hey all
so the swing keel could be made to be heavier. what problems do you see from increasing the weight?
so the swing keel could be made to be heavier. what problems do you see from increasing the weight?
swing keel mods
- Thread starter kosborn
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I could see it becoming too heavy to raise up. Also when you drop it, it could swing forward and damage the leading edge where it may hit the hull at the pivot.
Whatever weight you add isn't going to matter much in the scheme of things. i.e. you can't add enough weight to affect performance.
Whatever weight you add isn't going to matter much in the scheme of things. i.e. you can't add enough weight to affect performance.
I don't understand why this mod is done, or even thought about. The boat is not engineered/designed for it.
Justin makes a good point, what little weight you might add is unlikely to make much difference. The boat is not designed for a weighted keel. You may cause damage if too much weight is added.
To be correct the 26S is a swing centerboard, keels are built to be heavy providing ballast. Centerboards are light providing no ballast.
Justin makes a good point, what little weight you might add is unlikely to make much difference. The boat is not designed for a weighted keel. You may cause damage if too much weight is added.
To be correct the 26S is a swing centerboard, keels are built to be heavy providing ballast. Centerboards are light providing no ballast.
These boats were engineered for optimum performance. Extra weight means less speed. It's always about the weight. If you distribute weight you already have on board it helps. Keep weight out of the stern. Put as much near the keel as possible. i.e. I put the battery under the dinette seat next to the keel. I don't even wear underwear and socks when I'm racing
Fair Winds and Full sails.
Fair Winds and Full sails.
These boats were engineered for optimum performance. Extra weight means less speed. It's always about the weight. If you distribute weight you already have on board it helps. Keep weight out of the stern. Put as much near the keel as possible. i.e. I put the battery under the dinette seat next to the keel. I don't even wear underwear and socks when I'm racing
Now, that's too much information for this early on Saturday morning
Fwiw, a couple of years ago, one of the guys in my cruising group told me that he used to have an M26s with a weighted centerboard. He said he put about 25lbs of lead shot in some sort of wax compound into the bottom of the centerboard, and that it noticeably improved upwind performance. It was harder to pull up but not too bad. Since Macs aren't known for being overbuilt, I asked him if he improved the the centerboard support. He said he didn't and never had any problems.
Personally, I agree with the other posters. This sounds like the sort of mod that can lead to a lot of other problems. Weight in the centerboard would be most effective in moderate to heavy air, which are just the conditions that would put too much stress on the support system and/or the board itself.
Personally, I agree with the other posters. This sounds like the sort of mod that can lead to a lot of other problems. Weight in the centerboard would be most effective in moderate to heavy air, which are just the conditions that would put too much stress on the support system and/or the board itself.
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Kosborn,
After reading this thread it appears 26 classic owners don't think much of the adding weight idea. Yet I know several X owners and some M owners who have done it. Results are sketchy and narratively biased. Let me say that if it added 1/200 of knot to your boat you may be a winner, who knows.
After reading this thread it appears 26 classic owners don't think much of the adding weight idea. Yet I know several X owners and some M owners who have done it. Results are sketchy and narratively biased. Let me say that if it added 1/200 of knot to your boat you may be a winner, who knows.
If I wanted that extra fraction of a knot in moderate-heavy air, I'd recruit an extra deck ape or two to sit on the high side.
I am thinking about this for my 26D. My thinking is........NO BALLAST!!! Gasp!!!! The deal is, many times, where I sail, Marina Del Rey, there are just a couple of knots of wind all afternoon. If I had a weighted keel (daggerboard), maybe 200lbs, and no ballast, I might be a couple of knots faster, given that the boat would be 1000 pounds lighter. Somewhere Macgregor said each 100lbs of weight you add to the boat costs you 1 knot of speed.
Anyway, If the wind picks up, you simply head into it, and fill up your ballast tank! Then you might even have better heavy wind performance as well.
I would not bring inexperienced sailors out on the boat with no ballast though, and I would not cleat down the lines, just sail it like a catamaran.
Anyway, If the wind picks up, you simply head into it, and fill up your ballast tank! Then you might even have better heavy wind performance as well.
I would not bring inexperienced sailors out on the boat with no ballast though, and I would not cleat down the lines, just sail it like a catamaran.
As long as this about keel mods:
I've seen that IDA sail used to make one for a 26S, and stopped because they didn't improve performance over the stock swing keel. Was it generally the stock outline? Foil?
When I compare the Mac swing keel to fixed keels on similar sized boats it seems small. Heck it's not much bigger than my old Force 5 dagger and that was a dinghy.
I know it can't be any longer, and still swing up, but material could be added to the leading edge, and the foil could then be a little thicker, adding to the lift it could generate? Of course that would add to the loading it sees and everything associated with that. But it might be interesting to see.
Jim.
I've seen that IDA sail used to make one for a 26S, and stopped because they didn't improve performance over the stock swing keel. Was it generally the stock outline? Foil?
When I compare the Mac swing keel to fixed keels on similar sized boats it seems small. Heck it's not much bigger than my old Force 5 dagger and that was a dinghy.
I know it can't be any longer, and still swing up, but material could be added to the leading edge, and the foil could then be a little thicker, adding to the lift it could generate? Of course that would add to the loading it sees and everything associated with that. But it might be interesting to see.
Jim.
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