Sold my 50, buying the Etec90

[Jeff L]

If anything my next motor would be a 150

No tilting, lots of glass, full standing headroom, no 'below decks', not too much heavier than a Mac motor-sailor, room for the dog and a couple of deck chairs, and I'm getting too old to work a sailboat (according to her pppffffttt to that). But then, she's the type that rolls the window down for the toll booth a mile before getting there - she likes to think ahead.

I did notice it is parked in a handicap parking space...

[vkmaynard]

Starscream is this the weekend for your test?

[fouz]

I like that c dory 25. Very nice boat. Little more $$$ than a mac thou.

[DaveB]

I wouldn't try that tru woods Hole cut or many areas over 1.5 knots.
But planning the tides always works.
Dave

I have the 50 HP Bigfoot now and do love it. I'm not going to change it unless another boat enters the fleet that needs it.

The kicker for me is when I came through Westport MA gut at full ebb in the Nissan 4 HP at full throttle and got through...albeit still about 1/2 knot

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Just to be contrary when/if I repower I will drop to a Merc 15 or maybe even a 9.9

I hope to be buried in my a Mac, so resale isn't an issue for me but the real gate will be when I find my free Hudson River runner without a motor...off comes the 50 EFI onto that boat, on goes the new Merc 15. I love the new "all controls on the tiller" Mercs.

For the free boat, I'll have to camp out in DaveNC yard for a few days and see what he drags up this week....

Great idea for a casket! I never thought of that

To be contrary to your contrarianism, the 26X is a powersailing hybrid, with a shape that is compromised from traditional sailboats to gain the planing hull. If I wanted to go slow all the time, then I wouldn't just get a smaller motor, I'd probably want a more traditional (ie, faster sailing) sailboat along with that small motor. I've been thinking a 90 would be about right size when the current motor dies, but that could still be a long time from now.

[Tomfoolery]

Just to be contrary when/if I repower I will drop to a Merc 15 or maybe even a 9.9

I hope to be buried in my a Mac, so resale isn't an issue for me but the real gate will be when I find my free Hudson River runner without a motor...off comes the 50 EFI onto that boat, on goes the new Merc 15. I love the new "all controls on the tiller" Mercs.

For the free boat, I'll have to camp out in DaveNC yard for a few days and see what he drags up this week....

Great idea for a casket! I never thought of that

To be contrary to your contrarianism, the 26X is a powersailing hybrid, with a shape that is compromised from traditional sailboats to gain the planing hull. If I wanted to go slow all the time, then I wouldn't just get a smaller motor, I'd probably want a more traditional (ie, faster sailing) sailboat along with that small motor. I've been thinking a 90 would be about right size when the current motor dies, but that could still be a long time from now.

But what regular displacement hull sailboat that's trailerable by mid-sized SUVs and minivans also has a cabin the size of the Macs? That was a requirement from the admiral, and I've found nothing else that fits the bill. Other than powerboats.

[beene]

Agreed Tom

Can't find anything either

Good luck with whatever you find

I am sure you will do well

G

[Starscream]

No test yet...just sitting there in the driveway while I work. Was supposed to take this week off but...nope.

[Starscream]

Splashed the E-tec for the first time today. Winds were 25 km/hr, waves 2ft.

Maxed at 3,000 RPM (GPS), running 20mph into the wind with full ballast, mast up and 2 adults. Need to change the prop. The waves were too high to do real testing, we were constantly getting soaked with spray over the bow. Like buckets of spray just drenching us.

So, w had a nice sail with full main and jib, heeled 20 to 25 constantly but up to 45 in the gusts. 7.2 mph top speed under sail and no spray whatsoever.

I did get into a weird situation with just the main up when we were just starting to sail. We were reaching along at about 4mph when the boat slowly rounded up into the wind and just stayed there, sort of in irons but not really with the sail not flogging at all and probably about 30 degrees to the apparent wind. Boatspeed was about 1.5 mph but I didn't look to see what direction we were going. I couldn't get out of irons at all, no matter what I did with the wheel. I though about turning on the motor, but decided to go with the jib instead: as soon as it was rolled out we fell back on a beautiful reach and boatspeed was constant between 4.9 and 6 mph. It was kind of what I imagined heaving-to would be like although I have never tried that.

[Russ]

Splashed the E-tec for the first time today. Winds were 25 km/hr, waves 2ft.

Maxed at 3,000 RPM (GPS), running 20mph into the wind with full ballast, mast up and 2 adults. Need to change the prop.

