Capt. JG wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
I don't get it. Why does the Mac "need" an engine 3 times as powerful as
all of its competition. And why is that a safety feature?

Because the "sailor" driving it is either insecure about himself or not
experienced enough to deal with the conditions, including "getting to the
sailing area" under sail. The engine should be a last resort.


Yes, this one has had me thinking some. I understand Jim's point that
the high freeboard can cause a bit of a problem. However, the small
sail area on the boat only generates a limited amount of power. I
can't find my reference (Gere's book) but I think all he could count
on from his sails in 14 kts would be around 6 HP. Even doubling the
wind only brings it up to 24 HP. Certainly others of his size, such
as Neal's banana boat, can get up to hull speed with an engine under
10 hp.

So claiming that 50 hp is required to power the boat is essentially
claiming that the boat would be unmanageable under sail. In other
words, the big engine would allow to get offshore fast, but then
you're in deep **** if it died, because the sails do not generate
enough power to get you back.