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Had to do a Mac bump for the first time today - the bow was about 10" away from the cradle so I was expecting to have to bump over and over again, but it slid easily the first try!

One other thing I noticed today - driving over grooved highway surfaces feels very squirrelly:)

fyi- better to bump a few times soft, rather than bump one time too hard and break something.
That ladder post and bracket on the factory steel-X trailers isn't as strong as one might expect.

I cant do the Mac Bump because its all gravel between the ramp and my mast up spot, needless to say I have a concrete block on the A frame to ensure she wont tip backwards when she is on the hard and we climb the stern ladder

bobbob wrote:Had to do a Mac bump for the first time today - the bow was about 10" away from the cradle so I was expecting to have to bump over and over again, but it slid easily the first try!

One other thing I noticed today - driving over grooved highway surfaces feels very squirrelly:)

I gather a "Mac bump" might be hitting the brakes to jolt the boat forward on its trailer, yes?

Wind Chime wrote:fyi- better to bump a few times soft, rather than bump one time too hard and break something.
That ladder post and bracket on the factory steel-X trailers isn't as strong as one might expect.

And if you hit it too hard, the CB may drop just enough that you can't get it back up 'cause it's stuck behind the middle bunk. Not that I'd know anything about that.

I only got up to 15 km/h and hit the brakes - the Mac slid nicely all in one shot.

Tomfoolery wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:fyi- better to bump a few times soft, rather than bump one time too hard and break something.
That ladder post and bracket on the factory steel-X trailers isn't as strong as one might expect.

And if you hit it too hard, the CB may drop just enough that you can't get it back up 'cause it's stuck behind the middle bunk. Not that I'd know anything about that.

Hey TomFoolery: I would know nothing about that either ... or about the boat getting so stuck on the trailer as a result - that one might have to unhook the trailer from the tow vehicle and float the trailer while still attached to the boat trying to get the keel unstuck from the trailer, then after the keel gets unstuck and the trailer drops from the floating boat one might have to pull the trailer out of the water with a rope to hook back to the tow vehicle ... Nope, don't know anything about that

I was never a fan of the "bump" as it it just a hopefully controlled situation so I modified the trailer for my S (not sure what the X or M trailers look like).



Above is how it was stock



I made it movable..



.... so no move the "V" forward just before loading the boat and then back into the bow after I'm in the parking lot. With two 3/4 inch wrenches it takes about 30 seconds.

More on it here and also on the "Mac Bump"....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ds-17.html

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

Wind Chime wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:fyi- better to bump a few times soft, rather than bump one time too hard and break something.
That ladder post and bracket on the factory steel-X trailers isn't as strong as one might expect.

And if you hit it too hard, the CB may drop just enough that you can't get it back up 'cause it's stuck behind the middle bunk. Not that I'd know anything about that.

Hey TomFoolery: I would know nothing about that either ... or about the boat getting so stuck on the trailer as a result - that one might have to unhook the trailer from the tow vehicle and float the trailer while still attached to the boat trying to get the keel unstuck from the trailer, then after the keel gets unstuck and the trailer drops from the floating boat one might have to pull the trailer out of the water with a rope to hook back to the tow vehicle ... Nope, don't know anything about that

How do you fellows tie off the line for the daggerboard ( ), or centerboard ( )? Neither should drop if secured properly. We're these experiences a one time occurrence?

Ray

My problem is remembering to pull it all the way up in the first place. Usually leave a bit down for maneuvering. Almost always remember to haul it up before putting it on the trailer. Almost always... I've had to unfasten the safety cable underneath to raise the dagger on the trailer. Fortunately, it didn't hit anything else on the way in.

Wind Chime wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:fyi- better to bump a few times soft, rather than bump one time too hard and break something.
That ladder post and bracket on the factory steel-X trailers isn't as strong as one might expect.

And if you hit it too hard, the CB may drop just enough that you can't get it back up 'cause it's stuck behind the middle bunk. Not that I'd know anything about that.

Hey TomFoolery: I would know nothing about that either ... or about the boat getting so stuck on the trailer as a result - that one might have to unhook the trailer from the tow vehicle and float the trailer while still attached to the boat trying to get the keel unstuck from the trailer, then after the keel gets unstuck and the trailer drops from the floating boat one might have to pull the trailer out of the water with a rope to hook back to the tow vehicle ... Nope, don't know anything about that

NiceAft wrote:How do you fellows tie off the line for the daggerboard ( ), or centerboard ( )? Neither should drop if secured properly. We're these experiences a one time occurrence?

Yeah, it was a one-time thing. I didn't pull the CB all the way up, and because it swings, I didn't even notice. Until I was looking under the boat in the driveway and noticed the CB down a bit.

I like Sumner's solution the best so far.

My Mac simply WON'T move once it's on the trailer. No amount of mac bumping will get the boat to slide forward and get snug in the rubber V. Full braking with tires skidding, nothing. I think it's the friction between the anti-fouling paint and the bunks that just holds it in place.

I thought about trying to lube up the bunks to get the bump to work but I actually like that my boat sticks to the trailer. When hauling out up a steep ramp, it's not the canvas strap that's pulling my boat out, it's the friction between the bunks and the bottom of the boat that's doing the work.

I have towed thousands of KM with the bow about 6" back from the V. I've had a tire blowout on a single axle trailer, plenty of emergency braking, and sudden lane changes but the boat has never moved. I used to worry about it, but not any more. However, if your boat will slide on the bunks, the bump plus a short length of chain from the trailer to the bow-ring would be a good idea.

My boat wouldn't budge either, due to the roughness of the bottom paint. I scraped the paint off in the area of the bunks and 18" forward from each bunk. I keep a bottle of Dawn dish soap in the truck and squirt some on each bunk before hauling out. Now it slides forward with a relatively nonviolent slamming of the brakes!

That could be part of it - I just had my bottom paint sanded off. My bottom is silky smooth

An adjustable bow cradle is a great idea also.