OK, I have been a busy boy with my new toy. This is the final iteration of my low windage bimini top. I replaced my cotton duck top with this naugahyde top. It is waterproof of course and gives some nice shade. I have had enough sun. I am contemplating sewing up a sail from Sailrite. Anyone have any experience with their sail kits? John S
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GREAT JOB....
I like the BIMINI...and I cant imagine how folks can sail in SUMMER SUN without them. I noticed your front MARINE WINDOW. Did you install on both sides, if so, where did you purchase them? Im interested in marine windows for my MAC 26C. By the way, I noticed your ALUMINUM WHEELS...I made the same CHOICE...no rust worry !!
I like the BIMINI...and I cant imagine how folks can sail in SUMMER SUN without them. I noticed your front MARINE WINDOW. Did you install on both sides, if so, where did you purchase them? Im interested in marine windows for my MAC 26C. By the way, I noticed your ALUMINUM WHEELS...I made the same CHOICE...no rust worry !!
Window Source
I got the window on the forward starboard side off of ebay for $25. It was brand new, but it had been installed at the factory. If you look out of your head window, you know that the long piece of plexiglas covers a small 3x5 inch hole. this window opens, and is bigger than the stock opening. Also, you might note that the other windows are larger. On my 87, the windows are flat pieces of plexiglas from the factory. I chose to enlarge the pieces, and to select thicker acrylic with UV protection, and I opened up the window holes while I was at it. Makes for a much better view out of the cabin. I installed two opening portlights in the cockpit well. They increase light and ventilation in the aft berth. John S
I got the window on the forward starboard side off of ebay for $25. It was brand new, but it had been installed at the factory. If you look out of your head window, you know that the long piece of plexiglas covers a small 3x5 inch hole. this window opens, and is bigger than the stock opening. Also, you might note that the other windows are larger. On my 87, the windows are flat pieces of plexiglas from the factory. I chose to enlarge the pieces, and to select thicker acrylic with UV protection, and I opened up the window holes while I was at it. Makes for a much better view out of the cabin. I installed two opening portlights in the cockpit well. They increase light and ventilation in the aft berth. John S
Nice, but....
But.......when you gonna make side curtins, and a dodger? lol! honestly looks great. do you think it repels heat better? and would work in fla? I just installed my bimini last month, and I can see it will wear out in few years. oh yeah, when is the heater going in? idle hands....you know.
But.......when you gonna make side curtins, and a dodger? lol! honestly looks great. do you think it repels heat better? and would work in fla? I just installed my bimini last month, and I can see it will wear out in few years. oh yeah, when is the heater going in? idle hands....you know.
Bimini
The bimini definitely repels a lot of heat and sun. I am already browner than I usually get this year, just from sailing. The side curtains would cause a windage problem or at least factor, and I like the way she points to windward right now. Can't wait to get new sails. Winters in Boise are surprisingly mild, I grew up in San Diego, and I can't take the cold, I don't want to be cold. I find that when I sail in the brisk 30s and 40s deg, I just brew up a big cup of tea. The winds are better here in the winter. Did you happen to see the foul weather gear that Costco sold this year? I got a set which will do me fine, even if it snows while I am out there. We always say here that it has to warm up to snow! Tomorrow, Idasailor and the Southern Idaho Sailing Assoc. are putting on a sailboat drag race at the local lake. I am crewing on Joel Santarone's Balboa 26 (of Idasailor) and there will be lunch and libation after the race. They have assigned the Balboa a 12 minute handicap, we don't leave the start line till after the race starts. Gotta make up some distance with the spinnaker. John S
