Need new OB for my Mac26C, info requested.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sep 9, 2011
1
MacGregor 26 St. Louis
Hi All, I should like to replace my older 10hp Merc with a new 4-cycle with electric start. As space (width) in the transome cut out is limited I am seeking advice from others that have done so. Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated. Also, what would be your first choice for a motor today?

Just a thought, but have others "opened the cut out" to gain more space for the larger motor?

Thank you, Karl of St. Louis. You can reply direct to targetguy39@hotmail.com
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Hey I grew up in north St. Louis County.

Here is what we got and why and yes we would do exactly the same again.

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-25.html

The outboard performed flawlessly on a month trip last fall In Florida and in the 2 month 400+ mile trip this past spring. We have now bought 2 outboards from onlineoutboard.com with no problems and good service....

http://www.onlineoutboards.com/


Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links
 

walt

.
Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
Both Sumner and I did something similar and he will likely post on this..

What I did was put a permanently mounted transom riser that moved the outboard up 2.5 inches and back about 2.5 inches. I bought a 9.8 hp Nissan extra long shaft and this outboard is 5 inches longer than the standard long shaft.

So I end up being able to fully rotate the outboard and the prop is also 2.5 inches deeper than the standard long shaft. I don’t sail in the ocean but I do sometimes motor sail and before on one tack, the outboard would occasionally cavitate because of boat heel. After the mod, this "issue" pretty much went away. I’ve been very pleased with this...










 
Aug 20, 2011
75
Macgregor 25 Sacramento, CA
Not to hijack the thread but with the cutout you still find that a long shaft is necessary or just desireable?

As a new boat owner and never dealing with gasoline outboards (but hating the smell of gas fumes) no issues with having the tank in your living area? I've been looking at electric but just don't think I can get the thrust I might need.
 
Jun 30, 2007
277
Macgregor - Spring Creek, FL
Karl, I've got a 26c and an 8HP 4 stroke Tohatsu long shaft on it with an unmodified well. I keep it locked into one position most of the time because the water I sail in allows me to keep most of my rudder down most of the time and I steer with the rudder. I have navigated tight turns in marinas with no problem. I can steer with the motor, but movement side to side is limited.
 

Attachments

Jul 24, 2005
261
MacGregor Mac26D Richardson, TX; Dana Point, CA
Sum and Walt make good sense....

for lakes - a 4HP with "thrust ring" pushed my 26D to hull speed - FAST.. I did not notice a lot of effect with moderate wind, either...

We got the long shaft for our boat - for several reasons. When we go to Galveston or points south, we did not want the prop coming out of the water when waves were following. Some people (with short shafts) mentioned that. It was not a big deal, it seemed - and the weight of a 4 hp - 2 stroke was really nice..... We got the Nissan 9.9 - with electric start.

I did not worry about me pull starting the motor - but suppose the wife or daughter were in the boat - and *ahem* I was not.... then I want as few of issues as possible in a night, MOB situation. I guess that is paranoid - but that's what the "last 5%" of sailing is like..

There are some folks from the Pacific Northeast with a lot of experienced advice on motor size, as well. They deal with some really tough currents.

--jr
 

walt

.
Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
Ok.. add the importance of the outboard to rotate to the religion and politics catagory.. not all will agree and all will have good points. I think if I could not rotate the outboard, I would need a prop which does better in reverse than the one I have.

One last picture.. I really like the outboard well on the 26D and S. But.. my well was ALWAYS plugged up with leaves, etc.. Last year I plugged the hole and made a new one - shown with the arrow. I also got rid of that fricken T connection of the tubes inside the Laz area - also always plugged up... The picture looks like the hole may not drain the laz - but the hole is right at the bottom. No more pond back there.
 

Attachments

Sep 26, 2010
808
Macgregor 1993 26S Houston
I 2nd the motion for needing to rotate the motor.
I have a Honda 8 hp, mounted in the stock well.
The rotation lock doesn't work very well but it turns out that if I want the motor to stay straight, I just put it's tiller arm down. The motor naturally pushes the tiller up against the side of the well. It's pretty much straight at that point.
When I'm docking and there is a lot of other boats and/crosswind, I raise the motor's tiller, and I can rotate it either way.
When you aren't going fast enough to steer with the rudder, you need the ability to steer with the motor. Or at least get the boat started turning.
Sometimes I use it to hold the boat up against the dock temporarily for passengers, if I only have 1 dock line on the bow for example. Put it in reverse and point it towards the dock.
 

walt

.
Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
One final last "last picture" :D

Some of you have been posting pictures of ways to lift the outboard for some time.. I finally broke down this fall and added something for this.

