Tip of the
day:
My friend Roger Gaefcke, a two time Mac
owner, gave us this one: When rigging the mast on a roller furling Mac, use the dock
line on the fwd cleat-- through the jib tack ring-- down the side of the boat about
2'-- loop for your foot-- step in with one foot-- push-- stick in the forestay pin.
This is so easy and is now my favorite tip for rigging.
Yesterday's tips:
About time! This is the toughest
topic of all. What OB is best for this boat? Opinions from each dealer give
strong points to each OB.
Every motor seen has been very quiet at
lower power, all have some noise at full power! You can't even hear them run
at harbor speeds.
FOUR-STROKES A few strong points
are; Lightest OB is the Honda, heaviest is the Merc big foot. Suzuki has a
free 6 year extended warrenty program at this time. The only fuel-injected one is
the Suzuki ( advantage for fuel economy, starting ease, quiet idle (now they are all
EFI except the carb Honda). Longest time in production is Honda ( most recent design
is Suzuki with Yamaha in between ). Yamaha and Merc share the power unit and each
has a big foot/high thrust lower unit available. The optional lower unit seems to be
better for waterskiing, similar top speed but extra cost and sailing weight. The
disadvantages of this entire group are extra maintenance ( oil and filter changing ),
extra cost and extra weight. We sold more Suzuki than any others up until now.
TWO-STROKES; We have now used the
Evenrude E-Tec for 18 mo. This choice was made as our favorite because: Lowest
cost of owmership. Long service intervals ( you don't have to haul the boat out and
take it to a sevice dealer for oil changes twice per year ) Beast fuel
economy. The large prop pulls the boat better than the rest, same as Big Foot Merc
or Highthrust Yamaha. Higher speed,(most noted when the boat is heavy)
Lightest is the Tohatsu/Nissian.
Two strokes are lower cost with similar top speed and consume more fuel, slight smoke at
idle and they all have a fussier idle than the four-strokes. Lower maintenance cost
and service intervals.
One asked about the use of a diesel OB.
The only ones I know of are very heavy, over 300 lbs and low 27 HP, not enough to
plane the boat. A very bad choice, but if anyone wishes to make this costly
purchase, please let us know the speed obtained.
ALL THE MOTOR OPINIONS ARE PERSONAL.
PLEASE GIVE ME ANY OTHER INFORMATION/ADVICE AND I"LL POST IT HERE WITH YOUR
NAME
Tanks over 9 gal are required by
Coast Guard to be tied down.
The time a person spends sailing is not
deducted from his lifespan
In strong wind, pull the centerboard
back 3" on the C.B. line, mark it. Also, when sailing with main only, pull the
centerboard back 6" on the C.B. line, mark it.
We all know that the side stays should
be tight, but how much. One indication to tighten the lowers is a wrinkle in the mainsail
at the spreaders. This wrinkle will point to the clew of the main. For sure, you
should hear a twang when striking the lowers. For the M boat the mast should be
straight. For the X boat, have about ½ mast thickness bend in the mast, that's
about 2". This should be done with the backstay free.
Maximum speed under power is obtained @
about 5% below engine redline, check the motor manual. Change prop pitch to suit.
At a typical launch ramp, you can dump
over 1000# of water before pulling on the trailer with your car. Just winch up the
sailboat tight to the trailer. It will lift the bow tilting the ballast tank to dump
water. Even a small car can then pull her up the ramp.
Updating regularly.
Check back soon!
 We ship
everywhere in North America. For International Shipments,
please call Sharp Industries at (949) 642-9491.
MacGregor Sailboats
Mike Inmon
949-642-6830
1631 Placentia Ave.
Costa Mesa, California 92627
949-642-6830
sailboat, boat, sailing,
boating, yachts, trailerable, costa mesa, newport beach, marina del rey, california, in
stock, inventory, available, MacGregor Sailboats, sailboats, boating, macgregor 26X and
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