MacGregorSailors.com

Bimini top, we put our's up for the first time the other day. It appears to be a stock bimini and was probably an option on our boat when new.

My question is, can you sail with the bimini up? The main sheet doesn't seem to allow this while attached to the wheel pedestal.

Am I missing something?

Yes, you are missing the 2nd bail which should be 24" forward of the stock one. You could move the stock bail the 24" forward and the mainsheet will work fine attached to be pedestal. I sail with my bimini up most of the time.

If you need a good resource for your trey Superior MaRINE sERVICES in Michigan City Ind. Roy has many years experience servicing and rigging the Mac.
Good luck. Hope to see you on the big lake this year. When you feel like a little wsail come on over to So. Haven Mi. There are plenty of mac sailors heree.

Not sure what the stock Bimini is. The one that came with our boat (1999 26X) can be adjusted forward and backward, and also tilted. We always sail with the bimini on--never interferes with the sail. There is an additional line going from the top of the mast to the top of the boom, and one can raise the boom some by shortening it, so that it won't interfere with the bimini. The shape of the sail is probably not optimal if you shorten this line, but it works well enough for us

IF you are going to add a bail - go to Defender and get one with the rolling attach point - it works much better than the stock kind, especially mid-boom

Roy is not especially PC savvy, so if anyone has ever had positive dealings with him, feel free to add a review to his local business profile. I have no financial stake in this, just trying to help out a local family-owned business.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-15944804-su ... ws#reviews

wccorder wrote:If you need a good resource for your trey Superior MaRINE sERVICES in Michigan City Ind. Roy has many years experience servicing and rigging the Mac.
Good luck. Hope to see you on the big lake this year. When you feel like a little wsail come on over to So. Haven Mi. There are plenty of mac sailors heree.

March,
That is the topping lift. It is for raising the boom when "NOT" sailing. It should be removed or slackened when sailing. I just clip the hook of the lower end to a cleat on the mast when I sail and pull it tight.
capncarp,
99

Your post reminded me of an interesting point about biminis. Using my trusty GPS, I tracked how fast I sailed with my bimini up, and then how much faster it would be with the bimini in the curled up position at the aft end of the cockpit. I found the opposite to be true. So I did the measurements again, and came to the same conclusion.

The Macgregor sails faster with the bimini spread out and open, than with the bimini standing up and in a wrapped-up position.

Good



Not so good


Phil M

Hey Phil!

Very interesting. I've wondered about the same thing, as I sail with the bimini open (on an "M"). Do you remember roughly what point of sail you were on when you made the measurements?

- Brian.

...hmmmmmm....sounds like another engine up or down debate ....I would like to see the data for a white vs blue Bimini....

seahouse wrote:Hey Phil!

Very interesting. I've wondered about the same thing, as I sail with the bimini open (on an "M"). Do you remember roughly what point of sail you were on when you made the measurements?

- Brian.

We were sailing close hauled. Well, close hauled as it gets on a Macgregor.
I don't have any stats for white or blue, just a feeling that white is probably faster.

Phil M

And black beats all, especially blue, though it's rare to see one in the wild.

Phil M wrote:The Macgregor sails faster with the bimini spread out and open, than with the bimini standing up and in a wrapped-up position.

There are tip vortices coming off the leech of a mainsail, especially at the clew. The vortex at the clew would typically hit the turbulent air in the cockpit, causing drag. A bimini would almost certainly manage that vortex more smoothly across the cockpit and into the slipstream behind the boat, reducing the drag caused by the tip vortex in much the same way that a spoiler both reduces drag and creates aerodynamic downforce on the rear of a racecar, or on the up-angled wingtips of a modern jetliner.

I would not have expected the effect to be clearly measurable at just 6 knots, but it's definitely expected. Good job Phil, now I can justify a Bimini as a performance improvement.

Matt

Vortex drag at 6 knots????????

try giving a light spray of XD-100 on your bimini top and trailing edge of main, that could possibly free up additional vortex generating drag demons. also ive heard eliminating the telltale strings on your main and jib is good for at least a 1/4 knot.