Good to know. Thanks. The 1987 Mac26D I just picked up has a Tohatsu 9.9 on it and I'm contemplating how to arrange the fuel locker, thinking I'll glass in shelf mounts for the 6 gallon tank and a reserve tank, and make way for fume vents.
The Official "What Did You Do To Your Mac Today" Thread!
- Thread starter Sock Puppet
- Start date
Worked on a solent stay and heavy air headsail. Had a good day to try it out but no crew so getting safety back to the dock was too much of a risk. Can’t wait to give it a real try.
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A little off topic but recent threads on SBO have convinced me of the need for a more private place to share our enthusiasm for these boats. Please dont get me wrong at all about SBO, it is the best forum, but since the format change a couple years ago, it sort of became one big forum and different than the original more private Mac forum that brought us here in the first place.
So I want to create a Face Book CLOSED forum for Mac and Venture classic boats. Sort of a "what have you you done for your Mac or Venture today" - like this thread. There are already forums for the power sailers so this one will be mainly for the traditional sailboat versions. And this one would be more private with the closed group setting so people who dont like Macs wont be bothered by stuff they dont want to see or like.
I like the closed format for FB better because when you post in a closed forum, the post does not show up on all of your friends time line (some of them also dont want to see pictures of my Mac that I may be all excited about).
So in order to start this group, I need at least one other person who wants to join. Please send me your email or face book name and we can get this started. I dont know where the group will go but its a little different than current Mac forums on FB in that this one is primarily for the older pure sailboats plus it will have the additinal privacy of being closed. You can PM me here or send me an email whall@analogengineering.com. You must already be on FB for this to work. I tried to create the group but could not as it wanted me to enter at least one other person.
For normal sailing stuff.. still use SBO. But I personally would like a more private group to share my Mac specific enthusiasm and dont think it exists.
So I want to create a Face Book CLOSED forum for Mac and Venture classic boats. Sort of a "what have you you done for your Mac or Venture today" - like this thread. There are already forums for the power sailers so this one will be mainly for the traditional sailboat versions. And this one would be more private with the closed group setting so people who dont like Macs wont be bothered by stuff they dont want to see or like.
I like the closed format for FB better because when you post in a closed forum, the post does not show up on all of your friends time line (some of them also dont want to see pictures of my Mac that I may be all excited about).
So in order to start this group, I need at least one other person who wants to join. Please send me your email or face book name and we can get this started. I dont know where the group will go but its a little different than current Mac forums on FB in that this one is primarily for the older pure sailboats plus it will have the additinal privacy of being closed. You can PM me here or send me an email whall@analogengineering.com. You must already be on FB for this to work. I tried to create the group but could not as it wanted me to enter at least one other person.
For normal sailing stuff.. still use SBO. But I personally would like a more private group to share my Mac specific enthusiasm and dont think it exists.
My apologies.. one more note on this..
Well... its done. There is now a FB page called "Macgregor Venture Classic Sailboats" with the closed group privacy setting. The closed group setting mainly means that when you post there, only members of the group will see your post. In an open group, when you post to the group, it also shows up in your timeline so all your friends see your post. So.. you have a choice as there are already well established open Macgregor FB pages easily found by searching. I personally preferred the closed group setting so good or bad.. we will see. Hopefully it grows to over 100 people which would make it a lot of fun.
You will still likely get better expert advice here (this forum is great for that!!!) but if you want to just post more private pictures of your old Macgregor or Venture, maybe another option now..
This link may also take you to that group but Im not sure https://www.facebook.com/groups/1909787765985062/
Edit.. 2 hours old and already 5 members!!
Well... its done. There is now a FB page called "Macgregor Venture Classic Sailboats" with the closed group privacy setting. The closed group setting mainly means that when you post there, only members of the group will see your post. In an open group, when you post to the group, it also shows up in your timeline so all your friends see your post. So.. you have a choice as there are already well established open Macgregor FB pages easily found by searching. I personally preferred the closed group setting so good or bad.. we will see. Hopefully it grows to over 100 people which would make it a lot of fun.
You will still likely get better expert advice here (this forum is great for that!!!) but if you want to just post more private pictures of your old Macgregor or Venture, maybe another option now..
This link may also take you to that group but Im not sure https://www.facebook.com/groups/1909787765985062/
Edit.. 2 hours old and already 5 members!!
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Yesterday my son and I finished a screen companion way door for our 26S.
