MacGregorSailors.com

All good suggestions above.

island808- Yeah - motorcycle tires wear asymmetrically, usually, because of high crown roads, the left side of the tire wears more quickly. No getting around it – 'cept maybe in England.

So when you lean way over in a turn the ridge on the tire that you hit that causes some slight loss of stable feel will be at a different lean angle on one side than the other. How far up the side of the tire those two ridges are will indicate your level of enthusiasm when riding! You will notice that your turns will be more symmetrical on brand new tires. Left turns are often of a larger radius than right turns, so are done at higher speeds on a bike. But modern highways are made to reduce left hand turns in favour of safer right hand turns that don't cross traffic.

One fact not mentioned yet that will play at least a minor role is the asymmetry of the hull shape, most obviously prominent at the bow where the stripes give a visual reference line. The casual eye will miss it, but I have not yet seen an M that didn't have it at the bow at the water line – I have even seen it in photographs of M's that were taken from the right angle. While the X hull was made from a different plug at the factory, they might have this same “factory defect” as well.

Or maybe our Macs, like high-performance power boats, are just designed to turn in one direction only. Or maybe not. ...... ......

Dave, two observations

1 at boat speeds under 2 knots there is no rudder action. Your boat will point according to sail trim, which is usually light weather helm...ie the boat will slowly round up

2 the stock sails will blow out quickly in air or gust over 20 knots, and may well have different shape on the two tacks after this.

Catigale wrote: the stock sails will blow out quickly in air or gust over 20 knots, and may well have different shape on the two tacks after this.

Well, I have been pushing her hard (at least for me) the last couple of sails. It's been particularly windy and I've had her reefed. Maybe I stretched the sails?

While I can see that affecting the sails, I don't see how it would differ from one side to the other.

Once the sail is stretched it will not stretch back symmetrically - it will have a good and bad side.

Does your boat have a handedness?? (preferred tack)

No.

I think my boat sails have two bad sides....

Catigale wrote:Once the sail is stretched it will not stretch back symmetrically - it will have a good and bad side.

Cmon guys - it's all about weight - you all already know that - if the boat leaves the dock lopsided it's gonna sail lopsided and favor one side. A rudder has got to be WAY way out of line to mess up the track but weight will make the boat round up later or sooner depending on the side the weight it on and the tack. As for the sails - I would not think a blown-out sail is gonna be any better going one way or the other.

If your getting a huge performance change by changing tack I think the first thing you need to look at is the weight distribution, then current, then direction of the swells.

BOAT wrote:Cmon guys - it's all about weight - you all already know that - if the boat leaves the dock lopsided it's gonna sail lopsided and favor one side.

Well, it isn't.

Not much, anyway. My inclinometer site between 0 and 1 to port while at dock.

And two grown humans will more than compensate tor that.

I tend to agree - my inclinometer is right around zip - one at the dock. My starboard side consistently sails faster than my port in any wind and weather.

DaveC426913 wrote:

BOAT wrote:Cmon guys - it's all about weight - you all already know that - if the boat leaves the dock lopsided it's gonna sail lopsided and favor one side.

Well, it isn't.

Not much, anyway. My inclinometer site between 0 and 1 to port while at dock.

And two grown humans will more than compensate tor that.

BOAT wrote:Cmon guys - it's all about weight - you all already know that - if the boat leaves the dock lopsided it's gonna sail lopsided and favor one side. A rudder has got to be WAY way out of line to mess up the track but weight will make the boat round up later or sooner depending on the side the weight it on and the tack. As for the sails - I would not think a blown-out sail is gonna be any better going one way or the other.

If your getting a huge performance change by changing tack I think the first thing you need to look at is the weight distribution, then current, then direction of the swells.

Ok - got it, tack the sails and gybe the cooler

My two cents: This is such an atypical symptom that is appears to be a combination of factors.
1. Rudder toe out will enhance other mis-alignments.
2. In such light conditions, balance, particularly fore/aft - which is hard to spot, can be a cause.
3. Mast lean, either fore/aft a/o port/starboard is probably the major culprit.

That's ninety eight cent's change - thank you!

R.

Anyone know the correct tension for X shrouds?

I'll check em tomorrow.

Also, mast rake (uh, that means leaning back, right?) is .. 7-10 degrees?

Actually, tuning is a little more complex than that. I'd better go find a proper set of instructions for the MacX.

And .. how'm I gonna tension them with those slot adjuster thingies that Roger loves so much.

Catigale wrote:Once the sail is stretched it will not stretch back symmetrically - it will have a good and bad side.

My wife might say that I have been stretched.

Catigale wrote

Once the sail is stretched it will not stretch back symmetrically - it will have a good and bad side.

I don't understand what you mean by that Cat.

When I stretch out my right sock, I turn it inside out and put it on my left foot, and it's still symmetrically stretched the same amount the other way ???

Re: the thread title.

Yes, there were “Roman” hands on a few of the boats I had back when I was young and single. And that was the preferred tack some of the time.