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- Thread starter Eberline
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[QUOTE="tjar, post: 1383191, member: using either the Mac bump method or winching it forward after draining the ballast (my preferred method).[/QUOTE]
Can you say more about these methods?
What is getting bumped with what?
We're do you connect the lines and how do you run them for winching?
Forgot to mention that I'm headed to Higgins Lake, MI next week.
Can you say more about these methods?
What is getting bumped with what?
We're do you connect the lines and how do you run them for winching?
Forgot to mention that I'm headed to Higgins Lake, MI next week.
When you pull the boat out of the water, it will settle onto the trailer and pull the bow away from the bow stopper. Because the trailers are marginal at best, you need to ensure the weight is as far forward as possible to avoid fish tailing when going down the highway.
The two methods that mentioned are 1. After draining the water from the ballast tank and just before driving off, drive forward quickly for a short distance and slam on the brakes. This should cause the boat to slide forward on the trailer so you can cinch it down before driving off. I tried this a couple of times, but wasn't comfortable doing it.
2. The other method is just before driving off, attach the winch cable to the bow eye and crank the boat up to the stops. I then put a ratchet strap around the top of the bow to hold it firm and a larger strap around the cockpit to hold the back end to the trailer.
You need to ensure the bow eye is solidly seated so it doesn't pull out. The Mac has a tendency to leak around the bow eye and the wood behind becomes soft. They only used a block of 2X4 and a couple of washers on the inside to hold it in place.
I cut a hole in the liner at the front of the V-berth to access the bolts and installed oversized washers to hold better. Then, I sealed around the outside with 3M 5200 to keep the water out. I closed the hole that I cut with a 6-inch screw-in deck plate.
The two methods that mentioned are 1. After draining the water from the ballast tank and just before driving off, drive forward quickly for a short distance and slam on the brakes. This should cause the boat to slide forward on the trailer so you can cinch it down before driving off. I tried this a couple of times, but wasn't comfortable doing it.
2. The other method is just before driving off, attach the winch cable to the bow eye and crank the boat up to the stops. I then put a ratchet strap around the top of the bow to hold it firm and a larger strap around the cockpit to hold the back end to the trailer.
You need to ensure the bow eye is solidly seated so it doesn't pull out. The Mac has a tendency to leak around the bow eye and the wood behind becomes soft. They only used a block of 2X4 and a couple of washers on the inside to hold it in place.
I cut a hole in the liner at the front of the V-berth to access the bolts and installed oversized washers to hold better. Then, I sealed around the outside with 3M 5200 to keep the water out. I closed the hole that I cut with a 6-inch screw-in deck plate.
Thanks tjar. I wouldn't be comfortable with the bump method. My bow eye is pretty stought. I stripped out one winch handle. Replaced the entire winch with a larger one and have come close to stripping it. Will have the handle welded on if that happens.
I thought mabe you were running lines back to the boat winches and using that to pull the boat forward or something like that.
I thought mabe you were running lines back to the boat winches and using that to pull the boat forward or something like that.
My boat settles into the bunks on the trailer so much that i can't winch it forward when it is on the bunks. The Mac bump does nothing. The boat simply doesn't slide by itself on the trailer. The best i can do is tighten the winch strap really tight, drive a few minutes, get out and tighten the slack, drive some more, tighten again, etc. After several iterations, it will have finally moved up into the v-block. But it doesn't move easily. The good side is also that it doesn't move easily... 
Cut yourself some slack. I was a catamaran sailor on the 80's. I still have my 16ft cat too. Moving up to a monohull was a big thing for me.
One piece of advice I can give is to buy a pencil and a pad of paper. Go over her with a fine toothed comb, and write down (checklist style) everything that needs to be fixed and modifications you may want to make to the boat and the trailer.
Go to the top of this page to the "Boat Info" tab and give it a click. It'll take you to the Macgregorsailors site where you select your model and see what other owners have done to their Mac's. You can also go to the Macgregor forum on this site and read through "The official "What did you do to your Mac today" thread. It's a treasure trove of information. Somewhere along the line, you'll run across postings by Sumner. I highly recommend following his link to his Mac modifications pages and check them out.
- James
now, can somebody tell me why my font changed.......
You might find that if you are not comfy doing the bump, tighten up the bow strap, when you drive off, and check it in a few blocks, you'll find the boat has moved forward with just the road vibration. Tighten it again and repeat the procedure.