At hull speeds , I always run with at least one rudder down . If the water is rough , or high winds , I run with both down .

When in a tight docking situation , I always put down both rudders and some keel .

With all her fins in the water , Gypsy , will spin on a dime !

Richard , I think they feel sorry for us ! :D We too , get invited over to the BIG boats . I'm not sure if they are being nice or showing off . Its more fun getting together with the smaller boats and real people . One gentle memory was in Carrabelle . A bunch of small boats were anchored , waiting ...

hey Richard , your stats are about the same as ours . At 2,000 rpm and 5mph , I get my best gas mileage , with a clean bottom , about 10 mpg . As the bottom gets dirty , I can't reach that 10mpg again . At about 2500 rpm and 6-7 mph , about 6 mpg I haven't noticed much difference in the gas mileage ...

I have been checking you blog daily ! looking Good , Jill and Richard ! As you pass thru Georgia , beware of the tides and currents , they are horrendous in that part of the country . It was in Sapelo Sound that we got caught in the second worst storm we ever encountered . Between the tides , the st...

Both the 26X and 26M (as well as nearly every other boat made) have a wood core in the center of the transom. On some X's we have seen softness caused by the glass coming unstuck from the plywood. The answer to your first question is, it depends on if the transom reinforcement wood is wet or dry. I...

A group 24 is heavy , that's why I use a sealed 'wheel chair' deepcycle battery , its light and easy to lift . It stays in the boat 99% of the time , and the dinghy trails behind us . So far , the dinghy has not been a problem , or have I even thought of cutting her loose . She takes on water in sto...

We converted our 26X into a MacTrawler . I roofed over the cockpit and installed (upgraded) to 260 watts of solar cells . She has her Honda 50 as our main engine and a motor mount for an auxiliary electric 55lb thrust motor , for get home emergencies . Last year we trailered her down from Montgomery...

We found an old 1982 Sinbad the sailer dinghy laying in a garbage dump . Someone had dragged it across asphalt and dragged a hole in its keel . gave a $100.00 for it , repaired the keel , and she has followed our Gypsy for the last several thousands of miles . I mounted a 2 amp solar cell on her bow...

We have an X with a 5 gallon porta potty , in the head . I caulked all the bulkhead seams around the head and installed a drain and sump box . with a shower curtain across the door . We can sit on the toilet and shower in there , when necessary . A bit cramped but works when there aren't any other o...

Yall did a beautiful job ! Congrats !

We are preparing for our 2016 cruise . This will be a close to home cruise , from Montgomery to Apalachicola and back .

I have a mast for a 2000 26X with sails and a furler jib .
I would sell for a fair price .
But I am in Montgomery Ala .

is a 2000 and a 1996 the same ?

Is there a mast anchor light fixture located on the top available for a 2000X? My used Mac came with an open top mast and I'd like to install a fixture with this LED light. I made an aluminum angle mount and put an anchor light on top of my mast . Then ran a wire down the mast and out the base to p...

Me too !

All my navigation and mast light , anchor light on my MacTrawler is LED , much brighter . Eventually , I want to replace all bulbs with LED .

This year we ran two Engels on 4 house batteries . The batteries were charged by 200 watts of solar cells . One Engel was set at refrigerator mode , while the other was set at freezer mode and keeps us in fresh meat . The system has worked fine thru the summer , but now with the shorter days and the...

Our Minn-Kota is designed for freshwater , but ours now has about 7,000 miles of cruising and being towed behind the Gypsy , on her . This was mostly in saltwater . This is her last cruise , from here she goes home to become spare parts to her twin sister . I couldn't ask for better performance than...