Is it possible to empty the ballast tank by pumping out the water (think bilge pump)? This is the situation. The boat (a 26X) is in the water, with the transom valve closed. The good folks at the marina just pulled it out of the water for maintenance and put it back in. I asked them to empty the bal...

Once I accidentally left the main halyard go all the way to the top of the mast. To recover it, I emptied the ballast tank and using the jib halyard I rolled my 26X until I could physically grab the top of the mast and the main halyard. I don't know what the angle was, but 60 degrees sounds reasonab...

No spring chickens here either... I couldn't find a satisfactory ladder, so I thought of a different solution: an inflatable dock (search "inflatable dock" and select "pictures"). I bought a 6' by 6' one on a West Marine sale. The idea is that you walk off the Mac onto this dock,...

I had a few docking lines that were very dry and stiff from years of being outside and being used very little. I was about to simply throw them away when I read about the soaking in warm water and mild soap trick, maybe in this very forum. I tried and it worked wonders. I didn't have the 55-gallon d...

If you need to wait, you can stop for crabs just before the bridge, on your port side -- you can see the bridge from there (I don't know if it's OK to name names in the forum, but it's a very well known crab place).

There was an interesting thread on this topic a few months ago: https://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29096&hilit=polar , started by @DaveC426913 who tried to build the polar for his 26X. Good polars are not easy to build and use, but it depends on one's expectation, i.e., wheth...

I have this tandem kayak: https://www.advancedelements.com/shop/inflatable-kayaks/day-touring/inflatable-kayak-ae1007/ I think it's a great kayak, and I would strongly recommend it. However, I have never thought of it as a potential dinghy. The handle in the front is quite sturdy, but for what it's ...

Just an FYI, you really want a ladder with some depth, say 4 steps, so that people (kid sin particular) and use it fairly easily. 8) I have these types on my other powerboats and we really like them. So I'll probably put one on unless I can find a solid reason why not. ...and grandma too, if she ha...

Contacted him late last night (East Coast time) with a question before placing an order, found the answer this morning and placed the order. Five stars out of five.

I am an engineer, and a specialist in design optimization. I have all the necessary degrees and thousands of hours of experience, and I know and use optimization algorithms every day. I usually get on my Mac to get away from optimization. I am a lousy sailor, but that's OK (for me). My suggestion is...

I just bought this, a 6' by 6' inflatable dock https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--6-x-6-i-dock-inflatable-dock--19807783?recordNum=1 which is sort of (but not quite) what you are talking about. I haven't tried it yet, but I look forward to it. My friends and I are no spring chickens, and it...

I also agree with DL.

26X, Tohatsu 50HP, very happy with it, and the dealer/mechanic is a 3 minute walk away in the same marina, so all the warranty work, maintenance, winterization, etc. is a breeze (I'm totally incompetent with anything mechanical).

I have a small solar panel, about 1ft by 1ft, connected directly to the battery, to keep it topped off. Before the solar panel I destroyed a battery every year or every other year (I am really bad at maintenance, especially winterization). With the solar panel, the battery has happily survived four ...

I don't think it's quite correct to say that the boat does not make its own wind. The engine and propeller thrust -will- generate speed for the boat, and wind for the sails. In turn, this wind -will- generate aerodynamic forces on the sail. If, on average, these forces have a component toward the bo...

If you feel comfortable maneuvering a trailer (I'm totally incompetent), I'd say it's almost a no brainer: keep it at Casa Rio on the trailer, mast up, and in a few minutes your Mac is in the water. Plus, when it's out you can easily do your maintenance. Mine has gone through whatever bad weather ha...