The Official "What Did You Do To Your Mac Today" Thread!

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
walt said:
One note about sailing the small boat during the summer.. when I get back to the 26S, it seems HUGE. Keeps me from wanting something even larger.
Click to expand
How true. I have noticed the huge difference in size between the new Siren 17 and the Mac 26D and I haven't even sailed the Siren yet. Just the crawling around inside and on top of it, that 9' difference is huge! The Siren is easier to get into from the ground. No ladder needed. Just step on the trailer tire and grab the companion way edge and pull my self on. (I am yet to lay it on it's side in the water. I'm going to get some tips from the sailing school instructors at the club before I attempt to ride that line... I like to so much with the Mac.) I think I'll need a floaty thing for the top of the mast too.
 

Attachments

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
I went to the chiropractor today... After all the crawling around in the Siren my back and hips needed straitening out. (Walt; I'm only 45.) Made a huge difference while I was working on the Mac!
I did a bunch of stuff to the Mac. (See other thread.)
I tried this hull and deck cleaner I picked up from Xtreme Marine on the inside of the Siren.
It still has a funky smell after the car wash. So I removed the vinyl stuff form the hull and washed with the cleaner. Osylic acid and some other acid mixed... Not as stinky as one would think. (Really weak formula.) The bottle says leave on for 5 min and wash off... On tough stains... It says do it twice and scrub with a brush.
I sprayed it all over the inside of the cabin and rubbed it with my car wash brush. (The one I didn't want to use yesterday because of the oil and gas residue in the cabin... The car wash got rid of that!) So I left it sit for an hour... Now I'm leaving it over night.
It's working slowly. Probably because the acids can only do so much until they just can't do any more... I think I'm at that point.
I'll rinse it tomorrow and we will see how things went. I'm expecting that it will require another splash. Here are a few pictures of the fun. The first one shows a test spot on the seat in the cockpit. That sat for an hour before I rinsed it off.
On another note; I think I figured out how to stop weeds from growing in my gravel driveway...
 

Attachments

walt

walt

.
Jun 1, 2007
3,532
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
45... now Im feeling old again.. but at least I get to retire before you (maybe....:confused:)

I picked up a new water proof camera to replace the one I lost. Its a Panasonic DMC TS25. I buy on the less expensive side because I go through cameras, either losing them or getting them wet. I generall keep two camera's, one water proof and one that has a better lens (but still inexpensive). This is the second camera Ive had to replace in just a few months.

The one before met its demise by getting wet on this day this spring http://analogengineering.com/havasu/bw.html

The camera had survided this a few days earlier http://analogengineering.com/havasu/castle.html

FYI, these trips earlier this spring were a really fun thing to do..
 
S

Sock Puppet

.
Aug 14, 2013
308
MacGregor 26S High Desert
Thanks for the motivation, fellas! I've been camping with the family recently, so the boat has seen zero action. That will change starting next weekend when I (finally) get it ready for the lake!
 
finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
Walt you can put a couple of those key chain floatie things on the camera and retrieve it after the swim.
I did some more acid spraying in the Siren 17 today. (Drain cleaner.) It's looking allot beter! (Don't try that at home folks! Dangerous fumes and its acid!)
I'm going to leave the inside for a while and see how it drys up.
I started to fix the broken rudder by cutting a couple patches for it. Then when I looked at the rudder assembly closely I decided to just replace to whole top part. It has a couple cracks and the area ware the animal chewed... So I cut 4 pieces of plywood 2 on one bias and 2 on the other. I'll laminate each diffenent bias together and have a strong rudder crown... (Is that the right term?)
I also got to the hand rails. I clamped them together and sanded them with a belt sander to make them the same and then got out the round over bit and router. After that a quick orbital sand with 120 and a coat of mariners varnish. The are going to look great! Same for the keel winch holder. I filed the holes and sanded a bit of it to see what I was going to get... It looks great! See dry and wet pic. (I would have put a coat of varnish on part of it too see but I had just put the brush in varsole so it used varsole to wet it. It still needs to be plained to size.) I'll plain it tomorrow with the new companion way wood piece I have to make.
I took the boat to work today too because the neighbour needs access to the driveway. I'm taking it again tomorrow. Probably all week. No big deal, there is lots of free parking.
 

