The Mac 26 S and D (collectively known as the C for classic) are distinctive for their large mast rake (3 degrees)’ sharply swept shrouds,and the wide side shrouds attached at full width of the beam, to the hull. So they have some idiosyncratic sheeting and sail selection characteristics. The bottom line is that they don’t allow the same range of options and utility when you add a furler, compared to other boats.
A furler on a Mac26C adds a lot of convenience while sail handling, but not as much in terms of versatility. You still need to choose between a jib and a Genoa. It’s “either/or” because there’s no single sail that will do both on a furler for the M26c.
As
@Tedd has said, the 26Cs usually come with a 150 Genoa which sheets to the blocks or tracks on the cockpit coaming, and a 100 jib, which sheet inside the shrouds to blocks or tracks on the cabin top.
The jib sails much closer to the wind because of the narrower sheeting angle, the Genoa doesn’t sail as close to the wind, because the shrouds are set widely and the spreaders are also wide.
The most versatile furling headsail, for most boats, is a 135 Genoa. It’s big enough to provide enough power in light to moderat condition, and still performs very acceptably when reefed down to the same area as a working jib. The 135 is most popular sized furling heads because it’s the only size that works well when reefed to a jib size. Unfortunately, It’s not technically possible to build a 150 Genoa that works well when furled and reefed to the same size as a 100%, for a lot of reasons (which I won’t go into in this post).
while is is possible to make a 135 or so Genoa to fit, ther really isn’t a good way to sheet so it sails closer to the wi d than a 150 it because it has to sheet outside those wide shrouds. I’ve made a few custom 140%-ish Genoa’s for 26Cs for owners who wanted something smaller than a 150 Because they were frequently getting overpowered, but they sill had to be sheeted outside the shrouds and did not point an higher than a 150 Genoa.
When you switch to a furling headsail, the MAC26 150 isn’t going to have a nice shape or go upwind well when it is furled to jib size. The clew will be very high compared to a purpose built jib. The high clew will make the foot too loose and the leech too tight for the sail to perform well.
Furthermore, a non reefing 150 is made of lighter weight cloth for use only in light winds. If you Reef it for use in high winds, you will stretch out the cloth.
Judy B
Retired sailmaker
