The Official "What Did You Do To Your Mac Today" Thread!
- Thread starter Sock Puppet
- Start date
I'd hustle yer bacon. Judging by the eastward movement of this polar pita, you've got about 74 seconds before it arrives.
Down to the wire but... It's done! Safely put into storage. I do need to go and clean it out but it's home. We got to the storage place about 3:30. It didn't start raining until 6:30 here.
From the forecast it looks like I have to get the power washer in from the garage soon. I don't like this symbol ---.
Nothing really epic about the trip home other than the wind gusts. I've never pulled a boat in such crazy gusty conditions before. It's worse than driving a Geo Metro in a light breeze!
I used the ramp at the marina next door to avoid the almost $300 extra to lift the boat off the trailer it was on and set it on mine... That extra fee was a bit of a surprise! I suppose me taking the boat next door was too...
The trailer worked well. I do need to move the axle back a few " to get a bit more weight on the tongue. I'll wait until I have the boat off for bottom work next summer to do that.
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Getting down to the wire here, myself.
Today, I ground down the rusty spots and sprayed the bare metal with a rust-converting primer.
Tomorrow, epoxy fill and fair.
Today, I ground down the rusty spots and sprayed the bare metal with a rust-converting primer.
Tomorrow, epoxy fill and fair.
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Walt just hang that puppy over the side. Maybe not the dog but the BBQ.
That is a huge banana on your floor justsomeguy! It's starting to turn a bit too.
I went McGregor shopping again!
When we were in front of the wall of work socks I told Jasmine that I saw allot of comfy socks. She said. "I see monkeys!"
Tomorrow is her 7th BD. I made her an owl pillow tonight.
That is a huge banana on your floor justsomeguy! It's starting to turn a bit too.
I went McGregor shopping again!
When we were in front of the wall of work socks I told Jasmine that I saw allot of comfy socks. She said. "I see monkeys!"
Tomorrow is her 7th BD. I made her an owl pillow tonight.
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this sounds crazy and maybe it is.. but I’ve done this strange mod on three different sails now and "I could swear" it makes a difference. A bunch of years ago I was using windsurfing sails on an ice boat and broke a batten near the mast. I re-inforced all the battens near the mast creating a "parabolic taper" in the batten. I.e., the batten was stiff at either end with the flex where you want the sail profile. It seemed to make the sail faster. Another guy did the same mod and also thought it made a difference. I did this on my C15 and have been sailing it like this for several seasons. I just did this on my Mac 26 sail. I gave the top two battens a parabolic taper and sewed in the battens just behind the mast in the pictures. Exactly why this "seems" to work.. I could give a bunch of guesses but the leading part of the sail is where the highest and lowest wind velocities are and maybe that flat spot helps keep the flow attached for the single surface sail???
Most likely crazy whacked out idea.. but it seemed to make a difference yesterday.. but unless you are racing on a regular basis, you never can really tell.
Most likely crazy whacked out idea.. but it seemed to make a difference yesterday.. but unless you are racing on a regular basis, you never can really tell.
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I took the bottom end off my new used 1973 Johnson 6. I'm really surprised to not find water in the oil.
I have to replace the water pump and I'll change the oil while I'm there.
On these older motors there was a secondary water inlet on the side of the leg. Mine only had one screw in it. Now it has the threaded part of the screw in it... I busted the screw when I was trying to remove the cover plate to clean inside. I have drilled the bolts out but have to find a easy out small enough to extract them.
I found that one of the bolt holes is just about stripped on the leg... I may just make it bigger and use a different bolt. May end up doing that for the water inlet too.
It was Jasmines BD today and she loves the Owl I made her!
I have to replace the water pump and I'll change the oil while I'm there.
On these older motors there was a secondary water inlet on the side of the leg. Mine only had one screw in it. Now it has the threaded part of the screw in it... I busted the screw when I was trying to remove the cover plate to clean inside. I have drilled the bolts out but have to find a easy out small enough to extract them.
I found that one of the bolt holes is just about stripped on the leg... I may just make it bigger and use a different bolt. May end up doing that for the water inlet too.
It was Jasmines BD today and she loves the Owl I made her!
