MacGregorSailors.com

I've got to agree. It and the furler were the best mods I ever did. I removed that 15" wheel as soon as I got my new 99 X home from the dealer. I've been preaching the large wheel for years.Steering if fun with it.

Blast you guys. All this time I've been living in steering wheel bliss - not knowing how much better a bigger wheel was. Now I've got to put that on my Mods list.

Mark Prouty wrote:Blast you guys. All this time I've been living in steering wheel bliss - not knowing how much better a bigger wheel was. Now I've got to put that on my Mods list.

Just to tempt you...

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/ ... tId=712080

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... ename=WDVW



--Mike

The eBay one is the same wheel from the same vendor I got mine. I got it for the opening bid plus shipping, but if you guys all want one you better be careful not to all start bidding against each other. It's the third one I've seen go for the min opening bid so if you're patient you'll probably be able to get it for that. The guy keeps doling them out, one at a time every few weeks, probably to keep the price where it is, though of course, I have no idea how many he has. The shipping seems high but it's coming from Western Canada; when I got mine it had a postmark on it indicating just under $25 Canadian. Probably the discount for the Canadian dollar would just about cover the packaging and handling, so it's a fair amount.

It's a new wheel, has a sticker that says "Made in China" as does the original 15" I took off my Mac. Have no idea where the Schmitt wheel comes from. At that price compared to others I've seen I wouldn't be surprised if it's China as well.

I don't particularly care for the teak center cap, I like the original Mac black plastic one better, but they're not interchangable. The original Mac cap is larger, so it could be turned down to fit, but then I'd have nothing to go with the original wheel, which would make it harder to sell. Maybe I'll just paint the teak one black.

I just placed my bid - the minimum. With all these testimonials, how could I resist. Plus its a relatively inexpensive upgrade.

Chip,
Let us know how the grab bar works out. I'm not real big and am hoping I can slip by the wheel without too much trouble.

Sloop John B wrote:Someone suggested removal of the helm seat. I think I should cut away some of the cockpit benching which would surround such a good thing and put a bar stool (that swivels up and down) with a lower ring for the heel of my shoes to rest on, just behind this big wheel so that I can swivel it up to see where I'm going as the bow tilts up when I'm roaring across the sea.

Yes, where's my saw? Find my catalogs.

I already did that mod and it wasn't very good. I have changed to putting a shelf/deck aft and installing a 50 quart cooler as a seat.

The problem with the boat seat were many. The only place you can mount the round base plate is on the step down aft of the main cockpit floor. I had the longest adjustible seat pole I could find, yet it still was not enough see over the bow when planing.

The seat was in such a position that you really would have had to do some fancy mods to be able to put some sort of transom blocker that would block the engine noise.

I kept it there for about 8 or 9 months and never really liked the result. The new ice chest deal is so much better in so many ways.

What about removing the seat and replacing it with a plank then mounting a pedistal seat on the plank?

To play devils advocate in this thread, I used to have a pretty big wheel on my former boat...didn't ever measure it, but it was probably about 30-36 inches (bigger boat too though). You could get past it the way Chip mentioned....but there were a couple significant problems.

1. You couldn't get by it real fast...it always took that little maneuver which slowed you down. This is slowed down even more when there are 4 people in the cockpit. I found myself stepping over people quite often...which can be a bit awkward.

2. If you ever sailed with more than 4 people, it was pretty hard to get them all in the cockpit. This is because the big wheel (in relation to the helm position) effectively removed 2 whole seating positions. Although I had a couple less kids back then, I now have a family of 6 so this is a big issue for me. If you typically sail with only a couple people, you won't notice this.

Anyway, maybe a few extra inches isn't much of a big deal, but you might want to be careful about going hogwild...

Dimitri,

Your points are valid, and like Chip, I pondered this before buying the 22" wheel by doing some pre-purchase testing in the cockpit to see how much of an obstruction it would cause. I came to the conclusion that, although obviously it would slow me down a little, it wouldn't be that big of a deal (but then again, we usually only have 2 adults and 2 kids on board... things get much tighter when the in-laws are in town).

But still, the joy of this larger wheel cannot be overstated... it really is FUN to steer with it. In short, the benefits (more precise control, less effort to turn, easier to reach when standing, big boat look and feel) far outweigh the cons.

--Mike

i do not think that the 22' steering wheel does obstruct the cockpit. when sailing singlehanded i mostly sit on the windward side in front on the wheel. steering from there and having the jib sheets in reach. with crew one is behind the wheel to steer. i agree that more than 4 adults in the cockpit is crowded. but if you compare you will remark that many larger boats (up to 32 ft) have smaller cockpits than the macx (and larger wheels).

if you decide to go with a 22' wheel take one the is not or very few dished. that preserves you the space between the wheel and the helmsman's seat. that's why i recommend the vetus wheel.

The Vetus is a very nice wheel, but at USD $185 plus shipping for the Vetus, compared to $51 including shipping and insurance, I'm pretty happy with my China-made eBay special. I don't know what the dish angle is, but I didn't notice that it interfered with me sitting or standing at the wheel.

Hey Guys - are there any pictures of the 22" wheel on a ?

I'd like to see it...

Rich.

Check back Sunday night. I hope to get a chance to sail with my new wheel this weekend, but I'll take some pictures regardless.

Chip Hindes wrote:The Vetus is a very nice wheel, but at USD $185 plus shipping for the Vetus, compared to $51 including shipping and insurance, I'm pretty happy with my China-made eBay special. I don't know what the dish angle is, but I didn't notice that it interfered with me sitting or standing at the wheel.

Search on eBay for "helm wheel" reveals eleven hits, none stainless. Is the guy selling right now?

Wow! all this talk about steering wheels is making me drool unfortunately I have an early 2003M and as everyone knows Roger shrank the cockpit. But since it is a relatively inexpensive mod I think I'll try as others have and make a tempory mock-up wheel and stick it on my current 15" wheel to see if I can still get past, as it is the passage is pretty tight. I doubt that 22" is in the cards but 18" might be doable and with any luck maybe 20" at any rate the stock wheel does suck and it also sqeaks a lot when I turn it, does this mean it needs servicing?