Motor size to drain ballast.

[Tim]

I'm buying a 26x. Could someone tell me how big of a motor I need to drain the ballast while under power?What size of motor and what speed?Any help would be greatly appreciated.Also, is it hard to pull a 26x out of the dock on its trailer if the ballast is full? I have a 94 nissan pathfinder.thank you

 

[Dale]

26x Motor Requirements

I had this same question when I bought My Mac 26x 5 years ago. I spoke with one of the engineers at MacGregor and he suggested a 15hp would drain the ballast OK. I however settled on a Mariner 25hp 4 stroke. It drains the ballast as easily as a bath tub but the motor is a bit heavy if it need to be removed for service. The 25hp also does a great job of getting me off the lake if bad weather blows in. I have also pulled my boat out of the water with water ballast still loaded with a 6 cyl ford Aerostar. Just open the drain valve once on the trailer ans as you start up the ramp if you experience any towing difficulty just pause a second; the water drains out extremely fast. I never had any trouble pulling my 26x with my 6 cyl vehicle. I also launched twice with a 4 cyl Ford Ranger (no ballast) howwever my first trip down the ramp HAD to be a good one because I'm not sure I could pull the boat out with that small a vehicle. I hope this is some help to you. Good luck you will love this boat.

 

[Tim]

Thank you Dale

I am greatful for the advice.Tim

 

[Roland]

pulling a 26mac

Hello dale a friend of my has a 26S mac and I took the boat with a toyota 4 cyl. truck to the ramp had no problems pulling the boat or putting it in to the ramp. because he has a 9.9 motor on it we can not drain it before taking it out. but had no problem pulling the boat out we open the vaule before you start to pull the boat out and as you start the water in the tank is high than the water in the bay so I just pull it out enough to where the water drain out and then pull it all the way out once the tank is dry. my truck is a 1991 toyota old and still running good and have never had a problem pulling the boat out and taking it home.hope that helps Roland

 

[dan]

Ballast Drain in The Mountains

The ballast drain speed is 8-10 mph. The 25HP motor will do that just fine at  sea level. My 26X up here in Colorado at 6000' altitude has a 3% HP drop per 1000' above sea level, or 24%. That leaves you with 19HP. At this elevation I would recommend a 50HP(4-stroke) to leave lots of  room to get you out of bad weather. Drain the ballast COMPLETELY before you even try to pull the boat out of the water. The added weight will put a huge strain on your truck. You are at or over your towing capacity as it is with a Pathfinder. Weigh the entire boat package at a truck scale. The boat and all your stuff will approach 3500 LBS. With ballast thats 5000 LBS. No need to invite truck repair bills !