26X typical speeds under sail and motor

[sunshinecoasting]

Hi All,

I am a new 26X owner who hasnt received my boat yet, it is still in transit to its new home in Australia.
I am trying to get a feel for some weekend cruising and distances, to do this I need to know what the typical speeds are for my boat, I realise that 4691 variables come in to this calculation but lets just use these ones for fun, they are typical for my area;

Wind speed : 12Knots
Coral Sea : 2 ft swell, no discernable ocean current
Macgregor 26X - Nissan 50hp 2stroke - factory main and furling Genoa
three people on board with 12 gallons fuel, bedding, 35 litres water and sufficient food for 2 days.

Typical sailing speed with full ballast and board down - cross wind and well trimmed sails.
Typical motoring speed maximum at WOT no ballast no centre board or rudders.

Any other thoughts I havnt added appreciated.

Thanks, Dennis.

[bartmac]

Slow.....we tend to go in the direction the wind blows

[yukonbob]

We are heavier than you and depending on how much time you plan moving vs anchoring we'll do 80-90 miles in a weekend. Leaving sat morning getting back sun afternoon. This is usually a 40% sail and 60% motoring. We motor (combination cruising/trolling speed 7.5 / 2 knts )into the wind in the narrow fjords and sail back wind depending.

[raycarlson]

Sail average 4-5 knts, power average 10knts w/ballast 14knts w/o ballast. 20 literes an hour fuel at WOT

[Tomfoolery]

I've never used the boat outfitted for other than day sailing, but with 3 men, no ballast, mast up, boards up, 'standard' interior (table and cushions in place), and minimal equipment beyond what's required by the USCG and common sense, I regularly top out at 16 mph (~14 kts) in light conditions, per my gps. Or maybe it was 18 mph. I can't remember now. That's at WOT with a Honda BF50 4-stroke with 11-3/4 x 10 pitch 3-blade prop. I use a 4-blade with 9" of pitch for wakeboarding, but I don't know what the top speed is - probably a little less, but the hole shot is stronger, which is why I use it.

As to sailing, I really couldn't say. I'm still getting used to how it sails, which is quite a bit different than other boats, and my main sail is original and should have been tossed years ago. I can tell you that the 150% genoa is better in light air, but the 100 or 110% working jib will point higher, which on my lake is important with winds almost always out of the west, unless I want to sail straight across to Canada and back. Which I've done. Several times. Just not in this small boat, thank you.

[JotaErre]

I have reached 6 knots sailing (with mainsail and 150% genoa) and 13 knots on power, with the ballast tank full.

You can cruise up to 10 knots with the ballast tank full, but 7-8 knots is less noisy, the autopilot can control the boat easier and you burn less fuel...

[mastreb]

I can't speak to power, but under sail when well trimmed you can expect about 50% of windspeed upwind to about 50 degrees off of true wind all the way around to running, which may reach 70% of windspeed.

[yawlboy]

I have a 2000 X with factory Main and newish Jib, 50HP Yamaha 4 Stroke (2006). I regularly get 5 to 6 knots under sail and I've seen 17 knots under power with no ballast. Hull is anti-fouled as she is on a swing mooring for 6 months of the year.

[bastonjock]

best i had with two guys on board with their weekend clothing and bedding, was a tidal assisted 9 knots it was on a broad reach and the tide was almost around 2 knots,best with the engine was a touch under 18 with one guy on the bow in a flat sea with no tide,i also change the angle of the engine as there is a sweet spot close to verticle that gets about another .5 knot

generally i aim to motorsail aat around 5-6 knots,saves a lot of fuel

[Whipsyjac]

+1 to pretty much everyone.

Boat loaded down for a week's cruise with a family of 5.
Under sail beam reach 10knots wind: 4-5knots with spurts to 5.7 in the gusts, 3-4ft swells(delicate balance of sail to keep from rounding up as the waves come of stern quarter).

Motoring with ballast 7knots(6.5 would be theoretical best as that's the supposed hull speed). About 1.5 NM/liter. Took on extra passengers(7 aboard)

Motoring without ballast or much in the way of gear, flat water, 3 aboard, 14.4knots


96Merc 4Stroke 50(non-bigfoot)

Willy

[vkmaynard]

We get the same numbers under sail. We've sailed as fast as 8.5 knts surfing down waves and 7 knts on a fast reach. 5-6 knts is not unusual on a strong day even with a reefed main.

Under power with two people, no drinking water, empty boat and mast down we max out at 27 knts. Provisioned boat, mast up, 4 crew max speed 23 knts. Provisioned boat 4200 rpm cruise 19.5 knts. No ballast on these numbers.

Suzuki DF90, stock sails.

Victor

[yawlboy]

27knots with a 90 - thats impressive, very tempted to upgrade. Did you have to strengthen the transom in anyway? Upgrade steering etc?

[vkmaynard]

We added 3/8 plate to back of the transom with same plate on the front. Probably you only need the plate only on the forward side.

[richter372001]

Max sailing speed cca 6.5 knots, with a 150 genoa, and in the just-right conditions - almost no swell, but in a healthy breeze.
Max motoring speed w 60HP Suzuki w antifouling, no balast - 16 knots. This drops with the weight and the hull growth.