We just purchased a 1994 Hunter 26, upgrading from a 90 Mac 26 - Wow! What a difference in size and trailering. Some of the things I have learned from my first experience. 1.) Whatever time I estimate to rig the boat for launching. retrieving and rigging, multiply by 3. 2.) A 6-cylinder Grand Cherokee is just BARELY adequate for the Maryland portion of I-95. 3.) The Hunter is TWICE the boat of an earlier Mac - Throw the length commonality overboard please. Overall, i was actually very pleased with the boat, except for the following that i am hoping i can get some feedback on: With the Hunter-issued lazy jacks, is there an easier way to raise the mast? We did so with the boom attached and the jacks loosely rigged accordingly: Which appropriately snagged on every bolt, line and right angle on the way up. We have the Tohatsu 8hp engine, i found it to be woefully underpowered, especially when docking. Would upgrading the HP make an appreciable difference?
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Undersized 8 hp Tohatsu
The 9.9 hp is a much better motor for the Hunter 26. A larger motor than the 9.9 is not necessary.
The 9.9 hp is a much better motor for the Hunter 26. A larger motor than the 9.9 is not necessary.
Lazy jacks a lot of work
I find my lazy jacks certainly do get in the way of the mast raising crutch. I've found no way around the problem other than to manually lift that portion of the mast over the "U" portion of the crutch--particularly difficult when raising single handed. But once up, the lazy jacks are nice although it is difficult to see how they can justify charging so much for them; must be just what the market will bear. As to the motor, I have the Tohatsu 8 hp as well. It seems to do the job except when going upwind in high waves...that's when I find it underpowerd. The brackets for the cables are poorly welded and I've had to reattach the broken welds by using small radiator bands. If I had it to do over again I'd get the larger Honda.
I find my lazy jacks certainly do get in the way of the mast raising crutch. I've found no way around the problem other than to manually lift that portion of the mast over the "U" portion of the crutch--particularly difficult when raising single handed. But once up, the lazy jacks are nice although it is difficult to see how they can justify charging so much for them; must be just what the market will bear. As to the motor, I have the Tohatsu 8 hp as well. It seems to do the job except when going upwind in high waves...that's when I find it underpowerd. The brackets for the cables are poorly welded and I've had to reattach the broken welds by using small radiator bands. If I had it to do over again I'd get the larger Honda.
Finesse, Not Force
Welcome to the ranks of recovering MacGregor motorsailors! We traded up from a Mac 19 (with 40 hp) to a '94 26 (with 8 Seahorses) and felt like we were backing up when motoring for the first few months because of the huge weight/power ratio difference. (Then we realized we were not backing up because backing up is when the stern "walks" uncontrollably to port. . .) I have not tried a 9.9 HP, and I have not experimented with special props of exotic fuels, but I have come to appreciate my little Tohatsu. At about 80% of throttle, it will drive the 26 (generally) forward at hull speed all day long for 1 gallon an hour. I used to burn 6 gallons in 90 minutes with the Big Motor on the Little Mac. I also cannot testify about great adverse winds because, considering our freeboard and capsize screen, I'm always tied to something solid when the big wind blows. We're sailing, remember, so going slowly with great style is part of the equation. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy your 6 knots. And, as part of the bargain for no extra charge, you can amuse and entertain your marina-mates whenever you try to back in! Rusty Fitzgerald S/V Solace
Welcome to the ranks of recovering MacGregor motorsailors! We traded up from a Mac 19 (with 40 hp) to a '94 26 (with 8 Seahorses) and felt like we were backing up when motoring for the first few months because of the huge weight/power ratio difference. (Then we realized we were not backing up because backing up is when the stern "walks" uncontrollably to port. . .) I have not tried a 9.9 HP, and I have not experimented with special props of exotic fuels, but I have come to appreciate my little Tohatsu. At about 80% of throttle, it will drive the 26 (generally) forward at hull speed all day long for 1 gallon an hour. I used to burn 6 gallons in 90 minutes with the Big Motor on the Little Mac. I also cannot testify about great adverse winds because, considering our freeboard and capsize screen, I'm always tied to something solid when the big wind blows. We're sailing, remember, so going slowly with great style is part of the equation. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy your 6 knots. And, as part of the bargain for no extra charge, you can amuse and entertain your marina-mates whenever you try to back in! Rusty Fitzgerald S/V Solace
boom on?
Dear Pat; If you read your owners manual you are not to have the boom attached during the mast raising nior during lowering proceedures. As for the lazy jacks, what I normally do is after the boom has been stored below, I take the line on the jacks and tie them under the goose-neck fitting on the mast which gets them out of the way and, makes them easy to reattach once the boom is fixed to the mast I simply loosen the line and slip it back to the clip on th boom and just need to attach the line to the bitter end and then the running end through the cleat and Voila! it took longer for me to describe the proceedure than it did to do it! I have owned my H-26 since new in '94 and it takes my wife and myself 25 min from stop to water to rig the boat! practice, practice, practice! Good Luck and welcome to the Hunter family.
