Directional stability under power

A forum for discussing topics relating to MacGregor Powersailor Sailboats
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moonie
Chief Steward
Posts: 78
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:27 am
Location: spain

Post by moonie »

Berthing my M is always with the CB and both rudders down and between 1knt and idle speed the boat has good steerage. On leaving the berth I have 1 boat length to reverse out and turn.Even in winds I manage this easily with the same combination. I have at times needed to come out of tight situations at close quarters when a boat has been coming out when I'm coming in with no problems. You can see in the photo how we dock in the MED.
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Duane Dunn, Allegro
Admiral
Posts: 2459
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:41 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Bellevue, Wa '96 26x, Tohatsu 90 TLDI and Plug In Hybrid Electric drive
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Post by Duane Dunn, Allegro »

The only thing I'd add differently is I find around a dock I prefer the centerboard (or daggerboard) full down. This greatly increases how quickly the boat will turn. Particularly with an X, having the board full down moves the pivot point 4' forward compared to just letting it's tail peek out of the slot. With the board full down and the rudders full over the boat will almost spin in place. This is great for tight spots.

Last New Years Eve we spent the night at BWY on Lake Union after the fireworks show. It's a tight entrance with a hard left at the end to get along the wall with not more than an extra 1/2 boat length to manouver in. With the fins down there was no problem getting in. The following morning when we left I had just a sliver of the board down and even with both rudders hard over the boat wouldn't turn sharp enough to exit the area without fending off the adjacent dock.
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