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I am looking at buying a MAC 26 just not sure if it will be a C, X, or M yet?

I have noticed some come with a 9HP all the way up to a 90HP. I recently had the opportunity to take an X out on the lake that has a 50HP outboard. It struggled to get to 8 knots with the swing keel almost up and the water ballast still full. (it is my understanding that the boat becomes unstable if you try and lighten its load by emptying the ballasts). This particular boat was most comfortable at about 6.5 knots.

My questions is, would the 90HP add a lot more Knots to the speed or because of the design of the boat, is 8 about max with full ballasts?

For starters, the boat is very stable when powering with no ballast and all boards fully up. Operation above 6 kts requires the CB and both rudders to be full up, and all persons in the cockpit or below decks, NOT on the cabin roof. Mine will do about 14 kts (16 mph) with no ballast and three full-sized men on board, and that's with bottom paint (not very slick) and a 50 hp Honda 4-stroke (BF50). It will handle like a power boat in that configuration, because it basically is a power boat once the bow comes up.

A 90 hp should give you a lot more speed, mostly because at 8 kts you're barely above hull speed, and that's an inefficient speed to run at. A 90 should get you past that point. Slowing down to below hull speed (like 6 kts) takes half engine speed or less, and is very efficient. You're essentially a displacement hull, running at less than hull speed, like a 'normal' sailboat or a trawler.

Oh, and I pull a wakeboarder with mine, at full throttle, with no ballast. 200 pounds worth (youngest son), plus a spotter and me in the cockpit. The boat does just fine, including really tight turns at speed, mostly to turn around to pick him up or get the tow rope back to him.

The boat does best when half of it is out of the water. It all depends on what kind of seas your in.

In this video the boat is in normal Pacific Ocean chop - which is always pretty light with a small 1 to 2 foot swell at VERY long intervals - this is the A typical Pacific Sea conditions and is what the boat was designed to travel in. The ballast tank is full to make the chop a little more comfortable and the speed is about 17.5 knots - that is WOT top speed for the ETEC60 with full ballast and three people on board.

(PLEASE forgive the goofiness of the video - these are family videos that I use to entertain my daughter and she likes them the goofier the better):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQbtQyXGPew

Here in this video - same boat, same motor, but with the ballast empty - the sea was so calm that day that I really did not need any ballast to diminish the chop bumps - it was so smooth you could set your beer can on top of a winch and it would not tip over. So here the boat is going 18.5 knots, there are only two people on board and the ballast is empty so shedding that weight gained a full knot:

https://vimeo.com/227749454

The only real difference I notice going with ballast is there is more spray and the wind has less effect on the helm. (And of course, one knot slower).
I don't think it's a big deal to run the boat with no ballast under power, but I would not do it if you were new to the boat. Get yourself well acquainted with the boat before you push it's limits.
At 90 HP I suppose you would go a lot faster??

Darrin Stubbs wrote:I am looking at buying a MAC 26 just not sure if it will be a C, X, or M yet?

I have noticed some come with a 9HP all the way up to a 90HP. I recently had the opportunity to take an X out on the lake that has a 50HP outboard. It struggled to get to 8 knots with the swing keel almost up and the water ballast still full. (it is my understanding that the boat becomes unstable if you try and lighten its load by emptying the ballasts). This particular boat was most comfortable at about 6.5 knots.

My questions is, would the 90HP add a lot more Knots to the speed or because of the design of the boat, is 8 about max with full ballasts?

What boat depends on what you want to do with it, the X and the M are close to same and it depends what water you sail, if it has lots of shoals the X would maybe be better with its swing keel, most just decide what cabin layout they like most or should I say which cabin layout the she who must be obeyed likes best.

The C is more of a traditional style sail boat withouting stand headroom, some say it sails better than the X or M which it may do, I have never been on one, but you do compromise headroom and the ability to go fast under motor.

As for the X only doing 8 knts under motor, are you sure it was a 50Hp not a 5Hp, my X is just above idle at 6knts with full tanks and boards down, yes I have a 75Hp but until you try and dig out of the hole it take very little power to move along, I can do 14 knts just above 1/2 throttle ballast in.

I think that may of been a VERY sick 50Hp, that being given I think the 60Hp is a better size, 50 just struggles a bit getting up when the boat is loaded

No one has addressed the elephant issue in the room.

Was it a blue hull or a white hull?

dlandersson wrote:No one has addressed the elephant issue in the room.

Was it a blue hull or a white hull?

Those damn elephants always hanging around

If the bottom of the boat has a lot of growth and barnacles it will also make the boat very slow.