Storage on a Mac 26D?

MrBill_FLL · Aug 9, 2011

I'd check out sumner's boat on his anchor and rode storage.

I've used several different size plastic bins below deck.

a lot add 4" pvc tube to hold propane bottles...

and I mounted some netting over the V berth to hold the sails and other things..

what are you looking for?

Sumner · Aug 9, 2011

MrBill_FLL said:
.. anchor and rode storage...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/rigging-20.html

and...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-4.html

MrBill_FLL said:
... plastic bins below deck...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/inside-28.html

and...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/inside-27.html

MrBill_FLL said:
....4" pvc tube to hold propane bottles...

MrBill_FLL said:
I mounted some netting over the V berth to hold the sails and other things..

We saw where you had that and thought it was a great idea and bought a cheap cargo net, for a pickup box, to use the last trip. We wanted it to possibly dry cloths if it rained and were going to put it in the V-berth like you did. Never did it though as it never rained

:cry:

. We will keep it on board, so thanks Bill for the idea,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

doehunter · Aug 9, 2011

tjar said:
All good ideas. I will eventually implement some of the mods suggested, but for now, I'm just trying to figure out the best place to stash stuff on my new toy. Any tips or lessons learned about what goes where? For example, the area under the sink goes around and under the bench, and is hard to reach. What kind of stuff do you usually stash there?
What about under the V-berth or aft berth? The anchor rode is currently in a plastic tub. Do you put this under the V-berth, or is it too hard to reach when you need it?

My 'S, has a good bit of storage that like you, I haven't utilized yet, either because I'm hesitant to start cutting, or just haven't had time yet. The area under the V berth would hold a lot of stuff but the access hole is so small, you would have to use smallish tubs.
The space under the settees, is a good spot, again using several smallish tubs on each side.
Sumner had a good pic of some kinda flat tubs under the aft berth cushions.
I'm going to take a closer look at Walmart and copy that one.
Under the galley is another spot that's wasted on my boat. It's getting closer to the top of my to do list! I saw where someone cut a big hole in the counter space and stuck an Igloo in there. I've been molling that one over. It looks like a good use of the space, my cooler is always out in the floor in the way. Lots of guys put the cooler at the edge of the aft berth, but I have stuff there already.
I did add some plastic storage bins with pullout drawers right between the top of the ladder and the front of the cockpit floor. I use that for stuff I need to get to easy, like tools and flashlights.
One thing about all that lower level storage is that it's in the bilge. I think it stays wetter in there than the rest of the cabin so you have to be selective about what you keep down there. My sails stay in bags in V berth. High N dry!

MrBill_FLL · Aug 9, 2011

fyi, my collection of pic of mac's http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/ftldiver2/MACGREGOR/?start=all

not all are my boat.

btw, the best storage is of course the lazarette... put a floor in there and it will hold a lot.

-what year D is this? (89 has the flotation over the v berth)

89 verth: (and all S)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/ftldiver2/MACGREGOR/picmacgregor26doe.jpg

vs mine:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/ftldiver/mac/83ca9199.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/ftldiver/mac/7da6920c.jpg

(hatch storage: http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/ftldiver2/MACGREGOR/P1000516.jpg )

MrBill_FLL · Aug 9, 2011

I have basic sterilite tubs from wally world, with no tops. some have to be compressed to get into the stock opening... They only need to be ~5" tall to keep water out. (remember sailboat can heal 25degrees...

The ones sumner is showing could get water in from the top if it heeled way over... (which is not going to happen! when Ruth is aboard!

)

I ended up cutting a hole in the top of the sink for a small cooler but it hits my sink drain fitting to the hull. works ok, but need to be careful... but the main benefit was watering the batteries which I put under the sink. (probably a mistake).

-one thing to watch is how the weight is distributed not only front to back ,but side to side..

as you look over the boat, most of the storage is on stb, so the boat tends to list that way... (even with the engine on port).

-walt has a nice cooler setup (just aft of the head door on port). -one of those blue cube coolers.

fyi: port, note the tub most aft, is only a few inches high, and the tool box is plastic... (the same size tub is forward of the tool box but rotated 90degrees and a shoe box fits on the high side...)

next time aboard, pour 1 gallon of water in the bilge and see how much it look like. a little seems like a huge amt on these boats...

finally, those plastic shoe boxes fit all the way in the aft bilge... I put a 12 inflator, spare batteries, and other seldom used junk there... boat hold a lot when you use the tubs...

but then you need to really watch the vent hole... someday you'll find the water line is so low, water comes out the vent, and could sink the boat if not careful.... then you'll need to raise the vent

Sumner · Aug 9, 2011

MrBill_FLL said:
......The ones sumner is showing could get water in from the top if it heeled way over... (which is not going to happen! when Ruth is aboard! )......