That's excellent. Agreed, you need more RPMs and a smaller prop.

I had been running a 13x13 prop on my Suzuki 70 since I bought the boat. Never liked the performance and RPMs never exceeded 4000. I decided to experiment with a 14x11 prop. Wow! What a difference.

[mastreb]

I did get into a weird situation with just the main up when we were just starting to sail. We were reaching along at about 4mph when the boat slowly rounded up into the wind and just stayed there, sort of in irons but not really with the sail not flogging at all and probably about 30 degrees to the apparent wind. Boatspeed was about 1.5 mph but I didn't look to see what direction we were going. I couldn't get out of irons at all, no matter what I did with the wheel. I though about turning on the motor, but decided to go with the jib instead: as soon as it was rolled out we fell back on a beautiful reach and boatspeed was constant between 4.9 and 6 mph. It was kind of what I imagined heaving-to would be like although I have never tried that.

Yep, this is a form of heaving-to that Macs can get into when running on main only. there are a couple of factors:

1) Moderate to high wind
2) Low boat speed
3) Main only

With the CE so far aft of the CLR, any real wind will weathervane the boat to point into it. If your boat speed is below 2 knots, you don't have enough hydrodynamic flow across the rudders to counter it, and so you wind up turning into the wind and sitting there, effectively hove-to. At low boat speed, your rudders are meaningless and the only sail tactic that will get you out of it is correcting the CE by letting out the jib, which is what you did.

It's easier to maintain than a hove-to, and in fact you can pull your rudders up out of the water and not have to deal with the helm at all, if what you want is to be stopped in the water. There's a thread going on about exactly this maneuver right now but I forget what its called.

I maintain that this maneuver is probably the best storm tactic for a mac, as it will keep the bow pointed into the wind and therefore into the waves where they're safest, allows to main to be kept reefed and the mainsheet-boom tight for low impact to rigging, requires no work at all from the crew thus preventing exposure and exhaustion, and keeps the jib and rudders out of the water thus preventing damage to them.

That said I have not tried it in a storm. We have so few of those out here that I don't ever get to play. It may setup a front-to-side oscillation similar to the Mac-Dance at anchor as the wind/wave interactions cycle, in which case it might possibly put the boat broadside to waves which could induce a roll, and with the main up the roll could be slowed to the point of real danger. Lying ahull (doing nothing with the main completely down) may be safer if that's the case.

Matt

[Starscream]

Thanks Matt for the good explanation of what happened. It happened exactly as you described. We had just put up the main and were just crawling along on a reach getting the feel for the wind and the waves. Then the nose just turned into the wind and stayed there, I guess about 30-40 degrees to the apparent wind at the top of the mast. I couldn't stop it or do anything about it. I was quite surprised since I was expecting irons and a flapping sail, or falling off on a reach again but...nothing.

Could be quite convenient at times...maybe I should practice getting into that situation. I don't remember what the set of the main was at the time though. I know it was no vang, topping lift set to keep the boom just above our heads, and not sheeted in very tight at all.

[jasonsjwou]

I'm thinking about doing exactly this - sell the Honda 50, and put ETEC 90 on the 26X.

Then, what kind of speed can I expect, with Full ballast and 4 adults, mast up with some gears, running at WOT (with a "correct" prop)?

How about, with empty ballast, and 2 adults without the mast and very light load (aka "wakeboard") setting? is 25MPH possible in this configuration?

[Starscream]

Will let you know....I have about the same loading target as you do. I am working through the propeller selection now. All I can say so far is forget a 17 pitch. I have a 13x11 in my car that I will put on and test as soon as the weather allows. I also have a composite 14x11 coming in the mail which has replaceable blades and can be converted to 13 pitch. Hopefully one of these will give me 5k to 5.3k RPM.

I would be thrilled with 23 or 24 mph fully loaded with ballast, and 30mph lightly loaded without ballast.

Oh and Mastreb thanks again for the advice: I bought two spare cotter pins, some marine grease, and a floating hub wrench.

This is the end result:

[Tomfoolery]

Oh and Mastreb thanks again for the advice: I bought two spare cotter pins, some marine grease, and a floating hub wrench.

And grab an old umbrella, even a small Totes type, and store it somewhere. Hang it under the OB when you change the prop, even in the water if you have to, to catch the nut and/or washer and/or cotter pin and/or wrench when (when!) you drop one of them.