I have two ropes with "T handles" for pulling up the outboard. For the top one, I had to drill a hole in the outboard cover (yikes.. this was painful to do). The second tether/T handle is connected to the "release lever" on the outboard using a radiator hose clamp. T handles are easy to find at a hardware store (landmower or chain saw sections - used for pull start).

Lots of ways to do this.. this one is fairly simple but it makes raising the outboard WAY easier and I also use the top tether to hold the outboard over to the side when Im sailing. I did this after burning my hand one hot sunny day on that black outboard cowling.. sun had made it real hot..
 

Attachments

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
One final last "last picture" :D....Lots of ways to do this.. this one is fairly simple but it makes raising the outboard WAY easier and I also use the top tether to hold the outboard over to the side when Im sailing. I did this after burning my hand one hot sunny day on that black outboard cowling.. sun had made it real hot..
Hey post all the pictures you want, they always help :dance:.

I added a lift to the Honda....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-24.html

...right away mostly for myself since I'm getting old and it is way easier. Now I also consider it a safety feature like having electric start. It doesn't do much good having the electric start so that Ruth can start the outboard if I fell overboard or was hurt if she can't get it down into the water.

I added a lift to...



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-29-a.html

...the new Tohatsu for her and myself. If you mount it at the back of the outboard you don't have to drill the cover and the cover comes off and you aren't pulling on it, but do whatever is easiest for you. The line to release the bail to lower the outboard, lower right arrow, is with the up-haul line.

Now she can raise or lower the ....



... outboard alone with the 2:1 advantage and it is way easier and faster also for me to raise and lower the outboard. We raise it every night on anchor regardless of if it is in fresh or saltwater and it keeps the growth down in the saltwater.

Thanks to Walt bringing it to my attention about the outboard falling over while heeling I ....



....added a simple hook that holds it over to one side before we went out the first time with it.

Do this mod, via whatever approach works for you and you will really like it,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links
 
Sep 26, 2010
808
Macgregor 1993 26S Houston
The reason most people raise their motors, IMHO!, is they think it makes the boat faster.
I haven't done a very accurate test but I've sailed with mine up, and down and I can't tell the difference. Since my gas tank rides in the motor well and I'm too lazy to move it just to tilt the motor up, the motor stays in the water!
How long in the water would it be when you begin to see stuff growing on it?
I'm cooking up a trip to Bolivar Texas right now. If I anchor at walking distance from the beach, the kids and the admiral can come out with the dinghies and play and they can leave when they want to or stay over on the boat. I can stay as long as I want and since I'm already on the Gulf I can sail several miles out and look for Tarpon or Reds or Kings or something fun to catch.
Jim
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
I asked at Jensen's where we stayed a couple days last fall what they would recommend about leaving the outboard in the water or pulling it out when you could. They said that they pull all of the outboards on their rentals out anytime they had a chance. Now these boats are in the water all year.

We have sailed with it in the water, but with the lift it is so easy to pull out and put down that we do that unless we forget. We always have pulled it up at night in fresh or saltwater. Of course the gas tank isn't in the way now. Before the inboard tank we kept the tank on the ...



...port side cockpit seat, so it wasn't in the way of pulling the outboard up there either. It is behind the cushion above.

....How long in the water would it be when you begin to see stuff growing on it?
I'd check with locals, but I wouldn't worry too much if you are talking less than a few weeks and then it is pretty easy to get off at that stage.

Our boat had new bottom paint last fall before going to Florida and it should of been good for what we paid for it. We were in the water for almost a month and had no growth on the paint. No real growth on the rudder that wasn't painted and the same on the transducer for the depth finder and very little on the bottom of the dinghy that was in the water all the time with no paint.

This spring it was much different when the boat was in the water almost 2 months. Very small less than 1/8 th barnacle near the back bottom that came right off. That of course had bottom paint on it. The inflatable dinghy had to be cleaned 3 times total in that time and the barnacles got pretty large in my mind, but were still under 1/4 to 3/8 inch in dia. There was also some slime buildup, while none in the fall and the bottom paint has an anti-slime component. The rudder also had to be cleaned. A fair growth of slime at the waterline that I had to wipe off on the water using the dinghy a couple times. Barnacles on the transducer, rudder bracket, rudder and anything else that wasn't painted. Had to clean all of those a couple times on the water and at home.

That was in SW FL and the Keys. I guess it is different everywhere and at different times of the year. If you are only going out for a couple weeks I'd just go and clean the boat when you get home,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links
 
Status
Not open for further replies.