Pop Top Cover 1988 Mac 26D

[r.oril]

I have located a used Pop Top cover for a 25 Mac. I have a 1988 Mac 26D. Question: Is there a difference between the covers of a 25 and a 26?? I believe that the 26D did not have a window in the front.
I dropped mine off at the shop to get an estimate to remanufacture it.
Has anyone had one remade?
Thanks,
Bob

 

[Sumner]

I think you are going to have to do a lot of mods to it to make it work.


Here is a 25....

Ok now here is our S and I think the D is the same....

Notice that the front and backs are angled just the opposite. I like the way the 25's overhangs in the back. That should help to keep water out better.

Here is a link to the 25...

http://www.ne-ts.com/mac/kk/kk-112poptopencl.html

and here is a link to the mods Ruth did to ours....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-canvas/canvas-2.html

...we are real happy with these mods. Before we could not open the front up for air. The same with the back as the windows didn't open. Now we can open both ends and have bug screening.

Before the sides would blow up and let wind and rain in and bugs in, now with the flaps that is taken care of.

Let us know if you were able to use the one from the 25,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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[r.oril]

Thanks Sum for the info. I have drooled over your cover many times. Ruth did a great job.!!
If the cost is too much, I will just make a drop cloth cover for this trip to San Diego for the After Turkey Sail.
I sent an email to a guy on Craigslist selling his 1988 boat, he has a stock PTC as part of the equipment, to see if I can buy it from him.

Bob

 

[oreana123]

Otherwise $150 for a custom PTC made for your boart oreana123@gmail.com

 

[Sumner]

Otherwise $150 for a custom PTC made for your boart oreana123@gmail.com

If we didn't already have one you would of gotten an e-mail order about 3 minutes after reading that. That is a steal and I don't even see how you can hardly buy the materials for that. If someone wants/needs one this is one h*ll of a deal.

Tomorrow I should finish a dodger for the Endeavour that I've been working on for probably 3 weeks at least a couple hours a day. It has been a big project and next it is on to the Bimini and then the piece that connects the dodger to the Bimini and then a full cockpit bug enclosure and then a sail-pack and then...........does it ever end???

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[walt]

John, Im interested in that PTC for the 26C also.

I think if you tried to make us all happy, we would end up with a very complicated "spec" which you may not want to do. So.. what did you have in mind for $150 (which I also think is too low)??

Ive been happy with your work in the past..

 

[r.oril]

:dance:Hook me up! Email sent!

 

[oreana123]

I have a D, of course, which makes it a good model for both a D and an S. Other styles are only gonna get made if I can find a local model.

I will make the PTC out of Odyssey III, which is an acrylic fabric, sewn with polyester uv resistant thread of course. This fabric is lightweight waterproof and has reduced bulk for storage. I will supply snaps, but you must set them. A snap setter is available from Joanns fabrics, cheap but will do the job. One window on the forward wall, I charge for 2 side windows (like $25 or so).

This price is only offered in white, because I got a great deal on a roll of fabric.

2 Zipper entry #10 YKK. The PTC will be cut and sewn generously to allow future shrinkage.

I know from living on my own boat how much room the PTC adds to the interior- my daughter used to play on the forward ledge.

 

[r.oril]

oreana123 - Works for me. Add the two windows please. I checked out your photos. Email me with the total and I will send a check.
Big Thanks!!
r.oril@verizon.net

 

[walt]

PM sent!!!

 

[chp]

Hi Oreana. Just went through your pics. Just as I thought I was getting done with mods I see many new ones I can do. Really like the window ideas.

 

[Sumner]

John have you ever used the common sense fasteners....

.. vs. the snaps? We just finished the dodger for the Endeavour and I put the common sense fasteners on it and I think we will like them a lot better than snaps. There were snaps on the old dodger and some had pulled out of the fabric which was old.

The common sense fasteners are a lot easier and quicker to deal with on the boat. I just put of a page on our site showing how I ....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-canvas/canvas-21.html

installed them ...

...on the fabric.

Here is a picture of the front window that opens with a removable screen...

...for the dodger that has the common sense fasteners on the bottom,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[oreana123]

Oh yeah Sum I even have the 4 hole punch!

Common sense fasteners are especially great when used on a shear. They are generally used in areas that no one will step on. There is more expense associated with their use, but they look fabulous.

I am making a covers for the Mac that will use the factory snap installation, if this were a mainsail cover or a dodger on a frame, I'd opt for common sense fasteners.

For those of you who responded to my offer of PTCs, be patient. I do these one at a time, and I am taking the first person who emailed me. I am almost done with the first, it is looking good. Here is the parts breakdown: 6 yards of fabric, 2 #10 zippers, 1/4 yard of clear vinyl, 4 spur grommets. First one has taken about 6 hours of my time. I have about another hour. $150 divided by 7 and not counting the fabric and parts means I am working for very little.

