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As to the headsail gaining draft when you ease the mainsheet - you hit that nail right on the head.

With the stock genoa, if it gets puffy enough that I am frequently spilling the mainsheet, I think I am better off just taking the genoa all the way in and using the full main.

I'm beginning to think that the 26M with genoa would happier if your reefing strategy went like this:

• full main plus full genoa
  full main plus partially reefed genoa
  full main only
  reefed main

Thoughts?

- AndyS

Andy26M,
I've tried your sequence mainly because it's easy. I've sailed on the main alone and the boat is usually controllable but I'm not sure that's it's very efficient. I have a jib but it's a hassle to change from a genny to a jib with the wind up. My inclination if I think the wind is going to stay up is to reef the main first and then partially furl the genoa.
The problem with reefing the main is that if one is in a race--I may be one of the few that race my mac--one may not want it reefed when going offwind. Maybe that's when the spinnaker comes into play.

Guys, I haven't your experience, but at someone's prior suggestion of leaving a bit of genny out no matter how much main has worked for me. Even reefed and heeled at 20 degrees plus, I kept 6' of genoa, and suffered no "rounding up", just hair-raising acceleration on a reach. Most of my current problems now are light-air tacking. I just can't solve that one?

one thing that will ease the forestay/furler attachment to the bow will be to keep the furler STRAIGHT when the mast is down. I have found it much easier to attach now that i store the furled genoa on top of the mast using 4 PVC cradles that snap to the mast and hold the genoa furler straight. Before, when i received the boat, the PO just let the furler flop around and get kinks.

BB,

At 30 mile winds, you should definitely have the main reefed and either be using the jib or really reef that genoa. I found that on the , the boat handles much better with both sails, even if they are both reefed. In San Francisco Bay, I often get hit with 25 mph+ winds. I reef the main and furl in about 1/3 of the jib. I do not yet own a genoa. I'm planning on buying one for the less windy months. I wouldn't dream of using one in heavy wind, however. My dealer recommends not using a genoa past 12 knt winds. He also told me that furling in a genoa does not produce very efficient sail shape, compared to the jib, which is why I don't own one yet.

I have only had my 26m for about 5 months, and I am very pleased with it. I took the advice in a previous post and had my wife pick up a LOOS tension gage for me from West Marine when she was in the US last month. The LOOS gage is one nifty item, and I think everyone who owns a mac should have one on board. It is a quick and easy way to check the tension on your shrouds.

Dan wrote:I took the advice in a previous post and had my wife pick up a LOOS tension gage for me from West Marine when she was in the US last month

That's one nifty wife you've got there, Dan.

If you are in the UK, I know a man who needs a new centre board (see separate thread from Morimaro). Given the current $/ exchange rate, maybe your good lady wife could smuggle one back in her hand luggage? If that proves successful then I think the members of the UK Owners Association would be more than ready to provide a comprehensive shopping list.

Mikie UK,
Yea, she is a great 1st m8 for sure. I don't live in the UK, I live in the Cayman Islands. So I don't think I can help your friend out with the dagger board.

Now that I have had some experience with the LOOS tension gage I just wanna let you guys know that if you are not using a tension gage of some sort you probably do not get your shrouds tight enough. Before I got this gage I thought I at least had the tension on my shrouds somewhere in the "ball park." Boy was I wrong. I was always afraid of overtightening the shrouds, and apparently I was only putting a fraction of the tension on them that they should have.

The forestay tension has always been challenging to keep taught with trailer sloops - it's the nature of the beast. Too tight, can't pin, too loose, can't point.

I think the M is very performance orientated they just need some sail controls: halyards, outhaul, cunningham, backstay, vang, and reef points to the cockpit, genny slide controls, etc. to bring out the stallion. The basic design is very efficient for what they are intended to be used for. You wouldnt want a 200 300# outboard hanging off a J30, but then again, look what we can do that the J cant!!

There're a couple of successful mods Ive made to remedy this issue on Yin Yang, one is the quick disconnect on the forestay. Very nice.

I've also developed a backstay and have posted it the mods section. There's a noticeable difference in the forestay posture with the backstay loaded and unloaded. I'm trying a loop configuration to allow the mast to rotate and maintain its position with tension on.

Still need to measure with my LOOS, but there's no slop with tension on.

Also, the shrouds alone probably are sufficient to keep the mast erect, but it's just a little additional security.

Michael

Hi Guys,

I have a 2004 Mac
Have had this magnificent boat for 18 months now and I sail all year round. So I have logged enough experience to be able to give an opinion and contribute to this board.

Because of my racing background, tuning the rig is one of my major concerns even with the Mac that I use as a pleasure boat. I still race, but in other boats.

I have found that you can tune the MacM with three simple steps. No gauges; simple rule of thumb as they say.

Step 1.
On 'page 18 of 31' of the MacGregor 26 'Owner's Manual' (European edition) there is a small but very useful plan of the boat with some key measurements to set rake and bend.

This is a very reliable and good starting point. If you get it right, you are 90% there. Do not underestimate this guideline. It is also easy to implement.

Step 2.
Observation under sail will make up for the remaining 10%.
You want to make sure the leeward stays are not very slack when beating. Check tension on both tacks, port and starboard.

Step 3.
If you point well with satisfying boat speed, leave it as it is.
If you are not pointing well, then take up tension on the uppershrouds but, most importantly remeber to simultaneously take out a hole or two on the lower shrouds to maintain the same tension as before at this intermediate level of the mast.
These two shrouds work as complimentary forces; when you take in the top shrouds you release on the lower ones.
Make all your corrections one hole at a time.

It may take several trials to get it right; but when you do, the boat sails very well.

Remember: Forestay sag is important only when heading upwind. When going downwind, a little is even desirable. You have to find the middle line; as always, it will be a compromise. In any case you don't want the forestay flopping around uncontrolably!

I chose not to have a furling system on the forestay and use hanks to attach two independent sails; a genoa and a jib. The principle is the same regardless of the furling gear you may have. The only difference will be that you may need to tension a little more because of the extra weight of the gear along the forestay.

When you achieve the right settings in the rig, you will point higher (not necessarily faster) than any other 26ft sailboat on the water!

Greetings to all Mac sailors!

Octaman