MAC High Speeds!!!

[Harrison]

Windquest,

Is your motor turbo or supercharged, or do you have nitrous injection? 21 KNOTS from a Merc 50?

I have a 05 M, with a Merc 60, (which I believe is the same block just bigger holes) and WITHOUT ballast, the mast, boom, sheets, and all the usual stuff on board, I have only seen 18 MPH (not knots). This is on Carter Lake, which is approximately the same altitude as Pueblo Res. Calm day, no wind or waves, spinning the motor at 5700 rpm WOT. Im 180 lbs. I do have the empty porta-potty and my cabin cushions on board but basically a stripped down boat. Not even an anchor on board. Just 5 gallons of fuel in 1 tank.

Whats your secret?

On Edit: Fastest sail I ever achieved was 7.5 mph on a run in 20+ winds. Mainsail only. I recently got caught in 30-40 mph winds with gusts to 55 mph (NOAA weather radio). 8 foot swells for over 12 hours. While I am a thrill seeker too, during these conditions, if I could have got outta there, I would.

BTW all my speed measurements are with GPS. While I am not familiar with the Raymarine ST40, could it be giving you inaccurate readings?

---Harrison

[windquest]

Is your motor turbo or supercharged, or do you have nitrous injection?

BTW all my speed measurements are with GPS. While I am not familiar with the Raymarine ST40, could it be giving you inaccurate readings?

Harrison,
Good joke, wonder if you really could mod out a merc motor. I am beginning to think the same thing after reading all these responses. When I am sitting on the dock my ST40 reads 0.0, thats all I can say. I would assume an actual speed reader would be more acurate than GPS but I have no idea, opinions? Also has anyone heard of raymarine products being off when mesuring speed, they are supposedly pretty good products.
I was on lake granby memorial weekend and did 9.5knts with a reefed main and about a 3rd of my genny, I think there was 30 to 40 mph gusts (didn't check, just guessing), also had 2 other people with me. I have heard no responses from any 2006 M owners has there been any changes? Like I said earlier I will go out today and take some pictures.
BTW How do you like Carter Lake, I have heard good things.

[Frank C]

Harrison probably hit the nail on the head. First off - determine whether your Raymarine is reading knots or miles per hour ... that would make a big difference.
Your new Merc 50 might get you 21 MPH, but 21 knots? - certainly kNOT!

Second, after years of seeing these issues debated here, I can only assume paddle wheels are notoriously inaccurate. Mine from Lowrance surely was, to the point that I never use it. A GPS uses satellites to measure your time & distance traveled across the earth, also called SOG (speed over ground).

SOG determines when you reach a destination, but not always how effectively your boat is sailing. Sailing on a river or on tidal waters, SOG is possibly misleading because the current can enhance (or impair) your actual speed thru the water. For example, you can be sailng at 5 knots thru the water, but making 10 knots toward a downstream destination - due to a 5 knot river current. In such case your GPS speed permits you to estimate your arrival time, but your paddle wheel shows how effectively you're sailing.

Since you're sailing a lake you have no current complicating your readings. SOG is the same as your speed thru water, and GPS readings are golden. Whatever your GPS shows is your true speed, both ground speed and speed thru the water. Find a hundred-buck GPS on eBay ... it will quickly reveal how deviant your paddle readings are.

But even a GPS won't tell you true wind speeds. You can judge those from the yacht club's weather station, if your lake has a YC. Judging from the evening news is about as reliable as a paddle wheel, so then you need to judge from water conditions, appearance of flags and experience. Or, get yourself an ST40 wind instrument (~ $250) and connect it to that new GPS - and you'll know EXACTLY what true wind speeds were.

EDIT to ADD:

... The 12 knot run was a little nerve racking though because I could hear the shrouds slacking then snapping tight maybe a backstay would help ...

That's called shock-loading, and it's very punishing to the rig and the hull. It might be expected in 40 knot winds, but if you hear it in more average conditions, the rig might be too loose - needing a tune. Refer to the "Featured Articles" button to find Bruce's write-up on tuning the 26X rig, which would give you an overview of the process. But with a brand new boat, I'd suggest you advise your dealer first (or call the Mac factory) if you think the rig needs tuning.

[Richard O'Brien]

There is no question that These boats are fast on a reach. I went out last night and in 10-20 mph winds I was able to run down a catalina 25,. both of us with 150 gennys. There is no other experience that carries the same beautiful thrill? Cars require motors. Maybe skiing is similar, but lacks the big boat. Probably gliders, and balloons? Nearly out of control, flying along . You are surely in nature's grasp when sailing like that. The worst point of sail in those conditions is actually downwind for me. Now I understand the need for spinnakers. I tried wing on wing, but the genoa kept collapsing with the wind shifting 20-30 degrees. Perhaps next time? Every time I go out and the winds up, I find that I can angle just a little closer, or fine tune just a little more, and it is damn exciting

[windquest]

Richard, were you on chatfield last night?

[Mark Karagianis]

Windquest, after reading your posts I am jealous of your 21 knots = 25 mph. I have tried everything (almost) and have been unable to attain even 17 knots empty with a tail wind with my 50-horse Suzuki. And fresh water is less buoyant than salt water . . . .

Well, I finally figured it out. Your Colorado high altitude has thinned out the air density, meaning lower drag, thus enabling you to go so fast. And your wind gusts are are so thin that you are able to survive sailing in the 50 knot gusts.

Now if I can just figure out how your motor can function so well in the high altitude . . . .

[Richard O'Brien]

Richard, were you on chatfield last night?

Yep! Great fun except for the rain in the face. I am not doing the races until the summer series in July-Aug, but I thought that I'd hang with the fleet to see how I could do "shadowing" them on the fringes, and kinda out of the way. Were you there?

Mark, You are absolutely correct. Just ask our kickers. Grand lake is over 9000 ft. for even thinnner air.

[They Theirs]

Anyone fly this big Spinnaker

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

TT, that big spin seems to only exist on the Mac website. I've been asking Bill about this for well over a year now and it appears to be a vapor ware. Have you seen any Mac dealers selling it?

[They Theirs]

BWY: Blue Water Yachts about MacGregor 26
Will Blue Water Yachts be selling kits to make upgrades to stock boats?
We hope to be offering a bowsprit kit in the future, we just aren't sure yet if it will be fixed or articulating. We still have quite a bit of testing to do before this is ready to sell.


There was talk of a production large spinnaker, it looks as though theyve stalled. With all the new mods in pedestal and cutter rigs, I was inquiring about someone having ventured into manufacturing their own as BWY in their experimental Mac.

[delevi]

In winds approaching 40 knots and above, even under reefed main and just a bit of headsail, the boat gets overpowered on a beam reach or higher. There is no way it hits 12 knts or anything close. I hit 9 mph (not knots) in 35+ with both sails reefed close reaching. This is not sustained because of constantly spilling wind in gusts and/or rounding up. When wind velocity hits 40, you start slowing down fast because you are heeling so much. I had my share of high wind experiences with my 05M on San Francisco Bay, and I can say that at 56 knts, you probably won't be making any headway. We're talking storm conditions! You would be fighting to hang on and stay in the cockpit let alone trying to sail. The boat will be laying on its side, and consider yourself lucky if you don't loose your standing rigging or worse, your life. Everything I read says that no boat, no matter how big should have any canvas up when the wind approaches 50 knts, and were talking about a 4000 lb 26 boat.

As for motoring, I have an E-Tec 50. Compared to what I read on this board, it performs better on the Mac than most 50 hp engines. I can get up to 21 mph (not knots) but can only touch that speed. It will jump from 19.5-21+ and we're talking smooth water. In chop, 15-16 max if I have my foul weather gear on, 8-10 if I want to stay relatively dry.

Windquest, either you're trying to have some fun with us or you should check your instruments.

Leon

on edit:
TT & Dimitri,
I think the only one who may own that large spin is Todd & Cheryl at BWY

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

That's a different spin on their boat than what they are advertising on the factory web site (shown further up in this thread on the blue hulled boat).

[They Theirs]

Yes, the Radial head crosscut on the MDR with Mike Inmon at the helm looks almost like a symmetrical spinnaker, while the BWY is definitely Asymmetrical, but I could not tell you what code. Notice the top photo is reaching without the engine.

[ssichler]

Yes, the Radial head crosscut on the MDR with Mike Inmon at the helm looks almost like a symmetrical spinnaker, while the BWY is definitely Asymmetrical, but I could not tell you what code. Notice the top photo is reaching without the engine.

I just bought a boat from Mike. He was saying what you don't see in the video is him getting knocked down the cruising spinnaker which I could buy but that didn't happen with the racing spinnaker which wasn't available.

I used the cruising spinnaker during a recent 40 knot gale and achieved 50 knots while sailing through the air (GPS recorded Speed Over Air) ...kidding.

[Richard O'Brien]

I just bought a boat from Mike. He was saying what you don't see in the video is him getting knocked down the cruising spinnaker which I could buy but that didn't happen with the racing spinnaker which wasn't available.

I'm pretty sure they are both assyms. I can't imagine the racing spinnaker being less likely to cause a knock-down than the cruising "blister". Is that because the bowsprit mitigates the direct sideways pressure? I wish someone would discuss their gennekers more since I want to get one this year, but have'nt read much about there use? I thought the assymmetrics might be better than symmetrics because of the large wetted surface on Macs? better to hang over a few degrees , but not if you're going to get knocked down. First time I've heard of a real knockdown of a Mac.