albion wrote:As you can see in the picture, the boat is not bow down.
I really don't think you have a problem with the mast rake, and I'm not sure that your forestay was actually too loose. You can clearly see that your mast is much more perpendicular (looks 90 degrees) compared to the X. What I do know is that's a really nice looking 26X parked next to your starboard side. Must be some nice people.
All this about the forestay determining mast rake. ... well yes, but that is so easy to lengthen. Even past the turnbuckle adjustments. Just get a strong 90-degree twist shackle, or a straight one, whatever it takes, put between the tang and the next thing on the forestay. Fine tune with the turnbuckle. If you have a Furler, remember the connection cannot let the drum shell rotate. Since I raised my furler about a foot ( relocated jib hound higher up mast ) it opened up all sorts of adjustment, besides allowing visibility under the Genoa, and relocation of the lifelines to the top edges of the bow pulpits.
I have been lurking and occasionally posting to this website (and the previous version) since I bought my Mac in 2000. From what I had read about adjusting the mast angle from posts on this website, I was a 100% believer that the forestay was the key getting the mast angled correctly. Now, I am no longer "in that camp". This summer, when putting the mast up for the first time, the side stays seemed a bit loose. Instead of just moving the pin up one hole on each side, I moved the pin up two holes on each side. As my brother and I were trying to muscle the mast up to vertical, the side tension was massive. We could not quite pin the forestay with that much tension. Before we let the mast back down to ease off on the side stay tension a bit, I looked up at the top of the mast. The top of the mast was bent way back. I changed holes on the side stays to reduce the tension, then we swung the mast back up to vertical. The side stays were just the right tension, AND the mast was still bending back - not as much as before, but definitely toward the aft of the Mac. We pinned the forestay the same length as I have been doing for eight summers now, yet the top of the mast was at a different angle. Changing the length of the forestay still might be a way some of you can change the mast angle on your Mac, but on mine, it was the length of the side stays that made the difference.
FWIW,
Dave "Jac"
boat is not bow down.
If you have a Furler, remember the connection cannot let the drum shell rotate. Since I raised my furler about a foot ( relocated jib hound higher up mast ) it opened up all sorts of adjustment, besides allowing visibility under the Genoa, and relocation of the lifelines to the top edges of the bow pulpits.
