New new owner. 86 25'. Need a few opinions from all you long time Macgregor sailors. My Farr three Quater tonner was strung tight. Ever time I see the shrouds go limp it drives me crazy. How about turn buckels? Weather helm. Before I go mucking about with the rudder.How about the after market rudders. any recomendations. Main sheet tralver. Has anyone moved it to the cockpit. Good idea?, or out of my mind, it's not worth doing. A great boat for my sailing area.Thanks for any thouthfull ideas.
Das boat
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weather Helm
is the only one of your questions I feel qualified to respond to. Much has been made about after market rudders as a solution for weather helm. They address the symptom, not the problem. A larger control surface will give you more control, but as it is still trying to overcome weather helm by "oversteering" it slows the boat. A better solution is to rake your mast forward moving the center of effort forward. You can also try raising the the keel a bit to move the boats center of lateral resistance aft. I was able to achieve a reasonable helm balance by raking the mast about 4".
is the only one of your questions I feel qualified to respond to. Much has been made about after market rudders as a solution for weather helm. They address the symptom, not the problem. A larger control surface will give you more control, but as it is still trying to overcome weather helm by "oversteering" it slows the boat. A better solution is to rake your mast forward moving the center of effort forward. You can also try raising the the keel a bit to move the boats center of lateral resistance aft. I was able to achieve a reasonable helm balance by raking the mast about 4".
boat
The Ida Sailor rudders are recommended. My helm got a lot more responsive after I added it. idasailor.com. I've added a mainsheet traveler in the middle (actually a little aft of middle) of the cockipt in my 21. I thought it was a very worthwhile upgrade. Actually I never sailed the boat before I added the traveler, so I can't really compare before/after, but I know I have tons of control over the shape of the main, whereas with stock you have about none. I've written a little about my experiences, so if you want to check it out go here and be sure to visit the two links at the bottom of the entry: http://www.mnagy.net/mac21/index.php?categoryid=2&p2_articleid=3
The Ida Sailor rudders are recommended. My helm got a lot more responsive after I added it. idasailor.com. I've added a mainsheet traveler in the middle (actually a little aft of middle) of the cockipt in my 21. I thought it was a very worthwhile upgrade. Actually I never sailed the boat before I added the traveler, so I can't really compare before/after, but I know I have tons of control over the shape of the main, whereas with stock you have about none. I've written a little about my experiences, so if you want to check it out go here and be sure to visit the two links at the bottom of the entry: http://www.mnagy.net/mac21/index.php?categoryid=2&p2_articleid=3
KISS
Bob's got the helm part right. As far as the traveler goes. 1 It's an expensive deal to attack a simple problem on these small boats. 2 They are in the way on these small boats. A boom vang will give you more controll for shaping the sail. All the way out, when you are running or on a broad reach, a traveler won't. A boom vang doesn't get in the way in the cockpit. And a boom vang is much cheaper too.
Bob's got the helm part right. As far as the traveler goes. 1 It's an expensive deal to attack a simple problem on these small boats. 2 They are in the way on these small boats. A boom vang will give you more controll for shaping the sail. All the way out, when you are running or on a broad reach, a traveler won't. A boom vang doesn't get in the way in the cockpit. And a boom vang is much cheaper too.
vang
Boom vangs do nothing for you when sailing upwind that the main sheet isn't already doing (pulling down on the boom). When sailing upwind, the sheet sets curvature/twist of the sail and traveler sets angle of attack. Every sailing school or book will tell you this. You are correct about sailing off the wind, however. A traveler will do no good; you must have a vang. Now, if you want to argue that travelers are too difficult or expensive, that's one thing. But don't go around saying that vangs are an alternative for a traveler, because that isn't true. They do totally different things.
Boom vangs do nothing for you when sailing upwind that the main sheet isn't already doing (pulling down on the boom). When sailing upwind, the sheet sets curvature/twist of the sail and traveler sets angle of attack. Every sailing school or book will tell you this. You are correct about sailing off the wind, however. A traveler will do no good; you must have a vang. Now, if you want to argue that travelers are too difficult or expensive, that's one thing. But don't go around saying that vangs are an alternative for a traveler, because that isn't true. They do totally different things.
After Market Rudders
After market rudders also reduce the effect of excessive weather helm by requiring less rudder deflection to counteract the weather helm and by retaining water flow around the rudder to a much greater angles of attack and therefore stalling at much greater angles of attack. Some weather helm is a safety item. Rounding up occurs when your rudder stalls, whether due to weather helm or while heeling or when your rudder partially comes out of the water. Whether you want to buy a new rudder while your old one is still functional is a decision made at least partially by your pocketbook. If your rudder is broken, then the aftermarket rudders really start to look good, since by in large they are cheaper than the OEM, and the original manufacturer may no longer be available or in business. To set your sail on all points of sail requires only what Macgregor gave you. To PROPERLY set your sail, you need a vang, a traveler, an outhaul and probably a cunningham. If you think these items will be in the way, they are probably not for you. However, if you master your boat's handling, and if you learn how to use them, a traveler or vang or outhaul can make your sailing experience much more satisfying and efficient. These extra sail handling devices are not really effective against a bagged out sail. It may sound like the equipment list is long and expensive, but the factory sails that our Macs came from the factory with, were rock bottom quality when they were new. If your sails are from the 70s or 80s, no traveler or vang is gonna do too much for you. Bite the bullet and get some new sails. Then install sail shaping devices to pull the sail outward in all three directions (outhaul, cunningham, traveler/vang) and you will be amazed at how well you can drive your hull through the water. It's worth doing well. As far as boom vangs in use while going to weather, the traveler can be used to move the boom to a position either to power up or depower, and the vang can still be used to keep the sail flat while doing so... John S Boise
After market rudders also reduce the effect of excessive weather helm by requiring less rudder deflection to counteract the weather helm and by retaining water flow around the rudder to a much greater angles of attack and therefore stalling at much greater angles of attack. Some weather helm is a safety item. Rounding up occurs when your rudder stalls, whether due to weather helm or while heeling or when your rudder partially comes out of the water. Whether you want to buy a new rudder while your old one is still functional is a decision made at least partially by your pocketbook. If your rudder is broken, then the aftermarket rudders really start to look good, since by in large they are cheaper than the OEM, and the original manufacturer may no longer be available or in business. To set your sail on all points of sail requires only what Macgregor gave you. To PROPERLY set your sail, you need a vang, a traveler, an outhaul and probably a cunningham. If you think these items will be in the way, they are probably not for you. However, if you master your boat's handling, and if you learn how to use them, a traveler or vang or outhaul can make your sailing experience much more satisfying and efficient. These extra sail handling devices are not really effective against a bagged out sail. It may sound like the equipment list is long and expensive, but the factory sails that our Macs came from the factory with, were rock bottom quality when they were new. If your sails are from the 70s or 80s, no traveler or vang is gonna do too much for you. Bite the bullet and get some new sails. Then install sail shaping devices to pull the sail outward in all three directions (outhaul, cunningham, traveler/vang) and you will be amazed at how well you can drive your hull through the water. It's worth doing well. As far as boom vangs in use while going to weather, the traveler can be used to move the boom to a position either to power up or depower, and the vang can still be used to keep the sail flat while doing so... John S Boise
how about a boom brake
Does anyone have any experience with a boom brak?. After talking with a company specializing in rigging out of Mass. they said it could help with sail shape like a vang as well as slowing or even stopping the boom when jibing.
Does anyone have any experience with a boom brak?. After talking with a company specializing in rigging out of Mass. they said it could help with sail shape like a vang as well as slowing or even stopping the boom when jibing.
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