MacGregorSailors.com

As many of you know, I would be considered one of the more stodgy users of our boats...... I prefer function over flair, strength over beauty, features over comfort......redundancy of commponents over cleanliness of deck etc....

However......
Since I have now contaminated the admiral with spring and summer sailing, (which by their nature over here have much more wind than our flat summers) the need to move the boat has ......er............. increased......... especially on those flat lazy summer afternoons when we chase puffs......


Having been knocked down and fouled, I am not a huge fan of billowing yards of composites and mylar...... however......since I was seen having a 3 way on deck with genny, I guess I have nothing more to lose......

So...........
Along the lines of Kites, chutes, drifters, asyms.......
I have been requested to put an additional mod on the boat......

this one is for 10 kts of wind or less, downwind......
I am going to add two more masthead lines, 1 the topping lift, And a chute halyard..... which wil make me replace my tried and true 16 ft fiberglass multilock window cleaning extension handle, with a real spin pole.....

Since I mostly play by myself on the boat, I have .........um... shunned the more glamorous sails...... (playing with a chute without a new autopilot is difficult for me). But the admiral (believe it or not) would like to go faster downwind, and have all those pretty colors aloft. As I go to my sailboat parts bin, and look at all the holes I have to drill in the mast for the cutter sail , and new head hardware..... I realize I do not have the right size pieces in my playboxes......

So...... time to chime in,
So Please nominate your

Your favorite sailing and handling asym chute......
favorite Chute,
Favorite chute sail handling hardware,
Favorite block/sheave for masthead use with a chute
Favorite mast attaching hardware.....pem, Dzus, United,

Has anyone seen a multihound setup that is not prone to fouling>

Especially now......please those of you including MM should have a totally biased opinions of a North and others offerings. Enquiring minds want to know..... I would prefer to save a generation of replacement parts and learning here. I wonder, am I going soft.......? a spinaker...... whats next, and inflatable hot tub?/

I look forward to your responses.

While I am partial to North products (da!), given you sailing style and 'like to mess with the boat' attitude here is my suggestion (wherever you can get the best deal- but, do try cruising direct for a price comparison). Dan at Cruising Direct and the North loft in Portland are good guys for suggestions-even if you go elsewhere to purchase.

Here's my suggestion: .75 oz. Gennaker with snuffer and tack line (in the faster blue?). Don't try to use a downwind furling sail. or anything that requires a pole A 22' or 25' Gennaker is best, depending on your preference. I use a 25' Gennaker (269 sq. ft.) even though I could go bigger because of my 32' mast. But IMHO control always trumps speed when you single-hand or crew short.

Also, get a copy of Cruising World May 2008 -most everything you need to know to make an informed decission is in there.

MM

My favorite sail in light winds is my asym spinnaker, with chute.
When I first installed a CDI furler and tried to take some rake out of my mast, I installed a 2nd set of hounds 8 inches higher on the mast. I left the lower hounds in place and added a second forestay.
The lines for my spinaker are left in place, with the sheets attached to the clew line at the bow. I ran a clew line along the port side (parallel to the furler line) and through a sheave at the bow. I use the D Dunne method of levering to make it easier to attach the furler and this leaves me an attachment point just aft of the forestay tang.
I will try to post pictures in the near future.
This allows me to fly my spinnaker as much as 8-10 ft off the deck or pull it tight enough to sail a beam reach. In the right wing I have been able to get about 10 degrees higher than beam using the spinaker. Most of the time I will use the spinaker alone, no main, and just sit back and look at the pretty colours against the sun and sky.

waternwaves wrote:As many of you know, ........ comments spread over a 28ft Morgan and 26M
Your favorite sailing and handling asym chute...... hated our spinaker, usually resulted in it going into the lake and one of us dam# near following it.
favorite Chute, the 160 Genoa on a wisker pole
Favorite chute sail handling hardware, most of the hardware on the Morgan is Harken and looked to be new maybe 2 years before we bought the boat, it worked so well for us that I didn't think much about it before you ask, the M is what ever Roger uses
Favorite block/sheave for masthead use with a chute I am guessing they upgraded it to Harken's as well but we just sold the boat so I can't say for sure
Favorite mast attaching hardware.....pem, Dzus, United, ???? no preference
Has anyone seen a multihound setup that is not prone to fouling>

Especially now......please those of you including MM should have a totally biased opinions of a North and others offerings. Enquiring minds want to know..... I would prefer to save a generation of replacement parts and learning here. I wonder, am I going soft.......? a spinaker...... whats next, and inflatable hot tub?/ Some one said to put a black vinyl sheet from a garden supply in the bottom of your inflatable, fill 1/3 full, cover with clear plastic sheeting and you will have a hot bath by afternoon anywhere in the subtropics - not sure if it will work in the sunny? NW

I look forward to your responses.

