MacGregorSailors.com

Has anyone replaced the daggerboard (I believe it can come right out of the top of the boat) with a heavier one, such as metal/lead, to prevent the boat from healing as much which I would think would make it a better sailer?

I am not concerned about the heavier tow weight.

The new hunter edge seems to have much more weight at the bottom of its daggerboard............ I believe about 170 lbs

Cheers
Mike

check out this one... added a lead bulb!
also knot shore weighted their center board pretty well by the look of it.

If I were you I would call and talk to Mike Inmon at the factory and get his advice - - - no one knows more about construction performance of the M except MAYBE Roger.

Rick

I broke my first dagger board hitting a rock while sailing. The stock dagger board is hollow and very flimsy, but I have been told that it is designed to break so as not to damage the boat hull. My second dagger board was also damaged but I repaired it and filled the upper part where it rests against the hull with fiberglass resin to make it stronger. If I need to buy a third dagger board I plan to fill the entire inside with fiber glass resin (heavier than water) and add about 20-25 pounds a lead bird shot to the resin before it hardens and let it settle to the bottom of the board. I have already added a second pulley to the top of the board to make it easier to pull up.

It is an interesting point that the daggerboard is designed to break off to avoid damage to the boat.........however I suppose with a keel boat you just make sure you dont hit anything.

In many ways I think a better design for the Mac would have been the plaining hull but a more weighted daggerboard for better sailing (like the hunter edge). A boat called a seaward (hake sailboats) has an electric retracting lead keel which is very cool.

I for one will bet that in the future the factory will evolve into a mac with a heavier keel and it will be coming soon........correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Mike Inmon and Blue Water out of Seattle have already created such boats out of Macs

So if it is possible to modify existing Macs I do think it will make for a much better sailer with little compromise to the power boating aspect of a Mac.

The idea of adding resin and shot to the daggerboard sounds like a good on as long as the boat can handle the extra weight of the daggerboard and the daggerboard doesnt change shape not allowing it to fit into its sleeve

Cheers
Mike

Mike,

It's been done a few times by guys on this forum. Do a search and you will find some info. Delevi did this but has sold his Mac and gotten a new bigger boat...don't know if he still checks in.

Jim

Here are some links to the Blue Water boat on their website

http://bwyachts.com/La%20Perla%20Noir/Pearl%20Home.htm
http://bwyachts.com/La%20Perla%20Noir/w ... 0pearl.htm

School House Steve I think has the most simple solution to this mod

The stock board is a gag; not so much that it doesn't have ballast in it but it's so flimsy. I melted about 55lbs of lead shot and poured into mine. That was after I added a stainless steel rod down the center. I also reinforced it whenever I damaged it so it finally have a much stronger board. Have had no problems with hull damage.

The daggerboard trunk is what you don't want to damage. From what I recall, the base of the trunk on the M is solid resin in order to gain the 300lbs of permanent ballast. So damage would seem unlikely unless you hit something really hard really fast.

Those who have weighted their daggerboards have said the thing is hollow and flimsy. Adding lead shot alone could make it bulge and burst open. Still, the idea of a heavier board is enticing.

--Russ

So Baldbaby2000 do you notice any difference in the sailing with only 55lbs added?

Any issues with it fitting into the trunk in the boat?

Mike

I had one custom made which turned out bullet-proof, and sporting 150 lbs lead ballast at the bottom 15 inch section. I sold the boat recently. No, new boat yet I had this ballasted daggerboard for about 4 years. No more chips and chunks as the stock board. Additional righting moment of approximately 20%

Leon

Mike,

I honestly can't say I noticed a big difference; the boat is still pretty tender in high winds but it seems like it would have to help. I haved sailed many times with no water ballast thinking the boat should be faster but I don't think it really is. Maybe the angle it sits at with no water ballast is inefficient.

No big deal putting it back in the trunk you just need help because it's heavy. You can either put it in from the top if the mast is out of the way or if the boat's at a slip, you can thread a rope down the trunk and pull it up through the bottom of the boat.

The bottom of the board were the lead was poured bulged slightly but not much. I had the board sitting in a tub of water (duck taped all the holes first so water wouldn't get in) when I poured the lead in it to keep it cool. I put a bigger turning block on the deck to handle the extra weight and added pulley to give more purchase when pulling it up.

Dan