Dear Pat; If you read your owners manual you are not to have the boom attached during the mast raising nior during lowering proceedures. As for the lazy jacks, what I normally do is after the boom has been stored below, I take the line on the jacks and tie them under the goose-neck fitting on the mast which gets them out of the way and, makes them easy to reattach once the boom is fixed to the mast I simply loosen the line and slip it back to the clip on th boom and just need to attach the line to the bitter end and then the running end through the cleat and Voila! it took longer for me to describe the proceedure than it did to do it! I have owned my H-26 since new in '94 and it takes my wife and myself 25 min from stop to water to rig the boat! practice, practice, practice! Good Luck and welcome to the Hunter family.
Todd is right
I agree with Todd, with one minor comment. Todd sells Hunter's for a living so he has the opportunity to practice, practice, practice. the rest of us take about 45 minutes to set up our H26. Gotcha Todd!
I agree with Todd, with one minor comment. Todd sells Hunter's for a living so he has the opportunity to practice, practice, practice. the rest of us take about 45 minutes to set up our H26. Gotcha Todd!
Many Thanks!
Jerry,Todd, Rusty, Rick, Greg and Doug (and anyone else responding back to my question: Really appreciate all of your input. My wife and I were a little daunted/discouraged by the our first step/unstep event. It took me 5 hours and a sustained barrage of cussin to unstep the mast (in the rain in 50 degree weather no less). Our Mac 26 had no roller furling, no lazy jacks and an aluminum bat for a mast so this was a little more complex. We did review the manual. I removed the boom to unstep the mast. However, it did not mention anything about the lazy jacks during the raising procedures. Hmm...now i'm paranoid and will have to re-re-re-review the procedure before I practice-practice-practice getting down to 45 minutes, 25 if i choose to become a Hunter dealer... Thanks Again, Pat Manuel s/v Carpe Corona 2.0
Jerry,Todd, Rusty, Rick, Greg and Doug (and anyone else responding back to my question: Really appreciate all of your input. My wife and I were a little daunted/discouraged by the our first step/unstep event. It took me 5 hours and a sustained barrage of cussin to unstep the mast (in the rain in 50 degree weather no less). Our Mac 26 had no roller furling, no lazy jacks and an aluminum bat for a mast so this was a little more complex. We did review the manual. I removed the boom to unstep the mast. However, it did not mention anything about the lazy jacks during the raising procedures. Hmm...now i'm paranoid and will have to re-re-re-review the procedure before I practice-practice-practice getting down to 45 minutes, 25 if i choose to become a Hunter dealer... Thanks Again, Pat Manuel s/v Carpe Corona 2.0
Lazy Jacks were owner installed
Pat, The owners manual won't mention the lazy jacks because they weren't an option. If you have them, they were either dealer or owner installed. I have found that with anything I've added, it has added to the rigging time. CDI Roller furling takes a lot longer to hook up and properly adjust then the orinal headstay. Add an antenna, add time to screw it on. Lazy Jacks, are a pain. I have the Harken version. I hook the mast up and run the upper wires through the crutch on each side of the mast. Then I thread the line form the boom through the blocks and back to the cleat. I start to raise the mast, and when the boom is on the verge of lifting, I attach it to the goos neck and the outhaul. This ssems to work the best. All in all, it takes us 1-1/2 to 2 hours to rig the boat, and much of that is because I take my time and am very meticulous about avoiding mistakes. Getting in a hurry and forgetting something can be a big hassle, with the potential to break something or hurt some body. If I only trailered my boat and didn't keep it in a marina, I would avoid the furler and lazy jacks, as they are a two things that really add time to the job. Mike Pajewski H26 "Loon"
Pat, The owners manual won't mention the lazy jacks because they weren't an option. If you have them, they were either dealer or owner installed. I have found that with anything I've added, it has added to the rigging time. CDI Roller furling takes a lot longer to hook up and properly adjust then the orinal headstay. Add an antenna, add time to screw it on. Lazy Jacks, are a pain. I have the Harken version. I hook the mast up and run the upper wires through the crutch on each side of the mast. Then I thread the line form the boom through the blocks and back to the cleat. I start to raise the mast, and when the boom is on the verge of lifting, I attach it to the goos neck and the outhaul. This ssems to work the best. All in all, it takes us 1-1/2 to 2 hours to rig the boat, and much of that is because I take my time and am very meticulous about avoiding mistakes. Getting in a hurry and forgetting something can be a big hassle, with the potential to break something or hurt some body. If I only trailered my boat and didn't keep it in a marina, I would avoid the furler and lazy jacks, as they are a two things that really add time to the job. Mike Pajewski H26 "Loon"
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