MacGregorSailors.com

Steve,

Yes on the Thrustmaster.

Jim

No need for fins while under power unless you're in a marina or similar place where precise control is needed. If you have to do it quick while under way, dropping about 1/3 of the dagger board will add much more control and reduce drift. Personally, I don't like to lower the rudders while under way. I usually put it in neutral, lower, then proceed. While at it, this is when I put the fenders in place. If there is little wind and/or current and you have some experience with the obat, the rudders aren't really needed. Not my typical conditions, so I usually have both rudders and about 1/2 the board down when going in/out of the marina.

PS. What's a thrustmaster?

Leon

Steve and Leon,

Actually it is called a Powerthruster.

Seems to work well for me. It came with my boat. Only problem I ever had was one of the bolts backed out and the prop caught the bolt and it put a big gouge in my prop.

Now I check my nuts before I go out in the boat...did I actually type that out loud

Jim

Thats right...I have been looking at this thing for a couple of years. Do you notice there is no "prop walk" at low speed as in docking?

capn steve.

mayde some prop walk but not noticed it since i installed the power thruster last spring. also they seem to act as mini rudders giving some reduction in side slip of the aft.

I wonder if you could add some grill work, still get the benefit and have it qualify as a prop guard. I keep reading rumors about prop guards being reconsidered as mandatory hardware.

Thanks to all for the helpful information. I will try several of the suggestions offered. To explain a little more clearly why I asked the question, in our sailing area (Galveston Bay, near Kemah, TX) when we take our boats out into the bay we motor out for some distance in a marked channel, because the bay is fairly shallow near shore. On weekends, there are hundreds of sail and powerboats going in and out via the channel. Because of the heavy traffic going in and out, it's not always easy to find space in the channel to perform the up and down transitions. - Not a biggie, but I always seem to benefit from the experience of others.

Thanks again,
Jim

Those curving fins on the motor picture above ..... I have a set on my Merc, they are called "PowerThrusters." Actually they do slightly add drag, and reduce the top speed marginally, but they help alot more to keep the prop from aerating (some call it cavitating) on tight turns, and when pitching in heavy waves, and they almost completely prevent prop-walk (side-ways crabbing) at slow speeds while docking etc, besides adding protection to the propeller and some amount of added safety from potential body injury if all else has gone wrong and someone gets that near the prop while it is in gear and motor running.

As for transition from fins up to fins down, I recommend just cutting the motor to idle speed. At any other speed, the centerboard will not lower anyway, as even marginal side forces keep it jammed, and water pressure against it when partially drained (as it is when retracted) will prevent it dropping.
As for the rudders, they are very prone to damage (as well as your rudder pintles and entire steering gear) when they are transitionally horizontal and subjected to side forces. Even when tracking straight, they have toe-in side forces against them, which are not harmful when all the way down. But going thru the horizontal position into moving water .... I can't imagine trying to drop them at any speed above a knot or so. Same for the other way, going from slow tracking fins down to planing config with all fins up.

ALX357 wrote:Those curving fins on the motor picture above ..... I have a set on my Merc, they are called "PowerThrusters."

Do you remember where you got them? My Merc service place does not know what I am asking for. I suspect they just bolt on and there is not mark up for them. They do not look like what was described above. When I search on power thrusters I get side or bow thrusters.

you can get them at www.macgregorowners.com

$89.95

I am launching my mac 26M for th first time in a couple of weeks, so I am NOT speaking from experience here. The extra purchase on the dagger boards looks nice if you are lifting by hand. I thought most folks were Winching the daggerboard up?

live2shift wrote:IThe extra purchase on the dagger boards looks nice if you are lifting by hand. I thought most folks were Winching the daggerboard up?

I find the winches are the least used equipment on my . Perhaps it is Bills B4S way of rigging them, perhaps it is 200+ lbs of behind behind the pull. As I was cleaning things up the other day I noticed the port winch still has the shipping paper around it, gonna half to take it off one day I guess.

I would say the least used equipment is the winch handles...

I use the winches to hold a few wraps of genoa sheet when single-handing. The winch holds some of the pressure making it easier to control while "easing" the sheet (using the cam cleat to lock it down when necessary) IMHO. Arm power has always been sufficient to tighten the sheets.

I have never used my winch handles. One of my sailing partners once took a couple of turns to pull the genoa in tighter, but I have never used it.

Jim