MacGregorSailors.com

I'm very new to sailing so forgive any blunders that may be obvious to a veteran. I'm in the process of buying a that needs new Sails pretty much all around. While shopping I came across this new "wing sail" tech that seems to be creeping into the industry. From the information I've been able to gather it seems like an amazing sail option for a Mac. Supposedly less stress, less heel, more speed, and better pointing. Has anyone else researched these Sails and thought about a macgregor application?

Here are some links I've found.
https://www.onesails.com/international/wing-sails
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sailma ... mainstream
http://www.omerwingsail.com/

First I've seen that were commercially available for our size boat. I haven't really thought about them, because I haven't seen one on the water, much less known anyone that could take me out and let me see them in action. Looks very high tech, though. I'd consider them if I could experience them first-hand.

Have you looked into price comparison with good sails?

I haven't gotten any official quotes yet but since it would probably be a custom job I'm assuming the price point would be extravagant. I'll probably be better off buying a new square head mainsail from blue water but I can't help being curious about the wing sail idea.
I also found this heru company that is making a simpler version for racing cats. I reached out to them to see if they would make a Mac sail but have not yet heard back.

https://herusails.com/2019/

I like the idea if it, and they use all of the right buzz words and tech speak to peak my interest - some of which is true; some of which is pure balderdash. But, I'm a real skeptic. I am curious to see the outcome of the beneteau testing and see if they actually market one.

The free-standing spar (mast) might be a problem on the M boat, due to the dagger slot. Not to mention having to rebuild your boat to accommodate it - if possible. No more need for a mast raising rig, though. You'd have to pull it out of the boat vertically. Depending on the weight, this could impact trailerability/ease of setup.

I think you are probably right about the price point, especially if that includes a carbon fiber mast.

But it looks way cool. You'll likely be the only one in your area with one, if you get one.

You will probably be the most popular guy wherever you go, also.

Zed wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:57 am I'm very new to sailing so forgive any blunders that may be obvious to a veteran. I'm in the process of buying a that needs new Sails pretty much all around. While shopping I came across this new "wing sail" tech that seems to be creeping into the industry. From the information I've been able to gather it seems like an amazing sail option for a Mac. Supposedly less stress, less heel, more speed, and better pointing. Has anyone else researched these Sails and thought about a macgregor application?

Here are some links I've found.
https://www.onesails.com/international/wing-sails
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sailma ... mainstream
http://www.omerwingsail.com/

Do you race?
Are you super competitive?
If not, it’s your disposable income to do as you please.

Good sails do make a difference, but it gets to a point where you have to question at what price is the difference worth it. That’s where disposable income comes in. If you have it, go for it. Anything you purchase keeps the economy going.

Think about lighting a candle in a dark room. It makes a difference. Two candles are twice as bright. At what point does an additional candle not matter? Just an analogy.

I am having a lot of difficulty feeling comfortable with a mast large enough for our sails without any shrouds. I would really think that the boat would have to be designed from the start to have the structural support for a stand-alone mast. And that would likely be a mast stepped through the cabin and into the keel/hull would it not? The Com-Pac catboats come close to that with a keel stepped mast with a hinge in it for trailering. but, they do rely on a forestay. https://www.com-pacyachts.com/trailerab ... n-cat.html

I have to agree with the rest who have noted the free-standing mast. There'd be no way to resolve the large moment with the structure at the top by "just" mounting on the top. It would have to go through to the keel... probably run the mast in front of the daggerboard trunk (guessing). You'd probably lose access to the head, eliminate self stepping and trailering. Then you have naval architect fees and major structural surgery to add in the top, bottom and daggerboard case. Unless you can and are willing to do that kind of work yourself, you'd pay through the nose for it. The M is already running up against hull speed, so even if you got 20% - 30% more drive force, you might only gain half a knot over your max speed anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I've been trying to figure a way to make something like this work. There are several other benefits besides performance.

Now... if they come back and say they have already done the analysis, can step and trailer it and are willing to do the mod for say... less than $10K. And you have that kind of beer-money. Go for it. Its way cool!

Wing sails are not suited for the Mac. And, they need to be trimmed more frequently than soft sails to get the most out of them. I had a lug rigged free standing mast on my v222 which I installed, which worked well. It was not as good as the oem rig for pure sailing, but it was a stellar little motor sailor. The lug rig focused on off the wind performance and ease of handling. Dead to weather it is sub par but, people motor up wind even with good sailing boats and I know we do, as a user group. The mast for the Rig was an aluminum pole, which was fairly heavy but could still be removed easily by two people in a few minutes. One person was too dicey. In carbon fiber it would be much lighter. In tapered glass/carbon combo it would be lighter. I put the mast through the boat, made a mast step that was well glassed in, and added lots of glass on the deck for support. Never had an issue. Boat was sold to a novice, survived many misadventures, went through a hurricane and washed up into the mangroves where she still sits today, mast intact.
On the M such a rig could be installed without losing the head. The mast base could be secured to the front of the DB trunk. The deck would need reinforcing. Probably 18-20ft mast.
This setup would need the forward sprit mast to carry a jib, making her a true unicorn lug rig.

Ix