Can you "ground" a Mac 26S at low tide OK?

[SeacretSailor]

Got another one for y'all:Buying a 26S in 2 weeks and in Maine we have 8 ft tides. At low tide, I see plenty of motorboats & sailboats "grounded" at their anchor/moorings. This allows their owners to keep them moored near to shore, not in the deeper channels and of course they raise all motors and the sailboats have no keels.My question to the Mac 26S community is:Can this boat (since it has no swing keel or fixed keel) be moored in shallow waters and allowed to rest on the smooth muddy tidal flats at low tide? Say, for 2-3 months only a year? Has anyone does this? Would I be forced to moor her in the deeper channel?It sure would make things easier, i.e. have the boat near to shore.Thanks for all the GREAT towing/axle advice,Kevin B.

 

[Stan Breaux21640]

It does have a swing keel (or centerboard)

I haven't done this with mine... Birmingham's tidal range is fairly low But I bet it would be okay.You would just need to be sure the centerboard was fully retracted before you left the boat so it wouldn't get caught at a bad angle.

 

[Justin_NSA]

interesting

It's interesting to read about all of the various environments Mac sailors sail in. I just cruise around in a big windy reservoir. My only concern is the slip/cove depth. Fortunately these Macs are shallow draft!Sounds like it's possible. My question is; do you leave the water ballast in or not? Too much weight on the hull? Also, probably not if it's going to freeze.

 

[Ed]

Sure

Kevin-I used to have one of these. It should be OK, but you need to keep your eye on a few things. Is the bottom flat or mud, and not rocks? Other obstructions? I would watch her the first time or so, just to make sure everything is OK. If there is a problem, just anchor deeper next time. Like already said, motor and keel up. Also, you might experiment with the ballast. The mud might block the ballast drain. I think it would be OK full.

 

[SeacretSailor]

Emptying the ballast while in water?

As I mentioned, I'm a new Mac 26S owner (pick her up in 2 weeks) so here's a dumb question. I'm starting to feel a little comfortable with letting here "ground" on the soft smooth mud in Kennebunkport during the low tides, close to shore where I can keep an eye on her, but emptying the ballast seems like a good idea. It would keep her lighter while on the mud for those 4 hours, until high tide.Dumb question: Can you empty the Mac 26S water ballast while in the water to anchor her?Kevin

 

[Stan Breaux21640]

Not very easily

Some people have discussed using a 12V mattress inflator to blow the ballast out, but I have to say that seems like it would be difficult to do. (Would be difficult to get a good seal for the blower, and woudl also take a long time, I would think.) It would also be a pretty big drain on your bateries, I woudl think.Still, though, I guess it could be done, but it might not be worth the trouble.I've never used a mooring, before, but it seems like that's not going to be the most convenient set-up. Would it be possible to keep your boat on its trailer at the marina?

 

[Ed]

Not a dumb question

There are no dumb questions. Only dumb answers. With my 26d, I usually emptied the ballast as I was pulling up the trailer. But you can do it easily with a rechargeable air bed pump. Takes about 5 minutes. A roll of plastic tape can be wrapped around the nozzle to get just the right fit. Be sure and close the drain when you finish, as well as refill before you sail again. If a big storm is coming, it might be good to have it full.

 

[richard]

did it by accident

When tied up to shore on the back side of crooked island...we took a long walk and the boat was parked in shallow water that extended a good bit out. End result, we came back to a boat on dry land with the mast leaning a good bit. Missed the next leg of our trip, but we set up a nice tent on the island and stayed an extra day, no damage to the boat (94 26s).Richard

 

[SeacretSailor]

Rig a canvas...

If I decide to let my 26S settle on the muddy tidal flats in Kennebunkport during low tides (2x/day, every 12 hours) I might rig a canvas skirt (say 5' wide x 15' long) that could run underneath the keel and protect the centerboard and ballast openings.