......one thing to watch is how the weight is distributed not only front to back ,but side to side....

Hey since I did a 10 minute seal job on the chain plates and windows with 4000 last fall we haven't had a drop of water in the bilge area, so no water to get into the containers. I like those as they have a handle on them and I can easily pull them out and they slide forward towards the bow. We keep setup gear and sailing gear in them. Hey and Ruth is starting to feel comfortable with 15-16 deg. if I kind of sneak us up there

We also use the same or similar containers under the sink for washing/cleaning supplies and 2 large first aid kits that Ruth made up and only she knows what all could be fixed/repaired on a person using them

.

We try and keep tabs on how the boat sits in the water fore/aft and side to side like you mentioned. We move things around accordingly, but fix most of it with how we use water....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/inside-16-a.html

...out of the 8 containers we have on board, six of which are shown above,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

MrBill_FLL · Aug 9, 2011

yep, hauling water is what put me below the natural waterline!

the new boat should be a good platform for getting use to healing... its a lot more stable platform than the water balast mac's

-thread hijack: so, when you coming down again? this time we got to meet up!

Sumner · Aug 9, 2011

MrBill_FLL said:
yep, hauling water is what put me below the natural waterline!

the new boat should be a good platform for getting use to healing... its a lot more stable platform than the water balast mac's

-thread hijack: so, when you coming down again? this time we got to meet up!

Yes she feels very comfortable on the new point, even to the point she is forgetting to wear her PFD

:cry:.

Ruth had foot surgery about 1 1/2 weeks ago and it turned out a lot more complicated than what we thought it would be a couple months ago. She is doing good except has internal and external pins and has to hobble around in a special boot device. She won't get the external stuff out for another 5 weeks. She needs to have the other foot done also and tomorrow we are going to see if the doc can do the surgery on it the first of Sept. so that she can get this all behind her.

We had planned on going down the first of Oct for a couple months, but now think that is out of the question and are trying to get down in January and stay for the spring til maybe May-June.

We probably have at least a month's worth of work to do on the boat when we arrive, so hope to be on the water late Feb.. I think we will stay in Charlotte Harbor between Pelican Bay and Punta Gorda for a couple weeks and make sure the mods are ok and also try and really learn how to sail the boat in a more protected area. If everything is then fine it will be out into the Gulf and either north or south

. You will have to plan a trip over once we get on the water or if we head down to the keys meet up down there,

Sum

P.S. Sorry for the thread interruption guys, now I know a number of you guys have some storage solutions to add.

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

vizwhiz · Aug 9, 2011

I'm paying very close attention, as this is about the point we're at - where to store stuff! (I'm just about ready to put the boat in the water...no wait...the BOAT is about ready to go in the water, I've been ready to put it there a long time!)
What about PFD's? They can take up some space!
And flares/fire ext? Do you have a special storage location for those?

And a previous poster mentioned that they put the batteries below the galley - me too...about to post another thread to ask about that. At this point I haven't accumulated too much...uh...stuff...for the boat, so I'm not quite to the point others are, I'm sure...but will probably get there without too much trouble.

MrBill_FLL · Aug 10, 2011

most of my PFD's are below the aft berth. but I keep a type 4 (cushion) and 1 or 2 in the lazarrette, in case I really need them. (I like Sumner cut the long hatches about 1/3 so I can open them up without removing all the bedding.)

my PO got that Orion orange flare container and mounted it on the cabin wall near the companion way. (I like the container, and put a few more items in there).

I have 2 extinguishers one on the support post next to head, (vberth) and one in the lazarrette.

When you mount the fire extinguishers, you don't want to have to go thru the fire to get them. (ie don't mount then next or too close to the stove).

also look on macgregor-sailors and here in the owner profiles...

----
Sum: Please give Ruth my best wishes for a quick and painless recovery.
-I'd like to try and bring my boat over to charoltte harbor and meet up with you when you come down. (I'll just need to find a good ramp)

r.oril · Aug 10, 2011

So, if you store all that "stuff" in the compartments, where do you store the flotation blocks?
I have my second battery strapped to the dagger Board housing under the sink with plumbers tape. I have the rest of the area under the seats and berths filled with foam blocks. The laz has a plastic bin with the anchor stuff in it, plus the gas tank, bumpers, etc. are stored there. The forward v berth holds a plastic bin with stuff and my back-up rudder. My cooler rides with me topside.
I am just a "Day Sailor" on local lakes.

Lots of good ideas in this thread!

Sumner · Aug 10, 2011

r.oril said:
So, if you store all that "stuff" in the compartments, where do you store the flotation blocks?..

