what is the difference in sailing a c to a x to a m , i might buy a x or a m . i enjoy sailing my c , although my skills are limited . would it only be a expert that would be able to notice the difference .i don't intend to do any serious sailing , but because i am berthed in the west coast of scotland ,i think the more powerful engine would get me home quicker ,if the weather changed . i also find the c impossible to berth single handed ,because of the position of the engine tiller . i have tried fixing the engine and then i can stand up and steer using the boat rudderbut i don't think that it is as responsive , i know the x and m have wheel steering and i think as far as sight is concerned this must be better to berth . i have also bought a engine tiller extension ,but then my engine movement is restricted because of the handrails
Sun, 01/09/2013 - 12:23pm
#1
sailing a 26c x m
Andrew, can't say much about the M, but if you are having problems with the steering of our classic, try berthing backwards. Have the rudder up and steer the boat just with the engine in reverse. You'll have much better control in close quarters like this. You might want to consider a tiller extension for the outboard as well. Remind me, what type of outboard do you have ? If you have a rather clunky engine powerhead, this will also make it difficult to turn the engine in the outboard well. You could consider sitting the outboard on a bracket a bit higher as long as the shaft is long enough. Best wishes, Immo
Hi immo my engine is a Honda 9.9 . I have tried a tiller extension on the engine ,but the extension was hitting off the rails around the sides of the boat. I have thought about reversing in , I will give it a go and let you know . Thanks
Andrew, something other Mac owners have done is to mount a tiller on top of the engine cowl :
http://www.holderness.info/boats-a-projects/macgregor-mods.html#outboard
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-18.html
Wondering if you could get away using metal "spacer bar saddles" (as used for rigid trunking) to mount a one inch pipe as handle ? Or maybe your existing tiller extension fits into them ?