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I've never had any problem with tracking below 7 knots as I run with rudder (or two) and the centerboard extended and all is good. There is no reason not to have the centerboard down all the way below 7 knots. In this config the boat is on rails. It's easy to get the centerboard up or down at any time by simply centering the weight of the boat and unloading any side pressure on the board. My issue is not with the function or tracking of the boat at sailing speeds (even under power).

It is above 7 knots that the boat needs help. With all fins up the boat wanders until you get up to 14 knots and enough hull form resistance builds to keep things on track. Not only is it too sensitive to wind, wave and current inputs, it is also to sensitive to weight shifts as people on board move around. It is at these middle speeds that I think the boat will benefit from the skeg. The boat needs something to keep it on track and while extending just a bit of centerboard sometimes helps, and is not a problem at any speed, it just doesn't get the bite on the water necessary. It is an interesting thought that perhaps at 10-12 knots when we think the board is out a few inches it may indeed be lifted back into the trunk by the higher force of water flowing over it.

I also notice that I get better handling when I send people weight to the vee berth for naps. Getting an extra 150 lbs forward settles the boats tracking as well as instantly adds over 1 knot to whatever speed I happen to be motoring at. This leads me to believe that the boat needs more bite forward. Having a skeg forward that is always deployed at these faster speeds should make a difference. Because the skeg has no lifting section (it will just be a flat piece of aluminum) it should induce no bad behavior at any speed.

I think I'll stop over to my neighbors metal shop tonight and see what we can get started making. I plan for the skeg to be simply bolted or screwed to the centerboard so installation will be quick and simple once I get it and the mounting brackets made.

Wind Chime wrote:
I don't know about anyone else, but my wife tells me, "if I knew the worst case senario, I would stay home, just tell me the dangers on a need to know basis". So, I will not be showing her these photos.

I agree. I would not show these photos to my wife either. But I need to know what, how, and why this happened.
Phil

Wind Chime wrote:
Agreed. I learned this the hard way. A few years back, we were making a 3 hours passage across the straight to the Gulf Islands. In my enthusiasm, I outlined all the danges we might encounter so she would be prepared. Needless to say, none of them appeared. When we arrived at the destination she was a nervous wreck from white-knuckling the whole way, afraid of what "might" happen.

Good point to make. Just because the skipper needs to know all the details of what might happen, not everyone else does. You can frighten a crew with too many remote possibilities.
Phil M

Im a newby but this photo is in fact unnerving to say the least. As I look at the photos I ,like all of us, have many questions: was he under sail? where is the centerboard that would provide the likely leverage to right the boat? Im nervously looking, thinking gasoline tanks, battery acid, stove alcohol,etc. etc. mixing inside the boat. While having seen many pics of sailing incidents I'm struck by the extremely flat bottom of this boat . I believe just about any boater would be surprised to find that that hull design belongs to a "sail" boat . I think I'll rethink this and maybe sell my mac until my lifestyle allows me to own a fixed keel boat. Not for safety reasons but I'd hate to lose my investment.

berful wrote: I think I'll rethink this and maybe sell my mac until my lifestyle allows me to own a fixed keel boat. Not for safety reasons but I'd hate to lose my investment.

Wanna make a deal? I have a brother-in-law who could use a Mac.

yes! please email me if you're not joking. Thanx!

Berful - do you understand that a keelboat would go straight to the bottom in this circumstance, and that the Mac design saved both the sailor and the boat here?

I confess I dont understand your concern..

Stephen - You're assuming the keelboat would just lay on its side. That is quite an assumption. First off, a keelboat would probably not have laid all the way over because of a runaway dinghy caught in the rigging. Second, it's fixed ballast would have righted the boat, if it did go over, if the hatch was closed and the boat did not immediately fill with water. Many fixed keel boats have been knocked down and survived.

I believe the X is a hazardous boat without ballast. It must be handled with caution and still can get out of control when the Gods get angry. This X was caught in a series of actions that, combined, tipped it over. It did float and it did save the occupant. That has not always been the case. Does anyone know of an actual sinking of an X or M?

Oh, for crying out loud, you just bought the boat in June. I know it's been 20 years since you last sailed, but you really ought to give it more than a couple of months before you bail out. Your 26D is a fine boat, and very safe. Now get your butt out there and sail it! Take another sailor with you the first few times, if you feel more comfortable, and soon you'll be sailing like it was second nature.

Duanne

one of the european guys fitted a canard to his hull,i belive that it may be along the same lines as a skeg,he claims that it improves the pointing greatly.

ill try to find the post.

duanne

check out this post

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... 56#p162256

it looks like the guy fitted what he describes as a shark fin under the stern,this improved pointing and tracking

Yes I have done that...

For sailing it is great.

Motoring I feel a little vibration at top speed .

That mod is still under testing. Like all mi "technical MODS" I test things a lot before drilling anything ...

There is a long way to go because it also prohibits beaching ...

Next weekend when I go to the boat I will pass to the PC those tracking files...

Duane approach is also interesting. But I think he will face the same problems.

But we will work on that...

Cheers

Jose

Kevin mentions Styrofoam removal...Oooopppppss....and after looking at the photos.... I am thinking about adding some 4 inch Styrofoam panels I have around the garage. I am thinking under my aft berth panels and cushions?? Not much weight and maybe a little insurance? What do you fellows think? Could it be worth the effort?

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Duane Dunn, Allegro wrote: It is an interesting thought that perhaps at 10-12 knots when we think the board is out a few inches it may indeed be lifted back into the trunk by the higher force of water flowing over it.

Could you test this theory by;

- have the centerboard down a few inches and cleated
- motor 10-12 knots
- have somone pull on the centerboard line in front of the cam-cleat to see if there is any tension.
- If there is tension on line the centerboard would still be down, and if there is no tension on the line then the centerboard would be up in the slot leaving the line slack.

???