mainsheet and rudder

[Hugues]

I bought a 1983 25Ft Mac 2 month ago and have some questions without answer.How the mainsheet is running ?? I hooked 1 double pulley on the end off the boom and the other where the backstay is attached on the boat, but when i see picture on this site it looks like it is wrongI can not figure out how to lock my rudder down, with the "rope" attached on the rudder cleat, when the boat take speed the tension is so great and due to the elasticity off the rope the rudder swivelThanks for any help, sorry for the poor vocabulary, english is not my first language but sailing, i just start, my first hobby

 

[Steve]

Main sheet setup

Here's a web site that may answer your main sheet question.

 

[Steve]

Rudder rigging

Here's a rudder pic.

 

[jcherubini]

No traveller????

Wha-a-a-a-a-a-T? No traveller?I saw the pics and it looks like people have a block at each aft corner of the cockpit. This is VERY old-school and LOW-perf.Install a traveller and be able to suck the end of the boom DOWN from where it needs to be gripped most. The traveller can be installed across the front end of the cockpit, across the middle if you don't care about loosing open space, or across the top of the transom if the tiller comes through underneath that somehow. When rigged right, beam-reach and close-hauled performance and comfort go up obviously.On a light boat like a MacGregor/ Venture the primary advantage is being able to get a tight flat mainsail which enables much greater speed and better boat trim. Remember your goal is to sail the boat as flat as possible. I know all 'techies's will want to argue this but in my day ('70s) everyone accepted that MacGregor Ventures would plane or surf at speeds well over the theoretical hull speed. Get a hiking stick and hang on!!!J Cherubini IICherubini Art & Nautical Design Org.

 

[Rich Wallace]

More thoughts

The factory mainsheet setup was the double pully on the stern end of the boom, with the sheet tied on the port side, then traveling from the port side over the top pully, down to a pully on the starboard side, back over the lower pully at the end of the boom, and to a clam cleat back on the starboard side. It works but you have very little control over the downforce on the boom except when it is virtually centered on the hull. A proper traveler along the transome, above the tiller, would be a great addition to the boat.As far as the rudder is concerned, the only solution I have ever been able to make work is to put the two bolts through the rudder so you are not depending upon the rope to do anything. If you have the holes in the rudder that are egged out, drill them out until they are round and to a recognized size, then go and get a HARDWOOD dowl from the lumber yard that is that size, coat it in some epoxy resin, drive it into the hole and then coat the ends with the epoxy as well. When it has dried, put the rudder in place and redrill the holes. Do not buy a soft pine dowl as you will end up just redrilling the hole and starting over. It has to be a hardwood. (Years ago I used oak dowls and the holes are still holding up) the other good thing is that you can repeat the process from time to time if you find that you have used the rudder as a portable depth sounder. Good luck.