I do not know if I have another 6 yards of fabric left on the roll that I am working on. I got a great deal on the fabric because the edges are FU, which increases the time spent squaring the edges before cutting panels. It also increases the amount of running yards used as it is not full width after I trim it. So let's say I use 8 running yards to make 6 squared yards.

 

[oreana123]

For those of you who want a PTC with 3 windows, just thought I'd comment on privacy vs number of windows and also the greenhouse effect. Since what is in front of the boat is always of interest, I make a window there. But if you are tied to a dock, people will be walking by right at the level to look in your boat, and if there is a lot of sun you'll receive a lot of radiant heating. Just saying.....

 

[oreana123]

Sum that is a great tutorial on the common sense fasteners. I have the same hot knife, it gets used almost every day. I have the fabric cutting shoe for it, but I find it takes too much time for something like a boat cover. I use a 2 needle sewing machine to sew most seams. so I don't have raveling issues over the life of the cover. But I really like the modified soldering iron tip- I have always cringed when cutting those holes and just hoped for the best. Now I have to get another dedicated soldering iron, maybe find a way to modifiy a cheapo $1 iron by grinding it down. And your dodger cover looks great!

 

[Sumner]

For those of you who want a PTC with 3 windows, just thought I'd comment on privacy vs number of windows and also the greenhouse effect. Since what is in front of the boat is always of interest, I make a window there. But if you are tied to a dock, people will be walking by right at the level to look in your boat, and if there is a lot of sun you'll receive a lot of radiant heating. Just saying.....

Those are good points. We don't have the problem with privacy on anchor, but once in Florida we were tied to a seawall by the Rod and Gun Club at Everglades City and people did walk by and yes they could look down into the cabin. If you get the side windows and spend time in marinas maybe pay John some more for roll-up side curtains.

The other thing I would think about paying him more for would be a zipper in the front down the middle. We found that we could get a lot of air in the boat with the pop-top up and pulled open...

...in the front with an air diverter towel just above the sink area. The side walls on the cover and the...

.. towel divert the air right down on you. Now this only works on anchor as the boat will swing into the wind and the wind direction will be just right. We also found that if there is wind then usually the bugs aren't flying so we didn't need to use the screened openings in front that don't let as much air in as folding the back does.

We had considered screening the sides, but there again on anchor if there is wind it is going to be coming from the bow and not abeam.

John I think it is reasonable that when your current material is gone or you have completed these orders that a price increase is reasonable. I don't know what the pop-tops cost way back when the boats were new, but even $300-$400 for material and labor seems way fair to me, especially with a few additions to them.

We like the screen front and rear and the rear flap longer than the original so that there is not rain coming in over the top of the companionway hatch.

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[oreana123]

Thanks Sum

My own pop top cover has a zipper in the front window with screening. Same thing in the back, zipper and sceening. I am almost always on the hook at night, so I do have side windows as well.

I can imagine that in Florida you would want any air movement possible!

 

[r.oril]

I'm excited!:dance:

 

[Mic Jones]

Looks as though I missed out.

Today I got the boat set up for some winter refits. Took off the mast and installed a 3 foot high dummy mast using a 4x4 post. I put up the PT and fastened it to it.

My first job was to install the gas struts, as John showed me. It was getting too dark so I decided to try the cover, which I've never used and its in good shape, better than anything else on the boat. It was close to zero and though stiff went on well. but was 3 inches too short to reach the deck and 8 inches too short to reach the hatch. So the original cover material does shrink. It has two side windows and front center zipper from the bottom up to close. Will have to search for some one local who can add strips. I have some snaps.

John I think it is reasonable that when your current material is gone or you have completed these orders that a price increase is reasonable.

I agree with Sum

 

[Sumner]

My first job was to install the gas struts, as John showed me. It was getting too dark so I decided to try the cover, which I've never used and its in good shape, better than anything else on the boat. It was close to zero and though stiff went on well. but was 3 inches too short to reach the deck and 8 inches too short to reach the hatch.

Mic is it possible that the way you have the struts installed that the pop-top is going up higher than it normally would when attached to the mast? I can't see it shrinking that much??

Now saying that our stock cover barely...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/our-mac-pics-2.html

...reached the cabin top and would not keep wind from coming in under it. Notice the daylight under the bottoms above.

It also barely made it to the companionway hatch and water could come in there. Above you can see it covers the top of the hatch, but that is deceiving as there again with wind and rain it would bow in.

The skirts we added...

... inside along with ties that can tie to the pop-top supports, see above, and ...

.... outside skirts now keep the air and rain out of the sides and the longer back flap takes care of the companionway.

Not much to making those changes. Putting in the opening screened front windows was a learning process though,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links