26s raised hatch

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chadwiseman
Chief Steward
Posts: 81
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:50 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: St. John's

26s raised hatch

Post by chadwiseman »

Is there any means to sail with the hatch raised? I have to remove the boom vang to put it up.
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WinSome
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:35 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Hamilton Ontario Canada

Re: 26s raised hatch

Post by WinSome »

You’ll have to use one or the other. Maybe OK up on light wind day. Might not be best practice the rest of the time.
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Stickinthemud57
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
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Re: 26s raised hatch

Post by Stickinthemud57 »

+1 to what Winsom said about it being an either/or decision and light winds.

If you have a traveller, it can be used to improve downwind performance with having to use the vang, although not quite as effectively. If I am sailing downwind or on a beam reach with the sail to starboard, I will set the traveller car all the way to starboard and trim the sail. In this position, it places more downward pull on the boom than if the car were set amidships, bringing the boom a bit lower, thus exposing more sail area. This has the added advantage of improving access to the saloon. Not as good as the vang, but better than nothing.
The key to inner peace is to admit you have a problem and leave it at that.
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