The bimini definitely repels a lot of heat and sun. I am already browner than I usually get this year, just from sailing. The side curtains would cause a windage problem or at least factor, and I like the way she points to windward right now. Can't wait to get new sails. Winters in Boise are surprisingly mild, I grew up in San Diego, and I can't take the cold, I don't want to be cold. I find that when I sail in the brisk 30s and 40s deg, I just brew up a big cup of tea. The winds are better here in the winter. Did you happen to see the foul weather gear that Costco sold this year? I got a set which will do me fine, even if it snows while I am out there. We always say here that it has to warm up to snow! Tomorrow, Idasailor and the Southern Idaho Sailing Assoc. are putting on a sailboat drag race at the local lake. I am crewing on Joel Santarone's Balboa 26 (of Idasailor) and there will be lunch and libation after the race. They have assigned the Balboa a 12 minute handicap, we don't leave the start line till after the race starts. Gotta make up some distance with the spinnaker. John S
In a heartbeat
John, I trust Sailright explicitly. I was in their loft when it was in Columbia City, Indiana. I bought a couple of kits. One kit was a sail cover and it worked out very well. I also bought the genoa conversion kit from hank on to roller furler. I had to cut the sail to a different fit and sew on the sun cover. Directions and parts were top notch. Would do it again in a minute. They're good people. Steve
John, I trust Sailright explicitly. I was in their loft when it was in Columbia City, Indiana. I bought a couple of kits. One kit was a sail cover and it worked out very well. I also bought the genoa conversion kit from hank on to roller furler. I had to cut the sail to a different fit and sew on the sun cover. Directions and parts were top notch. Would do it again in a minute. They're good people. Steve
just kidding around JohnS!
you've done so many great mods, I had to try and give you a shot. Glad to hear 30's and 40's are not too cold to sail (for you). us Florida boys run for shelter when it gets below 50... but, actually I WAS hoping you'd decide to make a dodger, so I can copy your idea... (after you've done all the hard work, of course) lol. Please keep posting you;re new upgrades, we all benifit from your work! thanx, bill in ft laud.
you've done so many great mods, I had to try and give you a shot. Glad to hear 30's and 40's are not too cold to sail (for you). us Florida boys run for shelter when it gets below 50... but, actually I WAS hoping you'd decide to make a dodger, so I can copy your idea... (after you've done all the hard work, of course) lol. Please keep posting you;re new upgrades, we all benifit from your work! thanx, bill in ft laud.
Bill
Don't worry, I never take offense. When your bimini finally rots away, save it for a pattern and I'll make another One of the reasons I have kind of not pursued the dodger is that the pop top with canvas is kind of like a dodger. Especially after I make a removable piece that links the bimini to the canvas poptop. I crewed on a 26 ft Balboa this weekend, and we were flying a spinnaker in heavy winds (I know, I know), and we had two knockdowns where water was coming into the cockpit. We tore out two grommets on our mainsail. I wonder how my mac would have done. I am buying a used spinnaker for my Mac, I'll fly it from the masthead in lighter airs. It will be a new challenge. Oh by the way, I still have that tiller for sale... John S
Don't worry, I never take offense. When your bimini finally rots away, save it for a pattern and I'll make another One of the reasons I have kind of not pursued the dodger is that the pop top with canvas is kind of like a dodger. Especially after I make a removable piece that links the bimini to the canvas poptop. I crewed on a 26 ft Balboa this weekend, and we were flying a spinnaker in heavy winds (I know, I know), and we had two knockdowns where water was coming into the cockpit. We tore out two grommets on our mainsail. I wonder how my mac would have done. I am buying a used spinnaker for my Mac, I'll fly it from the masthead in lighter airs. It will be a new challenge. Oh by the way, I still have that tiller for sale... John S
OT: balboa 26 ?
Hey John, tell me about the balboa... a guy I'm racing with (dufor 34), just got married and wants a 23-28' boat he can race, but can also weekend on. he WAS looking at j24's, but I doubt his wife will go on that 2x. so, hes looking a c&c 25, catalina 25 - 27's, san juan 23, etc. racing is primary goal, a few wife weekenders would be 2nd goal. our bow man says get a J30, but is out of his price range... any recommendations? (shoal draft is also important) (and if I had not already fixed my tiller, I'd probably buy yours, but I added a skate wheel to lift the tiller over the laz vent, and it works fine. (even if it is back yard engeneering). My next upgrade will be the ida sailor rudder... which one do you recommend? how difficult to drill and install (w/o a drill press) thanks in adv.
