It's Official, You're Stuck With Me Now

[Rumdirty]

After haggling, comparing, waiting, watching, surveying, haggling some more, groaning, pleading (with wife), searching (for serial numbers), I have finally brought my new (to me) 2005 26M home! You all were just too friendly, too nice, and too knowledgable to ignore. I had to join this illustrious group.

Pizza's were sent out last night (You did get them right?). So if you got a pizza delivered and didn't know who from, it was me.

Here's the obligatory pic of the boat...

Mac26 came home

Click for bigger.

Yay!

[fouz]

Congrats, but you must have got my address wrong, no pizza yet, in waiting now

[dlandersson]

Mine was a tad cold - can I get another?

[Obelix]

Welcome aboard, where party-money turns into boat-money and endless fun

Obelix

[NiceAft]

Welcome Rumdirty!

I work in Marlton. Where will you be sailing?

Ray

[Russ]

Congrats and a perfect example of proper protocol.

Looking forward to hearing your adventures.

--Russ

[kmclemore]

Where's my damn anchovies?? I ordered anchovies!

[Rumdirty]

Friend of mine lives on the canal in Manahawkin, NJ. Offered me free dockage in exchange for expanding his dock another 10 feet along the bulkhead. We need the 10 feet to accommodate my boat. So that means my primary cruising grounds will be Manahawkin Bay just outside of Mill Creek.

I actually work in Bordentown, NJ. Ray, just a few miles up the road from you. I take it you spend most of your time on the Delaware? It was my original plan but I couldn't exactly refuse free dockage 20 minutes motoring from the bay.

[NiceAft]

That looks like a good deal, and if you have not thought about it, be certain that the boat has both a good barrier coat and a good bottom paint on her.
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2014/apr ... -paint.asp
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/articles/bottom-line.asp

Ray

[Rumdirty]

It's on my todo before I splash this year list. Right now I have primarily a red and black bottom paint. Splotches of gray paint thrown in for good measure. I have NO idea who did what. It'll be one of my first projects.

[slugbug]

Congratulations! Do you already know how to sail? Where will you sail? Is your wife interested in sailing? I highly recommend getting your wife lessons with other women even if you are a great sailor I think the bonding of women sailors is critical to your future happiness. I bought my wife lessons for her birthday and I felt it was a good investment. What kind of options did your boat come with? Navigation, auto pilot etc.? Prepare to spend more $ no matter what they can be bottomless. I have a wish list that if fully vested will cost more than the boat did new! Good luck and welcome

[Russ]

When I lived in NJ, we kept our boat in Toms River and sailed Barnegat bay. I thought that was shallow. We had a 4' 3" draft which I believe is about the same as the Mac with board down. We never dreamed of going south of Barnegat light. That area is dredged to make it navigable. Not much room for tacking back and forth. The dagger of the M won't kick up. Fortunately where you are going it mostly soft mucky mud and if it hits it will feel like slicing through jello. Tices shoal is mostly sand so don't hit there or your'll break the board. However, fins up, you only draw 12" so you can go right up to the beach like the powerboats.

You could easily motor north to deeper sailing grounds. You can almost walk across the weekend boats at Tices shoal because it's close to the ocean. Boaters go to shore and walk over to the ocean side.
I'll tell you a secret place to go. Just north of Cedar Creek is a little park with a short dock and entrance to a lagoon. Charts show it as 2' deep but it's actually about 6-8' deep. Great place to go to get away from crowds. It's a bit South of Tices shoal. Check it out.

[Rumdirty]

Russ, Cedar Creek is the creek just up from the lagoon I come out of. I'm south of the route 72 bridge. I've already been eyeballing that entire area for exploratory purposes. I have no idea how bad Sandy changed things since they were last charted. I'll be honest, I haven't even picked up a chart of the area yet but want to. I'll probably keep away from the north shore area during weekends. Either that or stay in power mode so i don't get run over.

Slug, I'm almost clueless when it comes to sailing. Sailed a sunfish once when i was a kid during a picnic. 40 years later I'm finally getting my boat. Sailing will be primarily in the bay with an occasional coastal cruise to Atlantic City, New York, and other exoctic ports

My wife hated the idea of sailing, is scared of the ocean (we have a pool and she has no fear there), and wishes I would have forgotten the whole idea. We got the Macgregor so we could power up when needed and go meet our other powerboat friends on occasion for sandbar parties or whatnot. This way I still get to learn to sail. Last summer I sailed 3 feet (was hoisting sails and the dock line slipped). I was the most exhilarating 3 feet I've ever moved.

Boat has 2 options only.. a cockpit shade thingie and shore power which doesn't look like it was ever used. I'll be spending a grand just fixing things (bottom paint, new prop, new batteries, other odds and ends). I'll need to run lines aft because I expect to solo quite a bit. After that, navigation, auto pilot, bimini, bedding, etc...

When I brought the boat home she actually liked it. Even made a remark about how we might be able to go somewhere for a weekend on it. I took that as a good sign!

[Russ]

Russ, Cedar Creek is the creek just up from the lagoon I come out of. I'm south of the route 72 bridge. I've already been eyeballing that entire area for exploratory purposes. I have no idea how bad Sandy changed things since they were last charted. I'll be honest, I haven't even picked up a chart of the area yet but want to. I'll probably keep away from the north shore area during weekends. Either that or stay in power mode so i don't get run over.

Hmmm... Sandy. Good point. I haven't out there since Sandy. I wish they left that new inlet at Mantoloking Sure would have saved time getting out to the ocean. I heard cars were washed out into the bay and folks were scanning the bay bottom marking objects for later removal. Who knows what's out there now.
I drove by Mantoloking in June of 2013 and it was creepy to see. Like a weird science fiction war movie with million dollar houses turned sideways. Many totally gone.


Sailing isn't that difficult or else few people would do it. In the bay it's hard to get into trouble. It's 8' deep at most and storms aren't that common, although I've been in some nasty T-storms in Barnegat bay.
You have the option to trailer the boat to better sailing. I couldn't do that, so getting to NY Harbor for fireworks (never again) meant a long journey out through Point Pleasant canal (a nightmare on weekends or full current) to Manasquan inlet or Barnegat inlet. Once out there, there aren't any places to come back for miles. Still, the ocean is TOTALLY different from the bay in so many ways. Smell, feel, waves, wind.

It is the biggest 26' sailboat you can buy and also take it anywhere by land.

I grew up on Barnegat bay and traveled summers to Block Island and Marthas Vinyard. Lots of opportunity. First you have to get comfortable with the boat. Oh yea, and in NJ you need a boating course certificate to operate a boat. Good idea. I'm still a member or Raritan Bay Power Squadron. Great group of folks but probably too far north for you.

--Russ

[Rumdirty]

Got my certificate last year. Been looking for a while. I figure learn to sail in the bay, if everything goes to hull I can just step out and tip the boat back right side up. Ok, maybe not quite that easy, but it's protected and I hope a good place to learn. I figure I should have a solid 4-6 hours around high tide that I can ignore the channel and just concentrate on sailing. Will learn more once I get out there. I'm just an armchair sailor at this point.

My other option would be the Delaware. I've seen the boats out there. That is not the place I want to learn. Regardless I will always have my trusty 50 horses to get me home!

Oh and as far as testing the ocean, I thought about the outside passage coming back north from Atlantic City. Should give me a good taste of ocean sailing without being so far away that we can't scoot back to an inlet somewhere. That's a long time away. For now, bay sailing and hope to anchor overnight a few times. My camper is 10 minutes from Chestnut Marina on the Mullica river. Should make for a nice sailing trip. I'm just chock full of silly ideas and ambitious plans right now!