New X owner Sail Tuning discussion

[skibuff]

I've had my for a year now. I've only been sailing for 2 years and am still very much new to this. I read all the trade offs of having a motor sailor before buying the boat. Mostly of the lack of ability of the X to point to the wind and the excessive heeling of the X. My first 5 trips out I was rather disappointed in the boat and thought that there was just too much compromise in having a motor sailor. Fast Forward a year more ASA classes and some days on the water with a very intelligent sailing friend. I've discovered that most of the sailing complaints that people have with the Macs is just improperly tuned sails.

With 6-7 mph winds with full main and a 150% genoa sails comfortably points real well. Only hard problem is getting the big front sail to clear the stanchions when tacking. I do allow the jib to backwind when tacking.

With 10-12 mph wind and gusts up to 15 We had full main, furled down to a 100% jib and moved the jib sheets onto inside blocks by the companionway opening. It pointed great heeling stable and comfortable even when getting hit with a lake gust.

I have not sailed in wind over 15 mph.

I have 2 reefing points the factory one way up and the lower one installed by BWY.

How do you guys like to tune your sails? What wind speeds are you reefing and furling your jibs. Center board position? Any other tricks I'm missing?

[sailboatmike]

Im glad your finding out that the X is a pretty good sail boat, the problem is people dont know how to sail them.

The trick is reef when you feel your getting uncomfortable, some like to sail with their windows in the waters, other like to be more upright, whatever floats your boat.

Im personally from the later camp, I prefer to sail more upright as its more efficient (may be something to do with my personality disorder ), some like the windows in the water because its more exciting, as I said whatever floats your boat and works for you

[J7Archer]

I have a 2001 and I also have the 150% Genoa. Like you, I reduce the Genoa to about 100% if the wind is sustained at 12+ When it starts white capping (15 mph) I definitely move the jib sheets to those inner cars. I then let out the jib enough to go past where I will have it deployed and then haul it in. That way the profile is better and the clew is closer to the deck (so less heeling as the leverage is lower).
At 15 I also put the first reef in the main. I find that the main at the first reef and the genoa at 100% makes a perfect balance for wind speeds all around 15 mph.
I have been at 20 -22 once...that was a handful, but stable with the second reef in the main and the jib reduced to where the clew is about at the aft edge of the front hatch. I think a hanked on storm jib would perform a lot better---it is hard to get that 150 to make a decent shape, let alone keep it close to the deck when you furl really small.
On that same day I saw a Catalina type keel boat about 26' also and it got knocked down--mast was parallel to the water, but not in it. He just had too much sail up.

[clandes]

We have a 2011 M and also struggled a lot to sail this boat initially, both of us newbies having just completed the level 1, 2 and 3 basic sailing intro course. It has got better over the last three years and with a lot of reading (this site has been very informative) we now can sail (no comment on efficiency) from our marina to our normal overnight anchor pretty unevenfully. While returning to the marina last Saturday (forecast: increasing from initial 6kts to eventual 13 kts almost directly from where we wanted to go). The forecast didn't scream reef, so with full sails set we had a really good sail close hauled (about 40 deg off) and had good speeds for us (3.5 to 4 kts) while the wind was below 13 kts. About a mile from the marina the wind gusted to and then stayed at 20 kts and backed a bit. Due to a spike of pure laziness, I decided to continue with the full main sail set (due to short distance to the safety of the bay) but instructed the admiral to keep the heading just out of irons - the speed dropped to 1.5 to 2 kts with full main and about 60 to 80% of the 150 Genoa with a hardly any lean. We kept that up for a long time, easing the main sheet when the gusts increased. Closer to the marina we had to bear away to make the safety of the bay and once again I just eased the main sheet to a inefficient (not flapping) setting and we turned to a close reach just fine in gusting 16 to 20 kts. I know that the correct answer is to have turned into wind and reefed early but I wonder if just easing the mainsheet would have been OK if we had to have turned further to a beam reach and beyond. So the question is - is making the sail inefficient in unexpected higher winds an acceptable or workable option?

[Tomfoolery]

So the question is - is making the sail inefficient in unexpected higher winds an acceptable or workable option?

I do it from time to time, and it's acceptable to me, if that helps.

As long as the sail isn't flogging itself to death, you're not harming it. May not be efficient use of the wind, but so what.

Of course, my main is original, so it's a bedsheet, and I don't think there's much I could do to it at this point, but that's another issue altogether.

[Seapup]

Fast Forward a year more ASA classes and some days on the water with a very intelligent sailing friend. I've discovered that most of the sailing complaints that people have with the Macs is just improperly tuned sails.

You are right, most of the reputation is from operator error or ignorance.

How do you guys like to tune your sails? What wind speeds are you reefing and furling your jibs. Center board position? Any other tricks I'm missing?

specific tricks I liked:

Try using your vang as a second mainsheet. Midboom sheeting a dual mainsheet setup to each combing is almost as good as a traveler, much better tuning of the main.

Since you have two reefs try that first reef when pointing, chances are there is some stretch in your main and it will be more efficient reefed than full with minimal area loss.

Buy a jib. Bwy has one for $100 right now, new they are about $400, it is different than a reefed genoa.