26M Daggerboard Problem

Win · Post by **Win** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:47 am

I have my first problem with my new 2005 26M. The daggerboard will not go down more than about 10 inches. It appears to get "wedged". Both ropes are clear and are not the problem. After the daggerboard stops its decent, it is very difficult to pull back up. To get it back up requires standing over the daggerboard opening and pulling straight up.

The boat is in a slip and I did not have my mast raising system with me to let the mast down. I hope I can let the mast down, pull the daggerboard all the way out of the housing and clear the problem. The Mac is my first sailboat and my highschool physics leads me to believe that I can remove the daggerboard with the boat in the water without a problem. However confirmation from Board members is requested.

Has anyone had a similar experience? All suggestions are appreciated. I have only been out on the boat twice but I have learned a lot from you guys already. Thanks for your help.

Catigale · Post by **Catigale** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:53 am

If you can get a helping hand maybe two of you can lower the mast and get your board cleared?

Sorry about your problem - Im an

er so cant be of more help.

Andy26M · Post by **Andy26M** » Mon May 09, 2005 8:37 am

You'll want to bring something along to allow you to secure the mast off-centerline once it is down. With the mast in the carrier on the pulpit and the cradle aft, it rides directly above the daggerboard trunk so you cant get the daggerboard out through the top without moving the mast aside.

Given that you're talking about a jury-rig to hold the mast, I'd recommmend pulling the boat up on the trailer so if something goes over the side it can be more easily retrieved ... not to mention that you have to disconnect the safety line to the daggerboard to lift it out, and if something slips the daggerboard will sink like a rock...

Just because you can't get the daggerboard to go all the way down when you want it to, does not mean that it won't glide smoothly down the trunk and into the murky depths once you have both lines untied

Also, if you lift the daggerboard out and there is no indication of the problem, you'll be better able to see what is going on inside the trunk if the boat is on the trailer - you can crawl underneath and look up.

I'm betting you have a piece of line or something tangled down there that is hanging you up.

- AndyS

P.S. for the X'ers who may never have looked at an M's daggerboard setup - the daggerboard trunk runs straight through from the top deck under the mast through the bottom of the boat - the daggerboard itself can either be lifted out through the top or dropped through the bottom, and once it is out you can look straight through from the top to the water or ground below (assuming it is not fouled).

richandlori · Post by **richandlori** » Mon May 09, 2005 8:58 am

I can see two causes for your problem, one easy to fix, one a disaster:

The cause you are hoping for is that something is wedged into the trunk

The cause you don't to have (or think about) is that the center board is warped....yikes.

On the saftey line...WHAT saftey line? I don't think I have EVER seen a saftey line on my dagger board! Where is it? How can I tell If I have one, but just haven't seen it?

Rich

Win · Post by **Win** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:19 am

Rich
[quote]On the saftey line...WHAT saftey line? I don't think I have EVER seen a saftey line on my dagger board! Where is it? How can I tell If I have one, but just haven't seen it?

My daggerboard has two lines attached. The one used for lowering and raising leads through a brass pulley on the stainless steel hinge that covers the daggerboard opening to a block on the starboard side and then aft to a cleat at the cockpit. The "safety line" is attached to the top of the daggerboard and feeds through a small hole in the hinge. The line has a stopper knot tied at the end. This knot prevents the daggerboard from dropping out the bottom should your main line come loose.

Win

Win · Post by **Win** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:37 am

Additional Information

Daggerboard performed as expected on maiden voyage with dealer in Atlanta. Since then the boat was trailered 170 miles to Birmingham, sat in back yard for a few weeks (being admired by neighbors) and then trailered 50 miles to the lake. I had not attempted to lower daggerboard again until the failed attempt yesterday. The boat has only been in the water for two weeks. Barnacles should not yet be a problem, should they?

Dealer suggest I pull the daggerboard out while in the water first to see if that clears the problem. I will secure the safety line first to assure that the lake gods do not claim the daggerboard. If that does not work, hauling it out and looking from underneath appears to be the next logical step.

Thnks for your suggestions.

PS: Do you think the white daggerboard is mismatched to my blue hull?

Andy26M · Post by **Andy26M** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:48 am

Win -

One other suggestion, if you are keeping your boat in a slip for a long while:

While you have the board out, paint the lower six inches of the board with bottom paint if it is not already. With the board all the way up, it is still not all the way out of the water. The folks who did my bottom paint originally did not put any on the daggerboard at all - so while the bottom of the boat remained very clean, it looked like I had a football attached to the bottom of the daggerboard...

- AndyS

Andy26M · Post by **Andy26M** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:50 am

Rich -

I don't think the 2003 26M's had the safety line, at least not the early ones. It was added after several folks accidentally dropped their boards.

- AndyS

Jim Bunnell · Post by **Jim Bunnell** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:22 pm

Rich-

I lost my first daggerboard - no safety line - and my dealer got MacGregor to replace it with one that had the safety for free. You might see if your dealer can work a trade for you so you have that line.

richandlori · Post by **richandlori** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:09 pm

I plan on driving down to the boat Tomorrow (5-10-05) to do a bit of work and will definitely check into this saftey line issue.

Thanks for you info.

Rich

David Clarke · Post by **David Clarke** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:26 pm

How does that "safety line" attach exactly to the top of the board? The factory gave me a line when I requested one free of charge, but didn't provide details on how to install it. Does it use the same hole and hardware as the original line going into the top of the board? Thanks for the tips.

Sea Dragon · Post by **Sea Dragon** » Mon May 09, 2005 6:05 pm

I was one of those unlucky ones who lost their dagger board and my dealer got the factory to replace it also. The safety line attaches to the top of the dagger board and goes through the hole in the bracket (you may have to drill the hole) that has the small pully for the control line for the board. The bracket looks like a hasp. The key is to put a ss washer on the safety line and tie a figure 8 knot no more than 57 inches from the bracket. The idea is not to let the dagger board drop more than 57 inches. John L

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

26M Daggerboard Problem

26M Daggerboard Problem

Should be possible

Bottom Paint

Safety Line