Just purchased a 2000 26x and truly enjoy it. I keep it on the water down in key largo. Is there a bilge pump on the mcgregor and if so where? Also it only has foam in one compartment in the bow. Is it suppose to have foam in all the compartments throughout?
Bilge pump on macgregor 26x
- Thread starter Flyinlo
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I have a 2002 26X. The factory does not install bilge pumps. I bought an electric bilge pump 2 seasons ago and have yet to install it because I couldn’t figure out where to put it.
According to the factory, (a) there is really no common low point to place the pump, as the bilge is criss-crossed with ballast tank and structural members, and (b) "you should never have any significant water in there anyway".
After futzing with it for the aforementioned 2 seasons, strangely enough I've come to agree with them on both points. It seems that the ballast tanks divide the bilge into at least 3 areas, and water does not pool between them. So to really cover it, you'd need pumps in all three areas. And I have to say, after having and really using the boat-- including Key West to Dry Tortugas and back in 8 ft seas-- it doesn't really seem to get water in the bilge.
I may still put it in. Seems like pretty-good locations would be under the aft settee / cooler, or under the galley to get the starboard & port sections, respectively. Unfortunately, I see no place to put one in the center section without cutting fiberglass.
Best of luck with it.
Ted
According to the factory, (a) there is really no common low point to place the pump, as the bilge is criss-crossed with ballast tank and structural members, and (b) "you should never have any significant water in there anyway".
After futzing with it for the aforementioned 2 seasons, strangely enough I've come to agree with them on both points. It seems that the ballast tanks divide the bilge into at least 3 areas, and water does not pool between them. So to really cover it, you'd need pumps in all three areas. And I have to say, after having and really using the boat-- including Key West to Dry Tortugas and back in 8 ft seas-- it doesn't really seem to get water in the bilge.
I may still put it in. Seems like pretty-good locations would be under the aft settee / cooler, or under the galley to get the starboard & port sections, respectively. Unfortunately, I see no place to put one in the center section without cutting fiberglass.
Best of luck with it.
Ted
Use Your Pump For A Wash Down Pump
My 02X does not have an installed pump either. So far, I also have not needed one. What little water I have found inside the boat has been easy to sponge up. But, I only go looking for water maybe once a year. If you want to carry a pump for safety's sake, make it portable. Put long wires one it and a flexible discharge hose. Then you could move it to whatever area needed it. You could also, more likely, drop it over the side and suck up sea water to wash the boat.
I have never looked in the compartments forward of the ballast vent hold. They probably do contain floatation foam. The other area of floatation is under the cockpit floor and seats. You can access that area by removing the black panels above the rear berth.
Ken
My 02X does not have an installed pump either. So far, I also have not needed one. What little water I have found inside the boat has been easy to sponge up. But, I only go looking for water maybe once a year. If you want to carry a pump for safety's sake, make it portable. Put long wires one it and a flexible discharge hose. Then you could move it to whatever area needed it. You could also, more likely, drop it over the side and suck up sea water to wash the boat.
I have never looked in the compartments forward of the ballast vent hold. They probably do contain floatation foam. The other area of floatation is under the cockpit floor and seats. You can access that area by removing the black panels above the rear berth.
Ken
If memory serves, there is one 'hatch' that is screwed down in the bow area (maybe two - can't recall exactly). That (or those) are the only ones with foam, since if the ones without screws had foam, it would just float out when swamped. The cabin roof/deck area under the anchor locker is also foamed, if I recall, along with other parts of the boat that are less obvious.
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