Mac Stays in Water or on Trailer?

[NiceAft]

The first year we had our M, we only trailer sailed. It would take us 1.5 - 2hours to rig the boat, and vice versa. The quickest rig time we ever had was 1.5 hours. Needles to say, it infringed on our time on the water. It also prevented us from taking friends out with us. 3 to 4 hours of the day were spent rigging and derigging.

Years two and three we had the boat in a slip What a pleasure The only time we trailer now is to take the boat out for a fishing trip down Atlantic City NJ, for a two week trip to Lake George, and to take the boat home from the marina after the season is over. It will then sit in our driveway until April.


Ray

[delevi]

Mine sits on the trailer mast up about 300 yards from the launch ramp. Launching is quick and easy. It's the washing that takes time. Oftentimes, I'll launch the day before and leave her in a slip prior to the day of departure. I trailer to different places about 4 times a year. Time for rigging largely depends on what you have on your boat. A stock boat without roller furling can be rigged in about 35 minutes. In my case, I have all lines led aft, RF, and various other mods. Takes me about an hour and a half to rig, or derig, including prepping everything for trailering.

As for simply getting on or off the trailer, it is easier than many motor boats.

Cheers,
Leon

[JonBill]

Our 26X has been in saltwater since 1999 except for one winter Geoff

Geoff,

I'm seriously considering doing the same with my M and putting her in a saltwater slip full time.

My reasoning is to be able to cut down on the rigging and prep time and to maximize time on the water.

The thing I'm most concerned about is corrosion on the outboard being exposed full time to salt water and in my case in a hot harbor (lots of rusting steel hulled shrimp boats). A minor concern was how to bottom paint the inside of the dagger board cavity high enough up to the water line.

Since yours has been 8 years in the water what kind of outboard do you have and how has it withstood the constant saltwater exposure? Have you had to change outboards during this time frame? What other disadvantages have you experienced if any with the X boat being in the water full time.

I had a Hunter 27 in my younger years and of course it was full time in a saltwater slip so I'm no stranger to that but wonder how the Mac and the outboard will manage.

Kind Regards,
JonBill

[NiceAft]

JonBill,

You may want to send Geoff a PM for a quicker response.


Ray

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

When I kept my Mac in a wet slip, I always tilted the motor out of the water so the only thing you get is some marine growth on the bottom inch or two of the bracket. I used to paint this part of the bracket with some bottom paint.

[johnnyonspot]

I find having a slip to be much more advantageous than trailering. Rigging and unrigging is definitely a PITA, and launching has to be difficult alone, ergo I would only go sailing if I had at least one crew, which meant I did not go nearly as much as I do now, with the slip. The slip fee is somewhat offset by the ability to drive a more fuel efficient car, rather than a tow vehicle, to and from the slip, especially if like me you have an hour+ each way.

[beene]

I have been slowly going around the boat and replacing ever bolt at points that need to be disconnected and reconnected for rigging with quick pins. Bill already set me up good with many points already done that way. He rigged my M with snapshackles all over the place. Main/Headsail/mainsheet blocks/vang.... and the list goes on.

Mast foot.



Boom goose neck.



Forestay.




G

[Francis]

I use to trailer all the time as well and now for the last 2 years I have mine in a slip. It use to take me 1.5 hours to rig, but as delevi mentioned, it depends on what you have on your boat. Mine also has all lines running aft, puls I always rig my reef line in and I also have electronics that I put up and take off all the time as well. Before I added all of these features it only took around 35 to 40 min. But it really isn't all that hard, I just took mty time to make sure everything was up right. Also, launching the boat is always a breeze, and getting it back on the trailer can be a little tricky, but not bad if there is plenty of water. My lake is sometimes really shallow so that makes it a little tricky sometimes, but if it is nice and full then it is really not much of a problem. I do usually power it on and really have never had much of a problem with that. The only time it is really tricky though is when it is a little bit breezy. The boat does tend to move around a bit. I just chalk it up to having a chance to sharpen up my skills. I put it into a slip though because I have to drive 2.5 hours to get to the lake, and if I am only going to stay for the day then it can wear you out driving rigging derigging and driving back another 2.5 hours back home. I do find that I sail a lot more when I just have to drive there, do some minor preps and out I go. I can actually get quite a bit of sailing in even if I go for one day now and I don't feel as tired anymore. But it really isn't hard to rig and derig.

