How to rig the rudder on a 26S

C

CEOmike

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Jul 21, 2009
48
2 26s Point du chene
Its amazing how we all come to just about the same thing. Just a couple of things, If you use the down haul make sure the release cleat will work or the rope break on tension (fully down there is not much pull.) I have used two lines - one kept lose and one to haul. I now use a sear pin, with a lose down haul. If you break the rope or pin you CAN NOT sail the boat with the rudder free, it will bend the rudder pole.
 
Sumner

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
CEOmike said:
..... If you break the rope or pin you CAN NOT sail the boat with the rudder free, it will bend the rudder pole.
Click to expand
That is a nice feature of the quick release. If the rudder kicks up you just pull it back down and put the line back on the quick release and you have full rudder control restored in seconds. They are not a big dollar item and I don't think I've ever heard of someone removing one once installed. A good upgrade for the S,

Sumner
==============================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
 
R

Russ Ward

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Sep 5, 2017
29
Macgregor 26S TN River
I recently ordered a clam cleat and a rudder cable assembly. I see lots of pictures of how to route the cable and attach the clam cleat, but not how to attach the rudder cable assembly to the rudder. Does anyone have a picture of the attachment point?

Thanks. My boat is about an hour away.

-Russ
 
Sumner

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
R

Russ Ward

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Sep 5, 2017
29
Macgregor 26S TN River
Thank you Sumner. I did not see those pictures on your pages earlier. My rudder does have a hole there, but it has something other than a standard bolt in it, that I suspect attached to the old cable before the previous owner removed it.

-Russ
 
walt

walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,532
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
I drilled a hole in my plastic rudder and put a pulley there which gives 2:1 leverage for the hold down.

I was warned that that hole was going to weaken the rudder and that was about ten years ago and I dont even know how many hours of sailing.. and sometimes doing something dumb and abusing things.. Rudder is still working just fine.

Hope I didnt just jink myself LOL..
 

Attachments

Sumner

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
B

BILLNPR

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Mar 9, 2009
84
Macgregor 26S New Port Richey, Fl
Vizwiz,
Do you use the Uni-Arch for your mast cruch when transporting with the mast down?
The arch appears to go from one side of the stern to the other. Can you easly board from the swim latter with out a lot of ducking?
 
R

Russ Ward

.
Sep 5, 2017
29
Macgregor 26S TN River
Sumner,

Thanks for the pictures. I installed the cable and clam cleat this weekend. Sadly the cable I had bought had loops installed on each end, so I had to cut the cable to route through the tiller tube. I then had to use cable clamps to make a new loop. I'm hoping to find someone near me with a proper crimper to redo the loop.

Now I just need to spend some time tuning the clam cleat to the proper tension.

-Russ
 
vizwhiz

vizwhiz

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Aug 7, 2011
496
MacGregor 26S Lakeland, FL
BILLNPR said:
Vizwiz,
Do you use the Uni-Arch for your mast cruch when transporting with the mast down?
The arch appears to go from one side of the stern to the other. Can you easly board from the swim latter with out a lot of ducking?
Click to expand
Sorry about the delayed response - been away from the site for a while...
Yes, i use the arch to support the mast. I took the mast crutch (which is the factory standard 4’-long stainless pipe with support roller on top) and just dropped it into a fishing rod holder attached to the top beam of the arch. You can see it in the picture above. I leave it on while sailing just because i’m too lazy to slide it up and out and then store it somewhere below. It also gives a reasonable second hand-hold when going up or down the ladder.

The arch does span from one side to the other. And the problem for ducking comes from the bimini, not the arch, since the arch is actually back over the transom and not over the lazarette hatch cover. If you climb up the ladder, leaning forward like normal when climbing a ladder, you usually miss the arch as you stand up. But you hit the bimini. :( So you have to duck under and kinda crawl forward to stay beneath the bimini. When we don’t have the bimini up, and we’ll be climbing the ladder, we extend the support poles and push the bimini up higher/fwd to move it away from the lazarette. Then, when you climb the ladder and stand up, you’re between the arch and the bimini.

I have it mounted to the top of the two sides, which are not the same width, nor is it the same span front and back (since the boat narrows). It took a little lovin’ touchin’ and squeezin’ to make it work, but in the end i was pleased. I would do a few things different today in the mount job, but only small details from experience gained having the boat. I love having the arch.

I also moved my backstay up to the top of the arch, to get it out of the way of the open space beneath the arch (like boarding and fishing and such). I had to shorten it, but used a small Johnson lever I had mistakenly purchased for the forestay, and one of the screw-on cable stay ends, attached to an eye hook screwed into the base of a fishing rod holder. It all just worked out nicely, and i can tension or release the backstay with the lever. (Only one tension setting at a time though.)
 
G

gbrian

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Apr 24, 2016
35
Macgregor 26s TRAILERABLE
Leatherneck said:
my rudder only came with a line attached to the trailing edge, which I use for raising and lowering. Am I missing a line that should be attached to the leading edge for lowering?
Click to expand
Mine has a 1/4" line attached to a lower hole on the front of the rudder, up through the tiller shaft and over the top of the tiller to a cleat on the top of the tiller. Lower the tiller, pull tight on the 1/4 " line and tie it off.
 
MccNeo

MccNeo

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May 11, 2014
55
MacGregor 26S Evans
Several responses mention the additional bolt hole for locking the rudder down. The original design did not use a bolt but pins made from Delrin. They are sat I’ll available and can be purchased in expensively for about $10 for a package of five. They are designed to sheer and allow the rudder to swing up preventing damage if the rudder strikes an object. I cannot recall the precise sheer load they are designed for but it is close to 100 lbs making it an important safety release for the rudder to pore net damage.

I no longer use the Delrin pins. Instead, I use a line with a release cleat as some others describe.
 
altsys1

altsys1

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Oct 3, 2018
8
MacGregor 26s Right now, in my driveway!!
Can anyone tell me the exact (OEM) length of the 'down haul' cable? Thanks!
 
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