Hey John, tell me about the balboa... a guy I'm racing with (dufor 34), just got married and wants a 23-28' boat he can race, but can also weekend on. he WAS looking at j24's, but I doubt his wife will go on that 2x. so, hes looking a c&c 25, catalina 25 - 27's, san juan 23, etc. racing is primary goal, a few wife weekenders would be 2nd goal. our bow man says get a J30, but is out of his price range... any recommendations? (shoal draft is also important) (and if I had not already fixed my tiller, I'd probably buy yours, but I added a skate wheel to lift the tiller over the laz vent, and it works fine. (even if it is back yard engeneering). My next upgrade will be the ida sailor rudder... which one do you recommend? how difficult to drill and install (w/o a drill press) thanks in adv.
Balboa, Rudder
The Balboa 26 is a retractable keel boat. The keel is very heavy and makes the boat very stiff and very seaworthy. It is not a real good light air sailboat like our Mac 26's, but very stable in chop and swells and winds over 10 MPH. It has a lot of room below, an enclosed head, v berth and two other beds in the galley area. Standing headroom. Seat lockers in the cockpit and the rudder goes through the cockpit floor. 4 lower stays and two upper shrouds. Can handle a lot of sail area. Like a lot of older boats, an orphan and not in production. Joel just sold this boat to a gentleman in Colorado. From your description of your friend's search for a boat, I will have to admit a big bias towards the water ballast Mac especially in inland waters. Shoal draft is what this boat is all about. Cost is very reasonable. Windage is kept to a minimum for pointing ability. Light weight towing and fast set up. Room for a full sized queen in the back. And there are a lot of them.... John S
The Balboa 26 is a retractable keel boat. The keel is very heavy and makes the boat very stiff and very seaworthy. It is not a real good light air sailboat like our Mac 26's, but very stable in chop and swells and winds over 10 MPH. It has a lot of room below, an enclosed head, v berth and two other beds in the galley area. Standing headroom. Seat lockers in the cockpit and the rudder goes through the cockpit floor. 4 lower stays and two upper shrouds. Can handle a lot of sail area. Like a lot of older boats, an orphan and not in production. Joel just sold this boat to a gentleman in Colorado. From your description of your friend's search for a boat, I will have to admit a big bias towards the water ballast Mac especially in inland waters. Shoal draft is what this boat is all about. Cost is very reasonable. Windage is kept to a minimum for pointing ability. Light weight towing and fast set up. Room for a full sized queen in the back. And there are a lot of them.... John S
Idasailor Rudder
Whoops, I forgot about the IdaSailor rudder. The best way to get it drilled correctly is to send the rudder head to Idasailor. They'll take care of it. Black and Decker makes a bracket that attaches to all hand drills that allows you to drill a straight hole. Drilling the HDPE is very easy. It is tough, not hard, if you decide to drill it at home. I would very much like to read your impressions of the performance change once you get the rudder. Besides pointing higher, the rudder is fun to play with opposing weather helm. You can hold your Mac heeled wayyy over and the rudder will not stall and round up. Even if the round up overcomes your rudder in a puff of air, the round up will be controlled and won't be such a dangerous event. John S
Whoops, I forgot about the IdaSailor rudder. The best way to get it drilled correctly is to send the rudder head to Idasailor. They'll take care of it. Black and Decker makes a bracket that attaches to all hand drills that allows you to drill a straight hole. Drilling the HDPE is very easy. It is tough, not hard, if you decide to drill it at home. I would very much like to read your impressions of the performance change once you get the rudder. Besides pointing higher, the rudder is fun to play with opposing weather helm. You can hold your Mac heeled wayyy over and the rudder will not stall and round up. Even if the round up overcomes your rudder in a puff of air, the round up will be controlled and won't be such a dangerous event. John S
idaSailor Rudders: which one?
