25 FOOT VOYAGER NEW OWNER

[DAVE ROSE]

We are new to sailing and have just purchased a used 25 foot MacGregor Voyager. 1) What size outboard should I buy? Any recommended makes, models, hp, etc?2) What is the purpose for the large styrofoam blocks under the bow and aft? Is it ok to remove them to gain more stroge area? We have a six foot steel keel and don't think we will have a threat of capsizing.

 

[Brian M]

Congratulations

Dave Congrats on your purchase. Both of you questions have been covered as well as many of the soon to come questions, in the archives of this forum. It takes a little time to go through but it is well worth it.However I'll answer both here.1. Motor size. Nothing bigger than 9.9 HP. If you have the money, Honda makes a great motor which has an alternator for charging batteries and light electical power. The reason for nothing bigger is two fold. One, the weight of the bigger motors puts undo stress on the transom and motor mount. Two, The hull design will only let your MAC attain a max speed of approx. 6 knots +- 1 knot. No matter how much power is pushing it.2. The styrofoam in the hull is bouyancy material that is supposed to allow the boat to stay afloat even if it fills up with water, much the same as a canoe does. Many people in this forum have removed some or all of the styrofoam. It it totally up to you.You'll find the below link very interesting, lots of MAC stuffGood SailingBrian M

 

[John Dawson]

Motors and floaters

There have been many discussions, available in the archives, on the subject of motor size for older Macs and are a great start to get many opinions. I will risk summarizing them by saying that they mostly range from about 5hp to 9.9hp, with 7-8 being the median. The lower sizes will weigh and cost less while giving near hull-speeds in calm conditions. The larger sizes were favored with coastal conditions that include currents, wave action and strong winds. Also be aware that many lakes have restrictions for maximum size or pollution (2-cycle vs 4-stroke), so check your intended locations. As for the styrofoam blocks, they are necessary to give Macs their advertised 'positive-flotation'. While I would love to have that storage space too, I would never sail without them; I suspect that will be the prevalent advice on this site. A boat that will stay near the surface is safety and salvage smart. (That keel hangs by a pin in plastic.)

 

[Doug Rodrigues]

Outboard 4-stroke Vs 2-stroke

Prior to buying any outboard, go to the manufacture's web sites to compare weights. The 4-strokes are much heavier. I use a 6 hp 4-stroke Nissan on my '83 Mac 25. With a three gallon gas tank, it will run three times longer than with the old 2-stroke outboard. Also, you don't have to mix oil into the gasoline. The downfall with the 4-stroke is vibration. The vibration of the 4-stroke broke the 5/16" stainless steel bolts on the swing-up engine mount. Replacing the 5/16" bolts with 1/2" galvanized bolts solved the problem. So...if it's smoothness and lighter weight you want, get a 2-stroke, but plan on burning a lot more gas. The 4-strokes run much better at idle. I can my 4-stroke to idle so slow that I can actually count the power strokes. With the two strokes, you may have to "play' with the throttle to keep the RPM's down to keep the engine from stalling....as during docking.