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

[walt]

After many years of my boat staying very dry, I recently started to get some water in the bilge. I could have lived with it if I had to but I think I found the source. This is on a 1990 26S with the centerboard and the tube in the picture is where the centerboard uphaul cable comes through. The picture is with the boat in the water and I didnt know this until recently but the outside water line comes to within about an inch or so of the top of that tube. If the boat is heeling, that location gets lifted and the water line drops but when you are motoring its not hard to imagine the water pressure forcing water up through the tube and above the top. And.. when I have had the water in the bilge, it was after doing fairly long motoring runs. In the second picture I added another hose clamp so three total and snugged the ones that are on there. A test yesterday doing some motoring resulted in everything dry so I think the plastic hose over the tube had just loosened up over the years and started to leak when motoring. I used to have a battery under there.. no longer but if I did I would make sure that the battery was well secured because if it broke off that pipe at the base, that is a hole below the water line and you would be testing the floatation foam. FYI, its a strong tube.. Ive never -ever heard of that tube busting off and of course a good idea to have the battery secured regardless.

 

[RussC]

With only ~2000 miles on a new set of trailer tires the inside edge was almost smooth. yikes! glad I happened to check that this morning. fortunately I have the correct McGregor factory tool set to do a full alignment.

Prior to alignment it measured almost 2* of negative camber and 1/4" (total) tow out. it now has 1* positive camber and 1/16" tow in. now to pick up a new set of tires . Considering fabricating a simple ladder truss on the bottom of the axle to stiffen it up,... but I may be too lazy.............

 

[My Mistress]

fortunately I have the correct McGregor factory tool set to do a full alignment.

Couldn't do that with the trees around my area.......
Good job!

 

[BudGates]

Couldn't do that with the trees around my area.......
Good job!

I saw a tree once, but that was long ago in a distant land....

 

[Sumner]

...I didnt know this until recently but the outside water line comes to within about an inch or so of the top of that tube. If the boat is heeling, that location gets lifted and the water line drops but when you are motoring its not hard to imagine the water pressure forcing water up through the tube and above the top...

With my boat weighted down heavily on trips the water is above the end of the fiberglass standpipe and into the clear tubing. I have 2 hose clamps on it and no problems under normal conditions.

On the Bahama trip I had some days of really pounding into waves for hours at a time and would get water under the sink and then under the starboard settee. I finally realized that pounding into the waves caused the water to hydraulic up the tube far enough that it would come out the top when hitting some waves.

My quick fix was to cutup a couple sponges and stuff them down into the top of the tube and then use electrical tape at the top to keep them in there. That worked very well but would still get just a bit of water under the sink area, but nothing like before the sponges.

Under normal conditions like on our trip to Flaming Gorge Reservoir there was no water under the sink. I hope at some time to extend the fiberglass standpipe higher and also the clear plastic tubing above it. One has to remember that our boat loaded for a trip sets about 3 inches deeper in the water than it did when we got it, so for most I don't think there is much of a problem. We got a little water under the sink at first but found out that the hose clamps weren't still tight. Once tightened, no more problem,

Sumner
===================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[RussC]

Have you ever noticed that one project often leads to another? I did go ahead and fabricate a truss to stiffen the axle up. Once the aligned and beefed up axle was bolted back in, I noticed that the clearance between it and the keel is awfully close to allow for suspension movement. I suppose the springs may have sagged a bit, but for whatever reason it's close, I wanted more. to start with, I replaced the very worn wood block that the keel rests on, which gave me a 1/2" or so, and I've already fabricated a 1" spacer to go between the axle and the spring pack. dinner called first, but I'll get that installed tomorrow. that should give enough clearance, but I guess I can always raise the bunks a bit if also necessary. I bit the bullet and picked up a set of 6 ply tires from Les Schwab today. a bit more expensive that the Wally world specials, but we plan to put some miles on them next summer, so we'll be ready

.

 

[walt]

Pictures from yesterday watching the moon rise

 

[RussC]

Pictures from yesterday watching the moon rise

The "super moon". closest to the earth in the past 69 years this morning. won't be that close for another 18 years.

 

[Sumner]

... I bit the bullet and picked up a set of 6 ply tires from Les Schwab today. a bit more expensive that the Wally world specials, but we plan to put some miles on them next summer, so we'll be ready
.View attachment 130138

Nice work. I also had to straighten my original axle when I added the second axle as the tires were wearing out like yours. I think going to the 6 plys is a real good idea since you are staying with a single axle.

I have more clearance now between the bottom of the boat/centerboard and the axle, since adding the second axle but had added a roller support for the centerboard (not that heavy on an S).