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On the hole that is stripped I would install a helicoil instead of a larger bolt. On bolts I have broken off I have very carefully drilled the center of the screw out with a smaller drill just slightly smaller then the screw and then retapped the bolt. Most of the time the remains of the screw will just come out when you tap it. You can try to find an easy out to fit but with a very small screw you may break off the easy out and then it is really hard to get the broken easy out back out.
the last couple days I've been rerouting my electrical for my navigation lights and the starting circuit for my new 8 hp tahatso electric start motor. when I'm done i'll post so pics and get into alittle more detailI've found threads like this to be a ton of fun, and very informative!
Post up here with your latest modification, update, improvement, or frustration. Let's share ideas and pictures about what we're all doing to our boats so we can learn from one another.
When possible, post links to the products you used or the full "how-to" thread if there is one.
It can be as small or big as you want! Did you add some fuzzy dice? Post it! Did you install a Caterpillar diesel and 200 gallon fuel tank? Let's see it!
The point is to share and keep other owners motivated. Even if you just washed and waxed it, tell us about it. All you did was go out and have a nice sail...let's hear it! Buy a new-to-you Mac? You must share!
I found my screw extractor. Looks like I'm going to have to drill them out and go with a bigger screw or fill the holes with aluminum brazing and drill and tap.
I didn't quite get the center of each bolt so the hole is going to be bigger...
I'll see what my size options are for new screws once I have the broken bits out. If needed I can take it to a guy to use his Tig welder to fill the holes.
I don't want to use something like JB Weld on this. Not that it's structural. I just don't wan to have to do it again any time.
I have had luck with helicoils before but this is really small.
I will see about a helicoil for the hole in the leg though.
I broke a cylinder stud in a corvair aluminum block. I brought it to a machine shop that specialized in an electronic process that only acts on ferrous metal. the broken stud was gon, the thread were in tact and the cost was reasonable. Can't remember what the achronym was EDP or ECR hell I can't remember where my car key are half the time.
When I replace the main sail on my C15 (current main is about 40 YO
) Im going to get a full batten sail and then stiffen the battens for about a foot behiind the mast for the "parabolic taper".. this is what I had with the original windsurfing sail used on the ice boat and also on the top two battens on my 26S main. I stiffen the batten by wrapping glass tape /epoxy in the area that I want, then wrap with electrical tape while the epoxy sets. Electrical tapes comes off after epoxy is set. If you are ever feeling all experimental (Im remembering your rudder experiment).. you should try this..picture from a couple days ago
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I think I will try that. I don't know if I'd use hard or soft battens though. Hard could be a pain to put in the sail cover. Or not...?When I replace the main sail on my C15 (current main is about 40 YO
picture from a couple days ago
I have seen a product called something like soft battens...? It is a foam batten that is meant to be used with furled sails. Main or head. The foam comes in different strengths (stiffness's..?) and can be made to be tapered or any shape you want.
I still have the whale fin rudder project in the shop. I can't get to it until I have all my Mac's in charter though. So maybe next fall I can get a rudder produced. (Also a whale fin DB while I'm at it.)
I used fiberglass battens that I have lying around from a variety of old sails. I got some 2 inch wide nylon web and completely wrapped the webbing around the batten (ends treated for abrasion) and then sewed the webbing to the sail. Batten lengths ranged from about 1.5 foot to 1 foot. I always put these where there was a slug. I then added the fiberglass tape/epoxy stiffener to the two top full length battens on the side closest to the mast. The sail goes up and down no problem. This last recent trip, the boat was in the water for four days and I didn’t bother to put the cover on but I don’t believe it would have been any problem in the slightest.
Since you race your boat, you will have a better reference for a change. I got in a couple good days sailing with some other sailboats and thought it likely had made a difference except straight down wind where you are only using the sail for drag..
Since you race your boat, you will have a better reference for a change. I got in a couple good days sailing with some other sailboats and thought it likely had made a difference except straight down wind where you are only using the sail for drag..
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back in Colorado freezing again..
I put all the funky main sail "flat spot behind the mast" stuff here
http://analogengineering.com/sail/mac/sail.html
picture from yesterday (Dillon res in Colorado) tryinig to stay ahead of a snow storm
I put all the funky main sail "flat spot behind the mast" stuff here
http://analogengineering.com/sail/mac/sail.html
picture from yesterday (Dillon res in Colorado) tryinig to stay ahead of a snow storm
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