1992 Macgregor 26s: sails and motor questions

[Russ Ward]

All,

I recently purchased a Macgregor 26S and have a load of questions, but will stick with a few today. The bottom of the boat has about 1/4inch of build up as it has been sitting in the water for 2-3 years without a cleaning.

1. I have a Tohatsu 8hp 4 stroke that is about 4 years old and the PO claims about 20 hours at half throttle. The motor has not sounded like it was at high RPMs when I have been out, but has been running about 5.2 knots. I put a tach on it yesterday and found that at WOT I hit 4,300 RPMs, but the manual says that it should be around 5-6,000 for WOT. I assume this means the prop is to pitched for this boat. Is this correct?

2. The boat came with a jib, with a tear in it, a main and a 135 genoa. The age of the sails is not known to me, but they are at least 7 years old. The PO did not ever use the genoa, but did the jib and the main. How can I tell if I need to replace the sails? Sadly we do not have any sail makers around here, so I can ask them. I am attaching a picture of the main sail from yesterday.

Thanks for the advice in the forums and in advance for the responses.

-Russ

 

[walt]

Your speed at full throttle is on the low side but I wonder if that is partly because of the crud on the bottom from not being cleaned for 2 to 3 years (yikes!!!!). I would clean the bottom and then measure the peak speed and RPM again, that would be a better base line before you decide you need to mess with the prop. Your sailing speeds will also likely be on the low side from the bottom crud. Curious, how did you measure RPM?

I dont think your main looks all that bad but I think that is what came original on these boats so its been around for a while.

 

[Russ Ward]

Walt, Thank you for the response and the wife loves your response on the sail. What do you think the speed should be with an 8hp?

As for the RPMs, I used a cheap digital tach that I have used before and found to be fairly accurate. It is the kind you wrap around a spark plug wire.

I plan to pull the boat out in a couple weeks and pressure wash the bottom to remove the bottom crud, but will probably end up pealing some bottom paint that will need repairs as well.

-Russ

 

[Justin_NSA]

I agree with all that Walt said. The main does look original - just like my '92 did. I always used the genoa, but I added a CDI furler. You could send the jib off to someone like SailCare to have it repaired and cleaned.
A clean bottom will make a huge difference, but after sitting that long watch for blisters. And clean out the notch for the swing keel.

 

[Russ Ward]

Justin,

Thanks. I pulled the boat out to look at the bottom about 1.5 months ago before buying the boat and was very shocked to not find blisters. I will make sure to clean out the notch for the swing keel.

For the head sail, I have both a jib that I have already repaired as it was damaged when bought and a 135 genoa, but I have only used the jib so far. Would love to invest in a furler in the not too distant future.

-Russ

 

[walt]

Thank you for the response and the wife loves your response on the sail. What do you think the speed should be with an 8hp?

The main sail might be down on the list of things that need to be replaced and you can have a lot of fun with what you have.. But you will also notice an improvement and enjoy a new set of sails in the future. FYI, if you dont have a traveler, you will also really benefit from a vang (I noticed you dont have a vang). If the boat has a traveler, vang not so important. I would rather have a traveler over a vang but now use them both.

I think you should be able to get up near or even a little over 6 knots with that 8 hp even if the prop isnt ideal. I get up to around 6.4 knots with a Nissan 9.8 four stroke and the prop Im using has a little too high of pitch (which Im OK with as its less noisy in normal use). I would find it interesting to see how much improvement you got in speed and RPM just from cleaning the bottom.

Hunstville AL.. spent one week out of six there for a couple years but that was 20 years ago. Good memories.. I wonder if the infamous Kings Inn is still around LOL.

 

[Russ Ward]

Walt, Thanks again. I do have a vang, but had it removed in the picture due to the poptop being up. Is it possible to use it with the poptop up, or would I need to switch to a traveler?

Will certainly let you know when I clean the boat, what difference in speed and RPM is.

I think the Kings Inn is still around, but not sure I would stay there.....

 

[Justin_NSA]

You can't use it with the top up but if you have enough line you can loosen it enough to raise the top without having to remove it. We never sailed with the top up. Preferred the extra standing deck space if needed.

 

[walt]

I think the Kings Inn is still around, but not sure I would stay there.....

I didnt want to stay there at the time either.. but it was close to the factory I had to go to (SCI but I think it was sold and renamed). I turned 40 on a business trip there - several guys I was traveling with helped me celebrate at the Kings Inn.. Its about the only birthday from that long ago that I remember where I was at LOL.. (booze must have also been involved..). That was 21 years ago.

Like Justin says, you cant have the pop top up and use the vang. I have a quick connect on the vang to that I can easily remove it for raising the pop top. If Im out for a sail, I prefer the pop top down (and using the vang) but sometimes its real light and nice to have the pop top up. FYI, on some boats, it can be dangerous to sail with the pop top up. However, the Mac classics seem to be "reasonably" safe doing this (at your own risk). Being able to stay dry with the boat heeled way over is part of the water ballast design and Ive never heard of anyone having a problem.. but I would still be careful. I put some pictures of my vang recently in this thread https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/motor-drag-or-lee-helm.186948/

Traveler is a great thing on this boat. It will help with upwind performance (sheet the boom to center) and also extends the wind range before you need to reef. My boat came with a nice "windward sheet" traveler which was probably expensive (PO put it on), If mine busts, I will have to replace it with the same type http://www.harken.com/productcategory.aspx?taxid=1558

 

[Meriachee]

The crud on the bottom could easily be affecting the impeller and it's accuracy. 5.2 isn't that bad overall, you're not likely ever going to see much more than 6, with hull speed being what it is.