good morning, i just purchased 1993 Macgregor 26s, wondering as far as water ballast, its trailered waiting to get in water but i went and tried to check seals for balast, filling from top and lower seal leaked majorly. is this right or is seal bad, and where can i get new seals. checked all over internet
macgregor 26s ballast
- Thread starter hedgy
- Start date
Are you talking about the ballast tank seal under the boat? If so, then you definitely need to fix the seal. Otherwise on a long reach, you will loose your ballast. I don't know what the valve looks like on a Mac but I made mine for my H26. I made a "damn" around the valve cover and filled it in with goop and let it dry.
Here is a post from a few years ago
Here is a post from a few years ago
Ballast Tank Gasket (DIY Project)
Hey All I had a very successful two days working on my new-2-me Hunter 26 and wanted to share something that worked out very well. On several occasions in the past, I have made small gaskets for the washers that snug up on swing keel bolts and I thought I'd try the same approach (but on a...
forums.sailboatowners.com
They have them and are inexpensive enough that it’s not worth making your own. On this page you can find both the complete assembly and just the gasket: Hull Hardware Check the description to be sure they match your boat.
My only beef with BWY is the shipping will likely be equal to the cost of the gasket. I try to group items I buy from there for that reason.
I don’t think SBO (the gracious sponsors of this forum) have them as I couldn’t find them with a quick search.
I agree with williamtl, shipping is the only down side to BWY. But if you spend a little time on their site you're bound to find many other thing to piggyback on the order! I keep a "wish list" going there and then if I need something in a hurry I pile on items from my wish list.
Addendum: I recently took a little extra time to fill the ballast an inch or so above what I used to do and I was impressed at how big an improvement it was. Now I fill that sucker right up every time.
Addendum: I recently took a little extra time to fill the ballast an inch or so above what I used to do and I was impressed at how big an improvement it was. Now I fill that sucker right up every time.
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I have a Mac 26X, same thing, center hull fill pad rubber hard and leaking. Bolt heads wear corroded enough that major time pulling it apart for new rubber pad seal wouid be needed.. I cleaned the old pad good, dryed with a hair dryer. and made a nice 1/4" O ring around the periphery and a couple cross pad on back side of the bolts. Let it cure for two days and reinstalled. Worked perfect, still working a couple years. Worked like a large O ring glued to the pad. I used Dow 795 silicone, had it left from window replacements. Capt Vince Rakstis, Ret.
You just have to wait long enough for the tank to equalize with the outside water level. The manual says you should be able to touch the water thru the air hole when it is full.
On our Mac 26 we use a little petroleum jelly as a seal dressing for the lower seal and upper hardware. I would pull the assembly and check it over for porosity corrosion (esp. at the weld joint) and if the seal seems good (not stiff and cracking) I'd try to lube it before buying a new one.
We replaced the whole assembly through BWY and when I tested it on the trailer it leaked before using a seal dressing.
On the upper hardware the petro jell keeps the hardware from binding and giving a false sense of tightness.
We replaced the whole assembly through BWY and when I tested it on the trailer it leaked before using a seal dressing.
On the upper hardware the petro jell keeps the hardware from binding and giving a false sense of tightness.