Me too.

maddmike wrote:While I am partial to North products (da!)....

Ditto. I have North's on my other boat - they are *excellent* sails and have held up beautifully for many, many more years than I ever expected.

Darren

jib & genny wing on wing


cutter rigged


spin & jib with main


on the works my 26m flying two spinnakers cutter rigged !

J

KH Asym and a chute scoop 30footer

For light winds DDW, I took the old fashioned way.

1. The spinnaker is a fractionally rigged radial head sail with a luff/leach of 7.78 metres, and a foot of 5 metres. Around 28 sq metres in total

1. Halyard block on a bail attached about 10 inches above the hounds

2. Fiddle blocks either side of the mast base are used for running halyards, topping lift, and kicker back to the cockpit. All are locked with cam cleats, except for the main halyard, which is locked with a Spinlock clutch

3. Spinnaker halyard is 20 metres. This leaves a tail of about 3 metres in the cockpit

4. Spinnaker sheets are 11 metres; again about a 3 metre tail for each

5. The pole is 3 metres long and is a piece of 49.5mm alloy tube, with a 4.5mm wall thickness. It has the smaller stainless steel (as opposed to the larger cast alloy) beaks. These are 38mm externally, so the tangs go inside the tube and are secured with 4 1/8 monnel rivets. A wire bridle for the kicker was attached to the underside by two saddles and a stainless steel ring in the centre. A simple saddle was riveted to the top to attach the topper.

6. The mast bail for the spinnaker pole was attached about 1 metre from the mast base.

When set and filled, the kite sits very nicely, with the skirt about 1.5 metres above the deck.

Pic below will magnify enough so that you get a good look at it running shy.

Use the standard asym spinaker with a chute scoop and a separate hound mounted 18" above the jib hound.
My favourite sail especially just lazing along with no main in light winds.

Darren

mast hound with second set of spreaders 20ft up mast


mast hound with jumper struts 24ft up mast


Spin halard at top of masthead , 3rd set of shrouds added at 20ft point on mast with second set of spreaders remember my mast was a two section 24ft mast , so when I extended it to 28ft I made it a three sectional mast , base 12ft , center 8ft , top section 8ft =28ft , as you mast is 28ft you can do the same without the splices although the splices strengthen the mast at the spreaders . I will not be adding splices to my mac26m mast when I do this mod again this time to my 26m mast the measurements will be diff. as the 26m mast is 30ft so here is a scan of my plans Darren if you decide to go this route this set-up is a very strong rig as you can see in one of my video's




Add a removeable bowsprit or folding one with anchor rollers like mine and you'll be able to fly four head sails like this in 16 diff configureations



J

Icarumba, John! When you're out there, are there black helicopters in the area?! As in - has anyone reported your presence as a UFO?! You're bound to make George Noory's newslist right alongside the Dragonfly Drones!!

You seriously need a gaff-rigged main and topsail on that boat, John.

How about a 2nd ketch mast too

Your favorite sailing and handling asym chute......

I just have the stock doyle. Ive sailed a lot of others just not on a Mac.

favorite Chute,

Favorite chute sail handling hardware,

Outside tacking continuous sheeting. Tack line lead aft and turned at mast mount on pulpit. We used to turn the tack at the deck but it flies better and doesnt tangle as much when its flown form the mast mount. Bills ez-cleats at the rear of the genoa track. I dont run the sheets through the winches.

Favorite block/sheave for masthead use with a chute

I bought a standard Mac setup from bill and mounted it 6" higher than the forestay hounds.

Has anyone seen a multi-hound setup that is not prone to fouling>

I ran my main halyard aft, that left both cleats open for jib duty. I run the jib down one side and the spin halyard down the other. When not flying the a-sail I clip the halyard to the pulpit like an additional forestay.

Tye chutescoop is pretty cool too. I tried all of this lead aft and after about 1/2 summer we went back to deploying and dousing the spinnaker from the foredeck/ forehatch. (foredeck in light winds, hatch in a blow)

Moe

I was planning on installing an 26x main & boom . but she is up for sale now as I've bought a new 26M that I am currently cutter rigging with a 6ft bowsprit

J