help me please - need mac 26d trailer measurements

[robertsdecker]

I just bought a 1987 mac 26d, love the boat, but it SWAYS like crazy. I'm towing it with an 2002 explorer. I couldn't get above 45mph before it would start to sway. 50mph got dangerous, so I backed off for the rest of the ride home. I've been reading about mods, trailer weight, etc. and I'm processing all of this, when I remembered what the previous owner said. "I had the trailed modified to keep my tires from getting wet when I launched the thing."

Hmm... how would you do that? possibly by moving the cradle (yoke? whatever the name of it is) for the front of the boat backwards? If he did that just to keep the back of his car dry it would really jack up trailering performance. That would dramatically change the balance point for the rig, and really increase sway, as the boat is moved back about a foot in the rig.

Anyway, could someone help me with measurements so I can check this theory out?

I need to check these measurements

1. tongue (center of where ball would go) to front of yoke (where bow of boat goes), If you could measure it both flat along the trailer to where it attaches to frame, and then again to a point directly to the bow ring thingie that you attach the winch strap to (I really need to brush up on the boat terminology). I don't know exactly what welding he had done, so I want to get the right info.
2. tongue to axle
3. axel to rear of trailer (if it's not too much trouble and you're already measuring things, just to round out the picture)

This is the original 1987 trailer sold with the boat. I don't know what years mac modified their trailers, but I'm pretty sure any of the newer x's or m's won't have the same dimensions.

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Spohn]

The easiest way to increase the distance between the boat and the tires of your Explorer would be to weld a section into the tongue of the trailer. Can you see any tell-tale weld marks?

[Jack O'Brien]

Will a tongue extension cause more or less sway of an X?

[Tom Spohn]

A tongue extension will cause less weight to be placed on the coupler on the end of the tongue, thus causing more sway. On our X when the fenders were just covered with water upon launching the back tires of our '02 Explorer were just at the water line. If you have lots of dry area between the waterline and the back of the Explorer when the fenders are just submirged I am guessing the PO extended the tongue. It is lots cheaper to wear rubber boots when launching than to loose your rig on the highway

[Frank C]

I just bought a 1987 mac 26d, love the boat, but it SWAYS like crazy. . . . 50mph got dangerous
... previous owner said. "I had the trailed modified to keep my tires from getting wet when I launched the thing."
... Hmm... how would you do that? possibly by moving the cradle (yoke? whatever the name of it is) for the front of the boat backwards?

Robert,
Your '87 Mac shouldn't have nearly the trailering problems as a tail-heavy Mac26, which is the basis for most advice you'll see here. That's also the reason you'll wait a long time to get measurements on that trailer. You might try joining Sailnet's Mac Classic list server to find a larger population of Mac Classic owners.

Returning to your own statements above - The PO might have changed only 2 things:

• 1. extend the tongue (would make a minor change in balance)
  2. move the winch post aft (would make a drastic & dangerous balance change).

Extending the tongue isn't too big a deal if the trailer has no brakes, but your handling problem sounds pretty severe. I'm betting that he had the winch post moved aft, as you surmised. The 26X winch post is welded, but on many boat trailers it is just clamped. Examine your's carefully and choose next step. If it's only clamped, you're in Fat City!

Good luck with the trailer ... Congrats on the new boat.!

[robertsdecker]

the post is welded on, if it was clamped it would be a piece of cake. I don't know if he did a welded extension, or just moved the post. I'll check out the trailer in the daylight.

this isn't a small sway, it is quite drastic. I've towed travel trailers, smaller boats, heavily loaded utility trailers (up to 22 feet) and I'm familiar with freeway sway. This was much, much more severe.

[Moe]

It would help if you could post a picture of the side of the trailer and boat on a website somewhere.

--
Moe