-Russ
-Russ
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DBF,Sea Cat ss399 qual boat 1959,Archer-fish ss311 1959,Irex ss482 1960 to 1962
En2ss USSVI CMDR Las Vegas Base 51, Pride Runs Deep ,V22 "AHOOGHA TIMES 3"
Canada! Eclipse has sailed and motored about 50 days from Rhode Island to Kingston, Ontario. There is so much history to delve into along this route. Sailing on L Ontario has been great, but tomorrow we put the mast back down, rig the cockpit tarp and prepare to motor up the Rideau Canal to Ottawa.
Follow our blog at eclipses-odyssey.blogspot.com
Entering Cayuga/Seneca Lock 3. Boathook at the ready, bumpers on all sides.
Follow our blog at eclipses-odyssey.blogspot.com
Entering Cayuga/Seneca Lock 3. Boathook at the ready, bumpers on all sides.
It is hard to reach but if you look from the port side at the space between the motor and the shaft you will see a 9/16" nut that if you tighten it, the motor will be very difficult to turn.
Can you imagine over a hundred days on a Mac 26S? That's what our summer has been. Long Island Sound to the Hudson, out the Erie, Cayuga Lake, Oswego, Lake Ontario, the Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Montreal, Richeleau River, Lake Champlain, and back to the Hudson and Long Island Sound. We were hoping to sail up the coast to Portsmouth NH, but Hurricane Florence put an end to that idea. Instead family will bring the trailer down and we're out.
Eclipse has proved to be an ideal vessel for a trip like this. She's often the smallest cruising boat on the canals and lakes, but plenty spacious for us. We even had friends staying with us for multiple days. Cooking on board works great with our expanded galley space although our refrigeration is inadequate.
Lots of photos and the whole story at eclipses-odyssey.blogspot.com
Eclipse has proved to be an ideal vessel for a trip like this. She's often the smallest cruising boat on the canals and lakes, but plenty spacious for us. We even had friends staying with us for multiple days. Cooking on board works great with our expanded galley space although our refrigeration is inadequate.
Lots of photos and the whole story at eclipses-odyssey.blogspot.com
We brought our ‘70 Venture 17 home a week ago and now the fun begins. I have never sailed before but I have a couple friends at work that have been avid sailors in previous lives and have offered to mentor me and teach me the ropes. Pun intended!
The boat is in pretty good shape for being 48 years young. I have two projects that I will be getting started on right away and probably a few more after these are done. The mast needs to be cleaned up; the usual scuffs, scrapes and whatnot. The PO, a salty 80 year old, put it on the hard in his barn and did a great job on the hull but the previous PO did a slightly less than good job prepping for paint up top and that will all need to be stripped and done properly.
I am really looking forward to this adventure starting and we are hoping to put it in the water by May 1st next year. Can’t wait!
If any of you have any suggestions on how to best tackle those two projects or some possible gotchas that I should look out for, I would love to have some input. I spent the last week going through all 110 pages of this thread before I signed up and see so much great information that has been shared by all the great members over the last 5 years. I hope to be able to contribute something worthwhile as time goes by.
The boat is in pretty good shape for being 48 years young. I have two projects that I will be getting started on right away and probably a few more after these are done. The mast needs to be cleaned up; the usual scuffs, scrapes and whatnot. The PO, a salty 80 year old, put it on the hard in his barn and did a great job on the hull but the previous PO did a slightly less than good job prepping for paint up top and that will all need to be stripped and done properly.
I am really looking forward to this adventure starting and we are hoping to put it in the water by May 1st next year. Can’t wait!
If any of you have any suggestions on how to best tackle those two projects or some possible gotchas that I should look out for, I would love to have some input. I spent the last week going through all 110 pages of this thread before I signed up and see so much great information that has been shared by all the great members over the last 5 years. I hope to be able to contribute something worthwhile as time goes by.
Whew! I can't believe how twisted and knotted up I got while painting under the starboard settee and galley, but it's a project I've been meaning to get on for a long time. Squeezing my old body into those tight spaces isn't as easy as I thought, and leg cramps just added to the fun.
The white sure increases visibility in the dark confines.
The next hoop I'll jump through is towing "Mistress" down to the local lake and putting her in the water. It finally filled enough to give a bit of draft under the keel instead of risking running over rocks and shoals.
The white sure increases visibility in the dark confines.
The next hoop I'll jump through is towing "Mistress" down to the local lake and putting her in the water. It finally filled enough to give a bit of draft under the keel instead of risking running over rocks and shoals.
