Buying a 1989 26D

[TrailerTrash]

That's pretty much the rig I'm running now. The main has held its shape nicely thus far, but then again that's only been two years.

You convinced me to pass on the RF jib. I'm sticking with hank-on. I figure if down the road I want to try the RF won't really be out much money and there are plenty of people who single-handed without RF on their boat. I'm splurging on a good AP so that should give me plenty of time to manage sails.

[tuxonpup]

We bought our 26X in October as well and our outfitting list has followed pretty similar lines to your 26D's. Latest purchase was a HQST 100Ah LiFePoO4 with their 30A DC-DC/solar MPPT controller. I had a small Eco-worthy 30A PWM controller I used when installing their 130W flexible panel, but wanted something with a DC-DC converter to manage the alternator and solar charging together with Bluetooth monitoring. Trying out HQST, as it's a Renogy house brand and the app should have support for a while.

Really interested in your Liteskin sail experience. We went with a Rolly Tasker Dacron Genoa for the RF, but are considering their Liteskin replacement main sail. Would be a bit of a mixed Oreo sail plan, but hey, why not?

Congrats on the new boat.

I've enjoyed figuring it all out. I'd be interested in your MPPT controller. There is a little 60W alternator on my outboard but I wasn't going to even bother hooking it up. I probably won't be in the water until March/April and I plan on several days just motoring and working through set-up details.

Thanks, we only got two trips in on her before it got cold, all motoring due to a deficit of sails. We'll probably get back out circa March as well.

The HQST MPPT controller is this one: https://hqsolarpower.com/12v-24v-30a-bu ... with-mppt/

Our Nissan 50 has a 130W, 11A alternator output which I left connected to just the starter battery. The 130W solar panel got connected to a little PWM controller, which has separate connections for the house battery and load so you can monitor the charge and draw. It was a nice little temporary lash up that let us hook up the nav/house lights and add a water pump without worrying about running down the starter over night.

We've added a Starlink mini now and a dedicated nav iPad, so decided a MPPT battery controller that can manage both the lead acid starter and a new LiFePO4 house battery was in order. Works great in the house so far!

[Stickinthemud57]

That's pretty much the rig I'm running now. The main has held its shape nicely thus far, but then again that's only been two years.

Pics please!

Sorry, don't have one with the radial Dacron jib...

[Stickinthemud57]

That's pretty much the rig I'm running now. The main has held its shape nicely thus far, but then again that's only been two years.

You convinced me to pass on the RF jib. I'm sticking with hank-on. I figure if down the road I want to try the RF won't really be out much money and there are plenty of people who single-handed without RF on their boat. I'm splurging on a good AP so that should give me plenty of time to manage sails.

I'm sure you will like it. I will probably go with RF one day, but at this point futzing with the sails is all part of the fun, and I am sure the hank-on outperforms roller furling.

[TrailerTrash]

"Trailer Trash" is home finally, made the trip of 120 miles there and managed 19 mpg just pulling the empty trailer, and 15 mpg coming home with the boat.

I was anxious that it would fit on the trailer correctly but I had to make no adjustments. I will push the axle back another 6"-12" to give me some more comfort so that it won't tip back on the transom while I'm jacking it up and I need to lower the ball height on the truck by 2-3" so she rides level without weight in the bed. I'm also going to install the roller on the front cross brace. It has plenty of clearance once loaded, but on the ramp, the bow can easily scrape against the cross-brace when loading at an angle.

I lucked out finding this trailer. Once I make the above adjustments, it should be plug-and-play for years to come. We cut up the original trailer, threw it in the bed and I'll need to run it by the recycling place Monday. The extra 600 lbs in the bed helped me to ride level.

She needs to be cleaned and there are plenty of little things that need addressing, as you would expect from a 36-year-old boat. She needs the windows replaced, some gel coat work, and plenty of details attended to but overall is solid. No leaks down below and no bad smells.

[OverEasy]

Congratulations!
Great looking trailer and boat!
It must feel good to get her home!

How was the trip?
How did it handle while towing?

We, like other owners, use an over wrap strap like you do.
We found it helped keep the boat from shifting when hitting roadway bumps and those expansion joints of concrete highways (like those in North & South Carolina)

(As you might already know the tongue weight at the ball should be at least 10+% of the combined boat and trailer weight for stable towing. More is better than less. Fishtailing can come on quite rapidly and dramatically and have disastrous effects…. It would be interesting what change results before/after when you move the axle aft.)

