Lake Martin, Alabama

[captsharon]

I am looking for information from anyone who has been sailing on Lake Martin in Alabama. I would be very interested if anyone has a Macgregor 26 currently on the lake. I am looking to buy one and will probably get a new one from Atlanta. I am a school teacher and have spring break in the middle of March and hope to have it by then. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated.

[markh1f]

Sent PM re: Boating Atlanta

Mark

[Win]

Hi Captsharon,
I have a Blue 2005 M at Wind Creek State Park. Slip D-19. I bought my boat from Mark Lusink at Boating Atlanta. I plan to be at the boat this Saturday sometime after noon. Send me a PM if you are intersted in meeting or if you want to discuss by telephone. Depending on your needs and expectations, the Mac is a great boat and you have come to the right place for information. There was a 26X at Wind Creek this summer but it is no longer at the slip. However the marina personnel said the slip was still rented. Regards.

Win

[Win]

Sharon,
I sent you an email. Look forward to meeting you this Saturday.

Win

[Gypsy]

I used to take my sailing canoe up to Lake Martin during the week Monday thru Thursday .
The lake was good sailing in my little canoe. For the most part it was just me and the Bass Fishermen .

During the warm months , the lake , Friday thru Sunday is extremely crowded and in a canoe sailer , it would be sucide to try and sail there.

When we had a cabin on the lake , we would watch Dixie Sailing club try to hold a regatta and it was a mess , with power boats zipping in and out of the sailboats.

A lot of the Lake Martin boaters have never boated in big water , and have no knowledge of the rules of the water . They , along with the sheer masses of boaters makes it a nightmare , in a powerboat .
I can't imagine what it would be like trying to sail.


Glenn / Gypsy

[hart]

I've sailed Lake Martin off and on for years. The wind sucks until you get out on the "big water" and then it's hit and miss. I took my X up there last summer for a week and had a blast but raising the mast was a waste of time, we never bothered trying to sail since the winds were so light. But I did drag my cousin's kids around on a tube and they loved it. Actually, so did the locals. I was amazed at the number of people staring at the sailboat towing a tube.

My tips: Don't worry too much about VHF. Nobody up there uses it anyway in my experience. A decent handheld should serve you fine.

Now I love the Fortress anchor. It's light and great. But I wouldn't spend the money on expensive anchors at Lake Martin. Way too many stumps and such. Stick with cheap anchors and consider them disposable. I usually put my "cheap" prop on for the same reason. I destroyed my good one thanks to a floating 4x4 up there.

Invest in fans or some other cooling device along with a bimini. When you are trying to sail and the wind dies it's very hot. And you know how warm the water gets there in the summer.

I forget which radio station but one of them does a fishing report in the mornings and gives regular updates on the weather. Very local but I love it. Scan around and enjoy the odd mix of music and local info.

I might be back up this summer. My aunt and uncle keep a place on the Dadeville side. And if you want to sail the Gulf give me a shout. It's so nice down here and not a bad drive.

[Gypsy]

I've sailed Lake Martin off and on for years. The wind sucks until you get out on the "big water" and then it's hit and miss. I took my X up there last summer for a week and had a blast but raising the mast was a waste of time, we never bothered trying to sail since the winds were so light. But I did drag my cousin's kids around on a tube and they loved it. Actually, so did the locals. I was amazed at the number of people staring at the sailboat towing a tube.

My tips: Don't worry too much about VHF. Nobody up there uses it anyway in my experience. A decent handheld should serve you fine.

Now I love the Fortress anchor. It's light and great. But I wouldn't spend the money on expensive anchors at Lake Martin. Way too many stumps and such. Stick with cheap anchors and consider them disposable. I usually put my "cheap" prop on for the same reason. I destroyed my good one thanks to a floating 4x4 up there.

Invest in fans or some other cooling device along with a bimini. When you are trying to sail and the wind dies it's very hot. And you know how warm the water gets there in the summer.

I forget which radio station but one of them does a fishing report in the mornings and gives regular updates on the weather. Very local but I love it. Scan around and enjoy the odd mix of music and local info.

I might be back up this summer. My aunt and uncle keep a place on the Dadeville side. And if you want to sail the Gulf give me a shout. It's so nice down here and not a bad drive.

Good Report !
What gets me the most about Lake Martin is the people . They know none of the basic rules , and they have no sense of courtesy . Most boater will go wayyy out of their way to help each other , not on Lake Martin !
The lake itself is a beautiful place ! When it was built it was the largest manmade lake in the world .
Its now down to around #3 in the world , probably lower than that with the China Dam .

[captsharon]

Thank everyone for the responses. Thanks especially to Win for letting me check out his boat and ask a hundred questions. Today, Saturday March 18th we picked up our brand new 26M blue hull in Atlanta and brought it home to Alabama. Trailering was a little scary at first but were cruising at 70 in no time. We have owned about 10 boats in the past and always bought fixer uppers from the 70's. I am so excited about having a new one, but was so worried about rubbing and scratching of all the rigging tied on. I raised the mast this afternoon with boat on the trailer in my yard. I am confused about the geneoa roller furling. The gear housing has a track on each side, there is a messenger line in the track on one side and the cut-out area where I should feed the bolt rope(?) is on the other side. If anyone can clue me in on the initial installation I would greatly appreciate it. If the weather is nice tomorrow and there is some wind I will go to Lake Martin and lauch it. Sunday will be my last day of Spring Break. The boat was supposed to be ready 2 weeks ago..... Also, it seems like many of the connections and bolts on the boat are loose, the helm seat seemed like the hinge might break off. Has anyone else had the experience that you have to tighten and tune every single attachment on the boat. I didn't have much time at the dealer so I am noticing everything now.

[Win]

Hi Sharon,
Congratulations on the new boat. Driving around I-285 with a 26ft boat on the back for the first time with crazy Atlanta drivers changing lanes at 70-80 mph is not a fun experience.

Do you have the CDI furling system? I thought I read that Roger had started making his own furling system. If so I can't help much.

If you will be trying to "drive" the boat on the trailer as opposed to walking it on from a dock, I suggest you get a couple of 6 foot pieces of pvc tube to put over the guide post at the back of the trailer to keep from scratching that pretty new blue gelcoat. It is also helpfull to run a line from the winch back to each goalpost to create < to guide the boat all the way to the winch. The first time I tried to get the boat on the trailer the wind pushed me sideways before I could get the boat all the way on the trailer.

When you get the chance please post a description of all the options you chose.
Let me know if I can help.

Win