Attachments

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
On the Siren 17 I sanded the things I made yesterday and put another coat of varnish on. I also ran the keel winch holder through the plainer to get it to the right thickness. I filed the holes with sawdust and glue. Made the companion way wood pieces out of the other chunk O teak I have kicking around. Everything is looking great! Even the rudder crown is coming together. I glued it tonight. Have to get more polymer glue now as I had to do about 1/2 of the last pieces with carpenters glue. (I did most of the outside with the polymer.)
I went shopping after work and found dark wood for the tiller handle! (I think it is mahogany.) So I ripped a 2x4 for the light wood and started gluing. (That's what used all the polymer glue. I should have checked the amount of glue before I stared glueing.)
I gave the Siren a shot of drain cleaner in the cabin (Everywhere inside.) yesterday and rinsed it after. But I didn't empty the water from the bottom of the boat because of the nasty green stains on the bottom. Well this morning there were still some stains so left it in all day. There almost gone now... I think I'll empty it tomorrow.
It looks like it is coming to work with me every day this week.
 

Attachments

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
Topcat you are doing a nice job. Isn't grinding fun...
I was working on the mac until I screwed up and put mu pop top struts in the wrong spot...
So I switched to wood work for the Siren 17. (Easier to fix the screw ups made in wood. Juts go to the hardware store for more...)
I got a ton done to it today. Shaped the tiller handle with the plainer then belt sander and then the random orbital sander. I also sanded down the filled spots on the other pieces of wood that I had been working on. I cut the winch wood to size and dry fitted it. I even replaced the wood in the V ware the trailer loop attaches. (Now I have a piece for the Mac too.) Even stained the rudder crown. Put a coat of varnish on everything too. It all came out great!
Even the floor ware the drain cleaner had been sitting is looking great. I gave it a rinse and another shot of drain cleaner to get the spots up on the rubber trim inside and the area ware the wallpaper was. I'm letting it sit until tomorrow again.
I put a coat of primer on the winch and bedded the hardware with butyl
 

Attachments

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
I did 3 more coats of varnish on the wood of the Siren. Painted the winch and stained the rudder crown (Plus 3 coats of varnish.)
I have been looking at the 2 holes in the transom of this boat and think I need rubber plugs. There was nothing in the way of plugs in it when I got it but it had been picked over pretty well... There is one oddly placed drain plug in the cockpit that would allow the seats to drain...? (It really doesn't make sense other than maybe for the fuel line...) It's to the right of the hatch.
 

Attachments

finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
I put anti-slip compound on the winch holder for the Siren 17 and another 2 coats of varnish on it after and on the other wood. Also sanded down the rudder and 1 coat of varnish on it too. It sucked it in about as fast as I could get it on... I was putting the lid on the can right after applying it and noticed almost dry spots on the rudder!
I gave the winch another coat of paint too. Now everything except the rudder and crown are ready to put back on the boat! That should be ready by Sun. if I can get it together and 3 coats of varnish on tomorrow night.
Pictures: Old rudder crown with crack circled, New rudder crown, Winch board with anti- slip, Rudder after first coat of varnish, rudder sanded before varnish.
 

Attachments

C

chp

.
Sep 13, 2010
431
Hunter 280 hamilton
Installed a more permanent water tank. Used a heavy duty 20 lt water jug. The plastic is 1/4" thick. Drilled and tapped holes for a 3/8 outlet to my pump. Used a 1" hose for the fill and a 1/2" for the vent line. Got tired of having to pull out the tank under the sink to fill. Now I can fill through the deck fill opening.
 

Attachments

C

chp

.
Sep 13, 2010
431
Hunter 280 hamilton
Second job. Had to be a better way to get the boat all the way on the trailer. Looked at all the others and decided this way. First moved the winch to the ladder. Next cut a slot in the channel that the winch used to be mounted to so the strap now goes through the slot. This changes the angle of the winch pulling on the boat to upward and not down against the bunks. The first time this didn't work too well because I put the trailer too far into the water. Second time worked great. The boat came all the way forward into the V block and stayed there. When trailering I use a turnbuckle to apply a downward pull so the boat doesn't rock up and down. So far it seems to work really well. Just about ready for our trip in a week to the North Channel.
 

Attachments

Doc_holiday

Doc_holiday

.
Nov 19, 2011
1,489
MacGregor 26S Hampton, VA
Last edited:
finding41

finding41

.
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
I didn't do anything to the Mac today. I did some varnishing to the wood for the Siren and put the rudder crown together. I now have 6 coats on the rudder and everything else that is wood on it. (The rudder turned out very nice! Even with the prop marks...)
I installed the keel winch and board as well as the wood for the companionway cover slides. I'm happy with how they turned out.
I also cut some shim material for between the rudder and the crown. It will keep it tighter and still allow for it to kick up. It is made of a dollar store cutting board. I did this with the Mac's in the past and it makes a big difference to get rid of the play there.

Did anyone else tell there family all they wanted for fathers day was to work on the boat?
 

Attachments

You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom