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Lift the seat and open the valve at idle is no problem on the M. Closing it while underway after draining is complete is a different issue. I am in an open part of a river with someone else on the helm, open the seat and push the handle down with my foot.

While I have an X and not an M, I thought I would add that a boat hook with collapsible handle is very convenient for opening and closing the ballast valve without having to stop and open the seat. I find it very easy to operate the valve with the boathook while moving along. I drain the ballast water before heading in so it has to be closed while at speed. I just put the blunt end of the pole down on top of the valve and shut it. To open it, I use the hook end and lift the handle up. Probably doesn't hurt to put a little lubricant on the valve from time to time to keep it moving easily.

I have to agree, I use the rudders on my X either all up or all down, I found in the fully down position the boat becomes responsive in between position the helm becomes very heavy and she dont turn real good.

I find the sailing qualities to be pretty good, and she has a reasonable turn of speed considering its not designed to be a racing boat, I get 6knts SOG with no sail trimming at all and the other day I had her up to 4.5knts just on the jib.

I find she is tender up to around 9 degrees heel, in fact decent wind will heal her 5 degrees but she stiffens up nicely after that, mind you being so high 9 degrees does feel a long way over until you get used to it.

I find the standard single reefing point is a bit limiting, I will get 2 points when I replace my main sail, I will also be putting on single line reefing sooner rather than later (winter project) as my partner has limited sailing experience so anything I can do to make it a bit easier will go a long way

Yup - what he said

Herschel wrote:

Lift the seat and open the valve at idle is no problem on the M. Closing it while underway after draining is complete is a different issue. I am in an open part of a river with someone else on the helm, open the seat and push the handle down with my foot.

While I have an X and not an M, I thought I would add that a boat hook with collapsible handle is very convenient for opening and closing the ballast valve without having to stop and open the seat. I find it very easy to operate the valve with the boathook while moving along. I drain the ballast water before heading in so it has to be closed while at speed. I just put the blunt end of the pole down on top of the valve and shut it. To open it, I use the hook end and lift the handle up. Probably doesn't hurt to put a little lubricant on the valve from time to time to keep it moving easily.

dlandersson wrote:Yup - what he said

Herschel wrote:Lift the seat and open the valve at idle is no problem on the M. Closing it while underway after draining is complete is a different issue. I am in an open part of a river with someone else on the helm, open the seat and push the handle down with my foot.

While I have an X and not an M, I thought I would add that a boat hook with collapsible handle is very convenient for opening and closing the ballast valve without having to stop and open the seat. I find it very easy to operate the valve with the boathook while moving along. I drain the ballast water before heading in so it has to be closed while at speed. I just put the blunt end of the pole down on top of the valve and shut it. To open it, I use the hook end and lift the handle up. Probably doesn't hurt to put a little lubricant on the valve from time to time to keep it moving easily.

Which goes with the Catigale (I think) rule of not adding any tool or implement to a boat's arsenal that doesn't have at least 3 (I think, or was it 5?) uses. Tick off another use for the boat hook.

Tomfoolery wrote:

dlandersson wrote:Yup - what he said

Herschel wrote:Lift the seat and open the valve at idle is no problem on the M. Closing it while underway after draining is complete is a different issue. I am in an open part of a river with someone else on the helm, open the seat and push the handle down with my foot.

While I have an X and not an M, I thought I would add that a boat hook with collapsible handle is very convenient for opening and closing the ballast valve without having to stop and open the seat. I find it very easy to operate the valve with the boathook while moving along. I drain the ballast water before heading in so it has to be closed while at speed. I just put the blunt end of the pole down on top of the valve and shut it. To open it, I use the hook end and lift the handle up. Probably doesn't hurt to put a little lubricant on the valve from time to time to keep it moving easily.

Which goes with the Catigale (I think) rule of not adding any tool or implement to a boat's arsenal that doesn't have at least 3 (I think, or was it 5?) uses. Tick off another use for the boat hook.

Crap, is it up to 5?

Five uses for boat hooks...

Grabbing dinghys and hats overboard
opening closing ballast valve
Chin bar in companionway
Backup whisker pole
Repelling Canadians (by flying flag pointing to Tim Hortons)
Snaring dock lines
Snaring loose halyards
Backup tiller for motor if steering gear breaks
Stirring up phosphorescent algae on Vineyard Sound at 0100 hours with the kids...priceless

Five uses for boat hooks...

Down in Florida, we like the boat hook for clearing the gators off the dock at the more remote marinas. In a pinch you can use it like a cane pole and tie some fishing line to the end. And, at age 71 with a trick knee, it does OK as a walking stick. And did I mention it's possible use as a splint when you fail to use it as a walking stick and the worst happens.

With the rudders and the daggerboard fully down, my maneuvers at low speed much better than my previous boat (a "traditional" 20 feet, fixed-keel sailboat with a 15 HP Evinrude outboard). The turning circle is better for the Mac. And sailing backwards, the diference is difficult to believe. I was really stressed and nervious each time I had to maneuver backwards with my old boat. With the , it even seems easy...