MacGregorSailors.com

Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 6:33 pm ...the very first thing I'd do is paint the raccoon stripe back on. I absolutely hate the look of that boat in comparison with the original.

+1

DaveC426913 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:58 pm

Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:07 am Hey Dave, I disagree with the "unstable at the best of times" evaluation. I think that the X and the M are extremely stable, when operated correctly.

Huh. I guess YMMV.

At anything over 7 knots under power, my X gives oncoming vessels white hair because it wanders by 10 degrees no matter what configuration and no matter how diligent I am at the wheel. OK, I guess that's not "turtling"-level unstable but Jeez.

Ya, the centerboard has to be up, I often forget to pull the rudders, so far no issues up to 20mph.
The wondering above 7 knots might mean you need to trim your motor. If you have power trim, try lifting a bit to see if it stabilizes.
We often have our nose high enough to have difficulty seeing so I am sure it looks funny.

DaveC426913 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:58 pm

Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:07 am Hey Dave, I disagree with the "unstable at the best of times" evaluation. I think that the X and the M are extremely stable, when operated correctly.

Huh. I guess YMMV.

At anything over 7 knots under power, my X gives oncoming vessels white hair because it wanders by 10 degrees no matter what configuration and no matter how diligent I am at the wheel. OK, I guess that's not "turtling"-level unstable but Jeez.

By the time you get to 7 knots all boards should be up. If you have any centerboard down it is going to act like a foil and you will experience lift on one side or the other which will cause the boat to turn. Rudders down will not cause much in the way of lift but you are putting more stress on them than they were designed to take. Damage to the rudders or brackets is very likely.

Around 7 knots you are in the transition between displacement and planing and the boat will feel a little unstable and it will wander just as you've described. By the time you get to 10 knots or so the bow should begin to come down and you should be just as stable as any power boat.

DaveC426913 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:58 pm

Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:07 am Hey Dave, I disagree with the "unstable at the best of times" evaluation. I think that the X and the M are extremely stable, when operated correctly.

Huh. I guess YMMV.

At anything over 7 knots under power, my X gives oncoming vessels white hair because it wanders by 10 degrees no matter what configuration and no matter how diligent I am at the wheel. OK, I guess that's not "turtling"-level unstable but Jeez.

As Be Free noted... it's normal for the X to be slightly "unstable" in the zone between its hull speed and planing.

The 26X hull speed is right around 6.5kn or 7.3mph, but depending on what site you believe for its waterline length, this could vary by a few tenths. Above that speed, the boat is climbing its own bow wave, and with all the boards up it's definitely going to wander around a bit if it can't get up and over the wave. Normal for any planing-hull boat. That wandering stops up at around 12 or 13mph, when the boat starts to break out of the trough created by its passage through the water.

Basically, when travelling in the X you either need to be at 7.3 MPH or less, or 12MPH or more. Between 12 and about 23-25MPH the boat still plows through the water a bit, but above 25 MPH the nose drops way down and it drives like a dream.

Starscream wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 12:41 pm

DaveC426913 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:58 pm

Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:07 am Hey Dave, I disagree with the "unstable at the best of times" evaluation. I think that the X and the M are extremely stable, when operated correctly.

Huh. I guess YMMV.

At anything over 7 knots under power, my X gives oncoming vessels white hair because it wanders by 10 degrees no matter what configuration and no matter how diligent I am at the wheel. OK, I guess that's not "turtling"-level unstable but Jeez.

As Be Free noted... it's normal for the X to be slightly "unstable" in the zone between its hull speed and planing.

The 26X hull speed is right around 6.5kn or 7.3mph, but depending on what site you believe for its waterline length, this could vary by a few tenths. Above that speed, the boat is climbing its own bow wave, and with all the boards up it's definitely going to wander around a bit if it can't get up and over the wave. Normal for any planing-hull boat. That wandering stops up at around 12 or 13mph, when the boat starts to break out of the trough created by its passage through the water.

Basically, when travelling in the X you either need to be at 7.3 MPH or less, or 12MPH or more. Between 12 and about 23-25MPH the boat still plows through the water a bit, but above 25 MPH the nose drops way down and it drives like a dream.

Agreed, now that I am thinking of it, and possibly because I have a 2 stroke and the power to do it, I am either at idle, or 15mph +, rarely in-between.

You could talk to Billy, he has a 140 on his 26X. You can see it perform Here When he races vkmaynardl. Enjoyl

leefrankpierce wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:57 am The wondering above 7 knots might mean you need to trim your motor. If you have power trim, try lifting a bit to see if it stabilizes.
We often have our nose high enough to have difficulty seeing so I am sure it looks funny.

I'll give that a try, thanks.

Concerning nose up: for some years I use with my 26m a foil at the OB. fits fine for us.

Any chance somebody has a copy of that they could post? The craigslist link expired.

I prefer 6.5 - makes me feel like less of a poor sailor.

Starscream wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 12:41 pm
The 26X hull speed is right around 6.5kn or 7.3mph, but depending on what site you believe for its waterline length

Hmmmmm???
We must be doing something different….our Mac26X is pretty darn stable at any speed we operate at up to 17-19 mph.
Occasionally we get a bit of windage on the bow when motoring around but nothing “unstable”.
Last year we motored around with full ballast tank and this year we ran around with an empty ballast tank.

NOTE: There are only two acceptable ballast tank conditions … FULL or EMPTY
Anything else, like a partially filled ballast, is gonna make the boat UNSTABLE as it shifts to either side or when encountering waves and swell. The water will slosh around and surge around in the ballast tank. The boat was never designed to be operated with a partial filled ballast tank.)

To compensate for the bow windage we typically drop the swing keel of our Mac26X down so it protrudes just a blade width…about 6 inches exposed outside of the hull. It acts as a Skeg without any further modification very nicely and helps counteract the windage forces without any adverse effects that we’ve noticed throughout our speed range….even at 17-19 mph.

Best Regards
Over Easy