[tangentair]

I trailer it all season and launched from various ramps from downtown Chicago north to the Wisc. After about the third or fourth trip, I could be ready to launch with a 13 year old helper in around 30 minutes – getting it down the ramp and into the water depended on local idiots and various other distractions.

I no longer use nuts on my rudder safety bolts, the bolts never move with the weight of the rudders on them.

Bill at Boats4sale gave me some pins with spring clips to use instead of bolts for the rudders and if I had listened to him better I could probably have been rigged and been ready to go faster. I have to remember to put the clips inboard and hold on to the string tied to the pins 'cause it makes it easier to get the pin out after I have cleared the harbor and want to sail. (I suspect I am not the only one who forgets to remove the rudder’s shipping bolts before use.)
The biggest issue for me has been trailering, that boat that looks so small in the water, looks huge tagging along behind and maneuvering through the Chicago traffic or metro area streets. I would not be as concerned with the putting it into the water or taking it out, as I would with the being sure that you have a vehicle and the driving skills to get it there safely.

[Andy26M]

I've kept mine in a slip 3 of the 4 summers I've had it. Each summer, I've taken it out at least once for a trip to a different lake.

My primary reason for going with the slip is that I do the entire thing solo, so that if I have to do the entire rigging every time, I am tired and sore before even getting started. I also feel like I put a lot of dings and dents in things while rigging ... This would be a very different situation if I knew I'd always have a competent helper with me.

As far as launching and reloading the trailer, I've never had any problems. I drive the boat on and off the trailer every time. This most recent time I loaded it, the lake was very low, so that I could not get the forward v-bunk under water at all; I just soaped that bunk up thoroughly with dish liquid and drove the boat in gently, left the engine pushing gently forward so the boat would not backslide, climbed down onto the trailer, and it took very little pressure from the winch rope to slide her comfortably right up into the "v".

Loading the boat onto the trailer in a cross wind can be very difficult. Most of us have extended the "goal posts" that Mac provides so that they are about 5 feet tall. In my case, since I solo, I added a second set of goal posts forward of the trailer wheels - even in a cross wind all I need to do is get the nose between the first set of posts, and then I can jockey her up and between the second set by letting the siderail bump on the goal posts.

For myself, the hardest thing about getting on and off the trailer is timing - I always try to be at the ramp at off times because I take a lot longer than most boats as I'm doing everything on my own.

There are those who say the Mac handles like a pig, but my opinion is more that it handles differently than other boats. With practice and after learning when to have board and rudders up or down, it is not that bad. It certainly handles better that the last "boat" I drove:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/59/09591001.jpg

- Andy

[jeffz]

We went into the Mac thinking strictly trailer for each trip. After rigging our virgin trip and the admiral making the comment, "So this is why people buy power boats" we went on the hunt for a slip and about 45 days after getting our mac found a good location.

We got it down to 45 minutes or so each way, in and out, but it was a lot of work for a 2-3 hour outing.

We are fortunate to be able to rent a slip 15 minutes from the house for $150/month.

If you go on mostly longer trips it is not too bad, but for after work outings in the summer it was too much time for us to not have a slip.

I would strongly recommend a quick rigging package if you will trailer. BWY set ours up and i cannot imagine trailering with out it. You should be able to get something similar from your dealer if they know anything about the Mac.

jeff

08 M, DF70, CDI furler

[Rick Westlake]

My - new-to-me last June - lives in a slip five minutes from my office, but about an hour from home. I was able to head out of the marina 15-20 minutes after leaving work - great during the summer, and I even got out sailing a few hours the day before Thanksgiving.

I have also trailered the boat up to Baltimore - only once - and even though it was awkward rigging and unrigging the boat, it was worth it for that day of sailing, because I sailed with friends around Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. A delight!

After I retire, though, I want to take the Beija-Flor on a long series of road trips across the USA. But I'm afraid the original trailer isn't up to this - among other things, it's not long enough to hook up a Transom Saver and hold up the drive of my outboard. And I'm going to need a stronger tow vehicle than my Subaru Outback, if only for my own peace-of-mind; the trailer seemed to "wag the dog" more than I like.

(If anyone's succeeded in using a Transom Saver with the short Mac trailers - perhaps finding a way to hook it to the base of the keel, somehow - please drop me a line on it!)