her a call when the boat's ready and she meets me at a dock.