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[TrailerTrash]

Congratulations!
Great looking trailer and boat!
It must feel good to get her home!

How was the trip?
How did it handle while towing?

We, like other owners, use an over wrap strap like you do.
We found it helped keep the boat from shifting when hitting roadway bumps and those expansion joints of concrete highways (like those in North & South Carolina)

(As you might already know the tongue weight at the ball should be at least 10+% of the combined boat and trailer weight for stable towing. More is better than less. Fishtailing can come on quite rapidly and dramatically and have disastrous effects…. It would be interesting what change results before/after when you move the axle aft.)

Best Regards,
Over Easy

I had read the dimensions others had posted in the trailer section and moved the axle an extra 6" prior to picking her up. I've not put the tongue on the scale yet, but she pulled easily with no signs of sway or fishtailing. I was 60-65 mph and it was smooth sailing, pun intended. I was watching the mast do the wiggle-jiggle over every bump but the trailer itself was extremely well-behaved the entire trip. I proceeded with extra caution, stopping a couple of times to check the trailer, hubs, tires etc...etc... I don't think I'd need to change a thing, but small adjustments won't hurt. My truck can easily support more tongue weight and I had the motor and rudder off the transom in the bed of the truck, along with the entire stock Mac trailer cut up in pieces, and that won't always be the case. I'll feel better with bringing the axle aft a bit, and it isn't that difficult of an adjustment with this trailer.

My foot is FINALLY feeling better, enough that I can climb a ladder and actually work on things. It is amazing how long it takes to recover from having your body carved on, and it turns out, that your feet are necessary for all kinds of movement, not just walking. My capacity to do anything that required manual effort was/is impacted. I'm grateful to be on the mend.

[Be Free]

Congratulations on a successful trip. May you have many years of safe and enjoyable sailing with your "new" boat.

[Russ]

Congrats.

My mast does the wiggle when hitting bumps. I have learned to secure it tight in several places to it doesn't move side to side. Still wobbles.

Now the fun begins. Some photos would be nice. That is one of the best boats Roger built. Can't wait to hear your journey.

[TrailerTrash]

I ordered the Ruddercraft for TrailerTrash today and built a cheap folding outboard stand for my LPG Tohatsu motor.

I found out the 'T' connection in the Lazarrette had come loose and I have about of gallon on the bottom that I need to dry out. The 'T' connection has no barbs, so it slipped right off. I think I'll build one from Schedule 80 PVC, some barbs, and hose clamps should put that back in order. I'm also considering what to do with the various scrapes and bumps. I think I'll grind them out with the Dremel, use some fairing compound and try my hand at basic gel coat repairs, and then I can use some polishing compound and wax to finish off the hull.

[TrailerTrash]

I ordered the Pcnautic autopilot today, and it came out a little cheaper than planned. You have to like that strong dollar.

I have no idea how this will work but it is supposed to interface with my wind indicator and the OpenCPN chart software that I run on my Samsung tablet. The GPS data is on my tablet, and the actual computer power on this thing is a mini-PC that runs a wireless network. I may regret the complexity of this but I couldn't resist the fact that the interface runs on my tablet, and I can use any browser (phone or otherwise) to control the AP and display the data.

[Jimmyt]

Looking forward to hearing how all of this works on the water. Very cool!

[TrailerTrash]

In theory, it is pretty cool. I'll give you the scoop on the reality.

The wind indicator is broadcast via Bluetooth, and I can view that on my phone via a standard software interface, in the Pcnautic interface, or OpenCPN. I'm anticipating lots of tinkering to figure out what works best for me.

But the AP is pretty cool. You have much more configuration capability than most commercial units. You can pick a profile based on windspeed, upwind/downwind, and have the AP behave differently for each condition. It also will navigate to a GPS course, or wind direction if I choose. Say I want it pointed into the wind running off the motor while I take sails up/down, it will stay pointed on the wind even if the wind shifts. I don't know why I would navigate based on wind direction. I guess if you were out in the open and didn't want to tinker with sail trim but I doubt I use it that way.

Also, you can control it from anywhere you have your phone/tablet/computer setup. The linear actuator has a built-in rudder sensor, and their control head has gyros so that the algorithms have data on the boat's attitude, wave frequency, and all that jazz. I'm not sure how much is hype, and how much it will improve over a basic tiller pilot but for a couple hundred dollars more I figured I'd give it a try.

[Russ]

Say I want it pointed into the wind running off the motor while I take sails up/down, it will stay pointed on the wind even if the wind shifts.

Now that's pretty cool right there.