The S doesn't have foam under the V-berth like the D, it is above and ours didn't have any under the cabin seats either. Tons of room under the V-berth and it is very easy to add more hatches up there....

...I've gone the cheap, quick way and others have bought nice looking hatches to use up there. My feeling is that it is under the bed, so we aren't that concerned about the looks there, but I like looking at the ones others have put in.

tjar said:
The anchor rode is currently in a plastic tub. Do you put this under the V-berth, or is it too hard to reach when you need it?

I'm a firm believer that the anchor should be ready to go over the side at a moments notice. Hopefully you never need to do that, but it is a nice option to have. When we first went out I just looked at the anchor as something that had to be drug out at night, but now view it as what if the 'sh*t hits the fan' and we need to try and stay in place 'right now'. We have only done that once and it wasn't a dire emergenancy, but we did need to stay in position to fix something. At the moment I can't remember what it was

, but I do know that it was nice being able to immediately drop the anchor.

In Florida this really has its benefits as the water is hardly over 12 feet deep on the Gulf side anywhere you go. The need to stay in place there with currents and the nearby shallow water also increases. In places like Lake Powell or in Idaho and Canada on glacier created lakes where it can be 200-300 feet deep just off shore you aren't going to anchor, but there is also less to run into.

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-4.html

It takes about an hour to put an ABS plastic tube that you can get at Home Depot on the bow with hose clamps and you can buy a cooler bag like I used with the hard liner for $20. Tie the bitter-end of the rode to the pulpit and you are ready to go. I can't see why someone wouldn't at least do that. Get the cooler bag....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/rigging-20.html

...with the hard insert. The top stays open and the sides don't cave-in. You can stuff the rode in it as fast as you can get to the anchor, no need for coiling, and it will come out everytime without tangles,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

r.oril · Aug 10, 2011

Sum - Good point on the anchor. I will make the mods required.
Thanks.

MrBill_FLL · Aug 10, 2011

yep,

I watched a large 40+ sailboat go through a drawbridge with heavy current, (jewfish creek, key largo), and fowled the prop from the dingy they were dragging, and then were heading towards a dock at around 3 knts...

They tossed a big anchor just in time to avoid major damage...

-----------------------
on my D I did not have foam blocks under the seats.

I did remove mine from over the sink, and was able to compress the Vberth blocks into a smaller area, and put up a plywood wall, then added closed cell blocks in the area where my cooler sits under the Vberth.

-you can compact the blocks into a smaller space.

Sumner · Aug 10, 2011

tjar said:
..... I think the PO said that he bought an anchor roller, but never got around to installing it. I'm picking the boat up this evening, so I'll see what I have to work with. This is an '89 model, so the foam should be over the V-berth. I don't remember seeing anything in the space below the bunk.

The model is still a D and should have the foam under the berth, but a number of people have removed it. If it isn't there then don't assume it is over the berth as there is no room for it there like on the S. They changed the innerliner.

If the boat comes with a bow roller when you get a chance put it on. Your back will thank you and also it avoids dragging the anchor rode chain over the side of the boat. It is one of the best mods...

...that we have done. Congrats on the new boat,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

MrBill_FLL · Aug 10, 2011

^ uh, I think the 89 was a transition year, and has the 'box' for foam over the V berth. not sure if below is empty or not...

the 89 is a GREAT year.. it also has the higher cockpit side coamings... but simple Daggerboard and rudder setup.

there have been a few owners that cut the deck over that flotation box and used it as a anchor locker... (drainage being the biggest issue on that type of mod).

can you take a look and report back? (2 screws to open the 'hatch')

timebandit · Aug 10, 2011

Here are some of our tricks----

2 queen size pillow shams filled with sweaters and sweats on the vbirth. Good for guests that don't bring enuff and for us if we get rained on.

Three small fishing tackle boxes, electrical, boat and motor. Boxes contain tools and spairs for tasks and fit port storage along with boat hook, two plastic tarps to rig a boom tent, and a boat shade made of that green stuff that they put over the garden shop that covers fwd of the open pop top to the back of the boat are stored under the port seat.

A gym bag that stores the mast raising gear including the block and tackle and a small fanny pack with the tools, is in the lazz. but after rasing the mast it is pretty empty without the block and tackle in it .

The anchor and rode live in a milk crate in the lazz. along with the fenders and a small plastic box with a good lid with a quart of 2 stroke oil and more in small bottles holding enuff for 2 gallons of gas each.

The area that used to hold the galley when stored is now the sail locker or storage for our sleeping bags and gym bags for our clothes when the sails are on.

We carry two 24x14x15h ice chests that reside on the port seat or the floor or accross the back of the cockpit or in the cockpit footwell.