OK all, I'm not trying to make a commercial here, just to tout the properties of a gimmick you may have seen on TV.
It's not a Ginsu knife, but Flex Seal.
I first discovered this product when my stock tank rusted through; not pin-holes either, but more like shot with 12ga. 00buck about 3 times. The tank is a very important part of my aquaponics system, and I needed a way to get it back in service.
A new tank was too expensive, and the secondary tank wouldn't fit through the greenhouse door. The fix? Patch the old tank. After cleaning it inside and put, I had considered fibreglassing it, but epoxy resin was too expensive, and I don't like the idea of polyester resin with fish.
That's when I saw a Flex Seal commercial (screendoor in the bottom of a boat). What have I got to lose....
I sprayed the bottom of the tank with a can of Flex Seal, then laid fibreglass mat on it. Then I sprayed over the matt. Amazingly, fibreglass matting wets out real nicely.
After that turned tacky, I sprayed the bottom of the tank.
After it all dried up, I refilled it with water and it held. I put the fish back in and they are alive to this day. That was in the spring of 2016, almost 3 years ago and no leakage. Why am I telling you all this?
The boarding ladder steps were corroded aluminum and unsightly. They were removed, cleaned, and sprayed with Flex Seal. This is 2 years of immersion in water, exposure to the sun, and my tracking caliche gravel on them. The compound provides excellent traction, even when wet, and there are no signs of surface corrosion or peeling.
The belly of "Mistress".
There are places in the interior hull that look real thin when the sun shines just the right way. The brushable Flex seal goes on thick, and leaves a rubbery feeling when it dries. The white color really makes the bilges look better and that couple mils thickness of compound give a little piece of mind.
In hindsight, sprayable may have been a different way to apply, but crawling in the belly is a young (and thin) guys job, plus all the wires, hoses, and pumps still need to be moved out of the way.
It's not a Ginsu knife, but Flex Seal.
I first discovered this product when my stock tank rusted through; not pin-holes either, but more like shot with 12ga. 00buck about 3 times. The tank is a very important part of my aquaponics system, and I needed a way to get it back in service.
A new tank was too expensive, and the secondary tank wouldn't fit through the greenhouse door. The fix? Patch the old tank. After cleaning it inside and put, I had considered fibreglassing it, but epoxy resin was too expensive, and I don't like the idea of polyester resin with fish.
That's when I saw a Flex Seal commercial (screendoor in the bottom of a boat). What have I got to lose....
I sprayed the bottom of the tank with a can of Flex Seal, then laid fibreglass mat on it. Then I sprayed over the matt. Amazingly, fibreglass matting wets out real nicely.
After that turned tacky, I sprayed the bottom of the tank.
After it all dried up, I refilled it with water and it held. I put the fish back in and they are alive to this day. That was in the spring of 2016, almost 3 years ago and no leakage. Why am I telling you all this?
The boarding ladder steps were corroded aluminum and unsightly. They were removed, cleaned, and sprayed with Flex Seal. This is 2 years of immersion in water, exposure to the sun, and my tracking caliche gravel on them. The compound provides excellent traction, even when wet, and there are no signs of surface corrosion or peeling.
The belly of "Mistress".
There are places in the interior hull that look real thin when the sun shines just the right way. The brushable Flex seal goes on thick, and leaves a rubbery feeling when it dries. The white color really makes the bilges look better and that couple mils thickness of compound give a little piece of mind.
In hindsight, sprayable may have been a different way to apply, but crawling in the belly is a young (and thin) guys job, plus all the wires, hoses, and pumps still need to be moved out of the way.
Been thinking of adding a trailer tongue extension for our Mac25 for a couple years now. today was the day 
. we go to one lake just once each summer with a big group of friends. the ramp there was designed and built by morons as it's so shallow slope that your truck floats before even a small swing keel boat does. we've taken our little V17 in years past because that trailer has a 3' extension (which is still barely enough). this year we go big .
extension adds 4.5' and can be flipped end for end and stored under the trailer, as shown, or just tossed in the back of the truck bed. I like it!
. we go to one lake just once each summer with a big group of friends. the ramp there was designed and built by morons as it's so shallow slope that your truck floats before even a small swing keel boat does. we've taken our little V17 in years past because that trailer has a 3' extension (which is still barely enough). this year we go big .extension adds 4.5' and can be flipped end for end and stored under the trailer, as shown, or just tossed in the back of the truck bed. I like it!
