New boat

[Norca]

HO HO HO
I'm starting to get exited!
I just put a down payment on a new Macgregor 26M with the 60hp Evinrude e-tec,
the boat was in stock at the Halifax dealer,
and I'm going with my wife to pick it up after Christmas, I have a feeling the winter is going to be looooong

[FLembo18]

Congrats on your new Mac !

If you don't have indoor storage for your Mac, I recommend that you ask the Mac dealer to toss in a freebie shrink wrap as part of the deal, Eh !?

Frank L.

[Phil M]

Santa has been very good to you this year. You must have behaved nicely. But your correct, the winter gets longer when you have a sailboat. You will find things to do to keep you occupied in the meantime.
Congrats,

Phil M

[c130king]

I have a feeling the winter is going to be looooong

Norca,

Congrats. As to the loooooong winter...that depends. If it is a Blue then yes it will probably be a long, sloooooooowwwwwwww, winter.

If it is the White then time will fly and you will be out on your fast boat very soon.



What a great Christmas Present you are getting this year.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[Norca]

Jim
It's a white boat, but I still think the winter will be terribly long
I'll probably spend a few hours sitting in the boat, freezing my butts off
I will get the boat with no sails, and spend just a little extra on some better quality sails
after what I've read on this forum it is worth it.
Then I'll spend some time shopping for some extras like anchors safety equipement GPS VHF and the list goes on.
I am trying not to go overboard and get the most important safety equipement for now, and then see
after a summer of sailing I will know more what I want.
I already got a Kaboat inflatable with a 2.5 hp Yamaha with the money I got for my old 16 footer when I sold it last summer.
So yes I have ben good this year, and not only that, I had to promise to be good for the next ten years

[c130king]

I'll probably spend a few hours sitting in the boat, freezing my butts off

Yup, know that feeling...almost there myself. Haven't been to my boat in nearly a month and now there is snow on the ground. If I can get a Weekend day with temps near the mid 40's I will probably go try to get on the water.

I will get the boat with no sails, and spend just a little extra on some better quality sails
after what I've read on this forum it is worth it.

Your choice of course...but just as food-for-thought I have standard sails and they work just great.

Then I'll spend some time shopping for some extras like anchors safety equipement GPS VHF and the list goes on.
I am trying not to go overboard and get the most important safety equipement for now, and then see
after a summer of sailing I will know more what I want.

Good luck with that...

So yes I have ben good this year, and not only that, I had to promise to be good for the next ten years

Ten years.... That would be a tough promise for me to keep.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[Norca]

Ten years.... That would be a tough promise for me to keep.

Ididn't say I would be able to keep it

[Divecoz]

Congratulations Norca.. WELCOME ABOARD........
I too believe the Mac Sails just fine , with Factory sails, but I am no expert.
Anchors alone will allow for hours and hours of reading..
You need one, to be legal and it should be if your paying for it .. be suitable for the bottom you most often deal with.. I have 3 on board.. Two for real and 1 for the dink .. I have two different kinds, for that... just in case the first one isn't holding......situation.. Lots of discussion on chain length for anchors.. I am now a firm believer in lots of chain. 30 feet and it stores really nice on my main and 15 feet on my secondary.. 200 and 150 feet of rode ..
Fuel tanks are another good topic for consideration.

[jschrade]

On the topic of Anchor, the Macs tend to come new with a useless little (13lb) danforth that it the biggest size to fit in the locker. Where you and the type of bottom is going to dictate what is the "best" anchor for you.

Dead minimums:
- Guardian G16
- Bruce/Lewmar/Claw 16lb

For a radio, I just use a floating handheld VHF. It has plenty of power/reception for talking to the bridge operators (primary use) and getting the weather. If you seriously get in trouble, it is likely to be of more use than a fixed VHF. I think most of us rarely get more than a few miles off shore. If I were to head to the Bahamas and range was an actual issue, I would consider a fixed mast top.

I purchased a new 26M back in March 2010. I would say that my most pressing issue is storage and refrigeration. You really don't want to put things directly in the bilge (it's stinky and can get wet - if say you heel and spill the contents of the ballast bowl). I have found some boxes to store various items in the bilge but it's tough to find really flexible boxes you can squeeze through the storage holes in the seats. This would certainly be a fantastic winter project and will make your life really nice when the sailing season is upon you.

Refrigeration is a challenge as ice simply sucks and needs constant attention. I hate ice, it should only be for drinks. There are excellent 12v fridges out there, they are expensive (for the efficient variety) and require a second battery which needs to be charged and leads to another chain of expense!

The 5 gallon collapsible camping water jug with the "rigged" attachment to the spout is such a ridiculous design, it amazes me that a boat builder would put it on the boat. It leaks, is a pain to fill and it leaks (and ends up getting stuff in the bilge wet if it is not in a container). There are a wide variety of solutions for replacing this joke of a solution. I am looking to put a large bladder under the rear berth with a stern shower - I may not put pressure water to the sink as I think the hand crank makes more efficient use of water.

[Divecoz]

jschrade:
I feel I addressed the bilge storage area "pretty well" for me .
I went to a Big Box Store and bought a Parabolic 2'x4' lens ( honey Comb) .. I was able to cut them to fit the bilge and make it a usable flat area.. I use among other things ... a Rectangular Plastic Laundry Basket trimmed to fit the situation / area to hold things in place. I had a Boat Transom plug in the vent .. thats all changed now , with my electric ballast, pump out.. I have 3 auto bilge pumps in the stern and have drilled some holes in areas of the bilge so all water, now goes to the stern. There are a few places .....where its captive..

[DaveB]

Be carefull with the 12 ft. Kaboat, this guy put a 6 hp outboard and fliped it easy. They are rated for 2.5 hp but in this film the extra 30 pds of motor didn't flip this boat. I think he was trying to stand and to much weight on one side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igsaw15vBaw
Dave

Jim
It's a white boat, but I still think the winter will be terribly long
I'll probably spend a few hours sitting in the boat, freezing my butts off
I will get the boat with no sails, and spend just a little extra on some better quality sails
after what I've read on this forum it is worth it.
Then I'll spend some time shopping for some extras like anchors safety equipement GPS VHF and the list goes on.
I am trying not to go overboard and get the most important safety equipement for now, and then see
after a summer of sailing I will know more what I want.
I already got a Kaboat inflatable with a 2.5 hp Yamaha with the money I got for my old 16 footer when I sold it last summer.
So yes I have ben good this year, and not only that, I had to promise to be good for the next ten years

[Wetsocks]

Congrats! (I'll try to hold down the insane jealousy!)

[DaveB]

Notice the backup boat couldn't get engine to start.
Looks like all were 4 sheets to the wind
Dave

Congrats! (I'll try to hold down the insane jealousy!)

[Norca]

I've seen this video, but I don't think there is much danger with 2.5hp
exept in a chop or with wake from other boats coming from the side, but
it shouldn't be much worse than most boats this size.
I would like to try it out, but it is getting cold up here in the north, and we had wind up to 45 knots
this week.
That would definitely flip it.

[NiceAft]

Norca,

It's time to change your "Sailboat" title. "I'm Shopping" no longer applies.

Congratulations,

Ray