Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

A forum for discussing topics relating to MacGregor Powersailor Sailboats
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c130king
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by c130king »

rtrinkle wrote:Okay,, I've gota post a stupid question to this.... I haven't heard of SeaFoam. Can you explain the benefits to this?
Some sort of fuel treatment. Cleans out your fuel injectors etc....

I tried to find at WM but they didn't carry it so I got some other brand fuel treatment that states it does something similar. I guess it worked...my motor worked like a champ this past Sunday. The previous two weekends I had motor issues with loss or RPM and power at full throttle.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Jim
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Russ
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by Russ »

c130king wrote:
rtrinkle wrote:Okay,, I've gota post a stupid question to this.... I haven't heard of SeaFoam. Can you explain the benefits to this?
Some sort of fuel treatment. Cleans out your fuel injectors etc....
Google is your friend. (and youtube.com)

SeaFoam has laid claims to all kinds of fantastic results. It has a HUGE! fan base.

"other" additives may be good, but this stuff has an enormous following. I hear WM doesn't carry it. Strange when it was formulated to fix outboard fuel issues. Most auto parts stores (and Wal-Mart) carry the stuff. I put a can of seafoam in my tank. Will report on the results.

Youtube has peeps who claim this stuff (SeaFoam) has restored their jalopies back to health. Amazing claims. I would try it.

--Russ
tek
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by tek »

Seafoam has been around forever, my grandfather used that stuff. For future reference, it's in most automotive specialty stores if you want to find some. I've seen it on the shelf at Autozone, O'reilly's and Advance if you have any of those in your area.

I used it on my Miata to clear a carbon issue, and am doing the first major repair at 235k, so I have personal experience (although I prefer to chalk it up to good maintenance rather than additives) :)

I wouldn't hesitate to try it on an outboard having problems. Could be an improvement, and at worst you're right where you started anyway.
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mastreb
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by mastreb »

Sea Foam is a combined solvent and lubricator. Essentially it's 4 parts "pale oil", two parts naptha, and 1 part pure isopropyl alcohol according to it's federally registered MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). To clarify those components, "pale oil" is crude refined to a straw yellow color, most closely related to a "fuel oil" or heavy diesel. Naptha is also a lightly refined "first product of distillation" that is heavier than "pale oil". Isopropyl alcohol is what it says it is. It is NOT the 30% water solution you buy at the drug store, it's pure.

You can approximate Sea Foam very closely with 4 parts Diesel, 2 parts Naptha, and 1 part E85 Ethenol/Gasoline blend.

The combination of solvent and lubricating properties tends to dislodge engine grime, smooth its elimination through the exhaust system, and penetrate into metal surfaces to prevent subsequent attachment. Regular use will prolong engine life (same reason diesels last longer than gas engines), destroy catalytic converters, and dramatically worsen your emissions. Since most outboard owners are interested in effect #1, it's a big hit.

Matt
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frede
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by frede »

Three new spark plugs and she purrs like a kitten. Took me forever to find the right spark plug wench :|
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frede
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by frede »

Last night I went on the first solo sail of my "soon to be named" :macm: After a couple of practice launch/docking exercises, I went out on the river. Got the Genoa up, sailed for a little bit then dumped the ballast and motored at 15.6 knots. Nice! :D Then coming in to the dock at about 4.5 knots during low tide, hit something hard in the middle of the channel and broke the daggerboard. Damn! :o The board was jammed in the trunk pretty good, but I was able to get it unstuck with a boat pole, however, it's not coming up. So I'll try taking it out through the bottom, on the water and hopefully capture the board with a loop of line wrapped around the hull. So it's time for a new daggerboard (boy that was quick) and after a lot of reading here, appears my best bet is just to order one from Blue Water Yachts for $233, and then repair the old one as a spare. But before I plunk down my hard earned pennies, thought I check with the collective wisdom from the group.

FWIW: I had a 26D for over 6 years and no daggerboard problems, however the :macm: daggerboard is not as wide and seems a lot weaker. Appears there was no hull damage (leaks) I also need to figure out a better lift system.
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frede
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by frede »

Here's a few pictures of my daggerboard after the River Shark attack it! :cry: (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) :wink: I believe this was not the first time it had been hit. I think it's time to retire her, new one here next week from BWY.

ImageImageImage

Official Fist Picture Post! :D
gianpaolo
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by gianpaolo »

thank you for let me know how a DB looks like from the inside, I hope I won't have to review the lesson at my expences one day :)
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kasmith21
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Re: Maiden voyage of my new-to-me 2005 Macgregor 26M

Post by kasmith21 »

I had a daggerboard that had a pretty good size chunck out of it (looked to be about 2/3 the size of your gash). I just bought a $20 fiberglass kit from Walmart and laid down 2 layers of cloth around the hole, sanded and painted. Was not that big of a deal to fix. Just remember to wear gloves (that stuff get's pretty darn sticky). Works good as new.
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