I also had the center board get into the back of the trailer once at the ramp. I didn't have it up all the way in the trunk, as I had released tension on the uphaul, once it was resting on the roller.

To make that more idiot proof I added a ramp area there that keeps the centerboard up going on or off the trailer. Not really needed if you do a better job than I did remembering to tighten the uphaul before launching the boat.

More on these mods here...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/trailer-mods-index.html

Sumner
=================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[walt]

Reminds me of another task.. Ive been looking at my slightly bent axle for years on the Mac thinking I will replace it.. but every other project on the planet seems to come first. I am going to overhaul the trailer bearings this winter. I did this on my small trailer that I haul the Hobie TI with and the bearing rollers fell out when I took one of the hubs off.. Part of the problem with that small trailer is that I had not been using the blue or green grease which I understand is more water proof and that trailer goes in the water many times each year. Ive never worried about what grease I used on the Mac over the years.. also why Im going to rebuild the bearings this winter. My bent axle does wear the tires on the outsides but the five year or six year tire lifetime comes up before the tires need replacing because of the wear.. I dont have much clearance from the axle to the bottom of the boat but just keeping the boat light for towing seems be good enough at the moment.

Super moon.. we are staying on the boat tonight at the marina which will be fun.

 

[RussC]

I'm a very firm believer in the Sta-Lube brand of boat trailer grease (yes blue). used it myself for many years and also saw obvious extended life to customer equipment, when in my old shop for repair, when they had been using it.

 

[walt]

didn't have it up all the way in the trunk, as I had released tension on the uphaul, once it was resting on the roller.

Ahah.. I was trying to imagine what happened.. finally got it.. The CB was not held up and as you backed the boat off the trailer the CB slipped under that back bunk.. I will have to remember to keep the CB held up.

Sta-Lube brand of boat trailer grease (yes blue).

I was going to replace all the grease I have - Ill look for Sta-Lube. The other thing that happened on the little trailer when I took the hub apart was a bunch of very runny black looking stuff ran out. Ive been using a dark colored grease not specified for marine trailer use and I think it was a mixture of water and grease. Ive "heard" the blue or green water proof grease doesnt do that..

 

[RussC]

correct Walt. you would think that water could not mix with any form of grease, but it certainly does. I've never seen the blue Sta-Lube grease do that.
Oreilly, wallymart, amazon, I've even seen the Sta-lube at HF before. easy to find.

 

[My Mistress]

Not really needed if you do a better job than I did remembering to tighten the uphaul before launching the boat.

Been there, done that! The CB jammed underneath the rear crossbar to such an extent that I had to cut it away. There was no "jacking up the boat" or "sliding her forward"; not to mention that a severe storm suddenly appeared.

 

[walt]

watching the super moon rise out in the no wake bay yesterday eve

 

[walt]

So far with a couple mods I did this season..

Im really liking the Vang with the control lead back to the cockpit and the boom kicker. Im using this a lot more than in the past and you can really see the vang effect on main sail shape.

The cunningham is somewhat lost on me.. I really cant see it change anything. I can see both the vang and the backstay influencing the tail tells and attached flow.. but not the cunningham. I somewhat think I would rather be able to control the sail outhaul from the cabin vs the cunningham.

 

[walt]

I have a 4:1 outhaul with the cleat on the boom (loose footed main) and about a year ago I had changed this to a clam cleat. What I found I didnt like was having to pull the line towards the mast when you need to flatten the sail. So I added a new "turning block" and rotated the cleat 180 degrees so that now when I am standing in the cockpit, I am pulling the outhaul towards me to tighten the sail. This improves the leverage significantly which might not have mattered to me 10 years ago but it does somewhat now.

 

[walt]

Ive been using the "Russ" seat pads and they are just awesome but I hate the place where my lifelines were. When sailing, the lifeline would be right at a very annoying neck level and the top of my life jacket would get caught on the lifeline. I like having them so rather than just get rid of them in the cockpit area (which I thought about doing), Im experimenting with a simple way of just lowering them. I can adjust the height and settled in on the what is in the pictures. You can also see the outhaul cleat in one of the pictures. Bonus.. the lower lifeline is no longer in the way of the view. Turned out to be just another fine day single handing the old Mac 26S. FYI, I was wearing a T shirt, shorts and sandals sailing today..

 

[justsomeguy]

FYI, I was wearing a T shirt, shorts and sandals sailing today..

Yabbut, at 70 degrees, everyone from the region knew you were a tourist.

 

[walt]

LOL.. Ive been here about a month now and the other day I was freezing my axx off.. looked at the temp and it was a frigid 60F..