I know they work good, from your and others posts, but theres more than one choice for the D. -can you comment on pro/cons' of each? thankS! ------------------------- http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=28 Mac26d tall high-performance blade $279.00 Click to enlarge HDPE rudder blade, 3" leading edge, 11 3/4" overall, NACA 12 airfoil, 56" overall length, requires relocation of the pivot hole in your boat's rudder castle. Reduces weather helm, helps boat point higher, reduces helm effort. Lifetime guarantee. This blade offers the same performance enhancements as our standard high-performance M26D rudder blade, same draft, same chord length and draft. This blade puts more rudder material into the rudder castle and REQUIRES RELOCATION OF YOUR PIVOT HOLE by 5 1/2" upward. We offer this blade for Mac owners whose rudder castle has a pivot hole that is excessively worn, or who prefer a more unitized blade/castle assembly. Please be aware that you will need to drill a new hole in your rudder castle to use this blade, this blade comes completely undrilled to allow a custom fit to your rudder castle. -------------------------------------- http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=32 Mac26d high-performance blade $249.00 Click to enlarge High performance replacement rudder blade for the M26 daggerboard sailboat built from late 1986 until early 1989. Carved from solid hdpe, faired to an ideal NACA 12 airfoil shape. Lifetime guarantee. This rudder blade helps reduce weather helm and tiller effort. This is the blade that has been helping Macs win races all over the country. It's faster, with more control, boat points higher and allows the boat to accelerate in puffs without rounding up. This rudder blade is a drop-replacement for your boat's original blade, no modifications to your boat are necessary. In order to allow for a more perfect fit with your vessel, the blade comes with the pivot hole and other holes undrilled. If you would like us to drill the blade pivot hole and other holes, please let us know in the notes section of your order during checkout. ===================================== I'm guessing, the TALL is the way to go, IF I send the castle to them.... they will drill the castle, and blade and return? BUT, the other sounds like a drop in replacement, so quicker repair.... (IS IT worth the effort, cost and hassle for the tall one?) thankx again!
I know they work good, from your and others posts, but theres more than one choice for the D. -can you comment on pro/cons' of each? thankS! ------------------------- http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=28 Mac26d tall high-performance blade $279.00 Click to enlarge HDPE rudder blade, 3" leading edge, 11 3/4" overall, NACA 12 airfoil, 56" overall length, requires relocation of the pivot hole in your boat's rudder castle. Reduces weather helm, helps boat point higher, reduces helm effort. Lifetime guarantee. This blade offers the same performance enhancements as our standard high-performance M26D rudder blade, same draft, same chord length and draft. This blade puts more rudder material into the rudder castle and REQUIRES RELOCATION OF YOUR PIVOT HOLE by 5 1/2" upward. We offer this blade for Mac owners whose rudder castle has a pivot hole that is excessively worn, or who prefer a more unitized blade/castle assembly. Please be aware that you will need to drill a new hole in your rudder castle to use this blade, this blade comes completely undrilled to allow a custom fit to your rudder castle. -------------------------------------- http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=32 Mac26d high-performance blade $249.00 Click to enlarge High performance replacement rudder blade for the M26 daggerboard sailboat built from late 1986 until early 1989. Carved from solid hdpe, faired to an ideal NACA 12 airfoil shape. Lifetime guarantee. This rudder blade helps reduce weather helm and tiller effort. This is the blade that has been helping Macs win races all over the country. It's faster, with more control, boat points higher and allows the boat to accelerate in puffs without rounding up. This rudder blade is a drop-replacement for your boat's original blade, no modifications to your boat are necessary. In order to allow for a more perfect fit with your vessel, the blade comes with the pivot hole and other holes undrilled. If you would like us to drill the blade pivot hole and other holes, please let us know in the notes section of your order during checkout. ===================================== I'm guessing, the TALL is the way to go, IF I send the castle to them.... they will drill the castle, and blade and return? BUT, the other sounds like a drop in replacement, so quicker repair.... (IS IT worth the effort, cost and hassle for the tall one?) thankx again!
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