Water ballast

[Jimmyt]

Piddle and Futz: The 26M cabin floor is drilled to allow drainage into the bilge. I assume it is to allow incidental rain from the companionway to drain. Now, if one of the kids drops a coke, or the wife spills the can of sardines, and that winds up in the bilge...

So far, hasn't happened yet.

[OverEasy]

Specifically the mid section center bilge that is only accessible via the aft dinette bench….

[Piddle and Futz]

Hey Jimmy,

FWIW, my 2005 companionway floor does not appear to have any drainage, and water does collect. (In this case it is a little from washing the deck a little aggressively.)



If others have factory-drilled holes for drainage, do let me know. If I'm being bone-headed (a distinct possibility), let me know that as well.

[OverEasy]

Generally it it only ONE hole into the floor and the the aft curb wall corner directly under the companion way if I recall correctly.

[Jimmyt]

Hey Jimmy,

FWIW, my 2005 companionway floor does not appear to have any drainage, and water does collect. (In this case it is a little from washing the deck a little aggressively.)



If others have factory-drilled holes for drainage, do let me know. If I'm being bone-headed (a distinct possibility), let me know that as well.

I would actually prefer no drainage hole, with one exception. If I do get a leak, it will show up in the floor sooner through that hole. Otherwise, I'd rather sponge stuff off the floor than try to get it out of the bilge.

[NiceAft]

I have a 2005 , and I don’t recall seeing any drainage in the sole, but then again I haven’t looked under the carpet in awhile.


Now I have to get under the tarp, and into the cabin to peek.

[OverEasy]

One of the design reasons to allow the cabin sole to drain to the bilge is to help keep the center of gravity as low as possible should a following wave or other untoward event occur (window failure, fwd hatch open…etc…) and measurable amounts of water get into the cabin. The cabin drainage also allows that water to get to the bilge where a pre-emptively placed bilge pump can automatically pump it overboard while you manage the control and navigation of your vessel appropriately.

Each to their own as I believe in the “your boat your rules” philosophy

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Piddle and Futz]

Yep, definitely agree with the "your boat, your rules" concept.

Not having the cabin drain to bilge is just such a foreign concept to me, alien to the design of every other boat I've owned or seen, that I didn't think it would need explaining why I thought this necessary. Thanks, OverEasy, for voicing those reasons. IMHO, if I have significant water down there, it's probably an emergency, and I'd like to have the bilge pumps try to handle it while I do other necessary things on deck to secure crew safety.

I recognize and respect that others have differing opinions on this.

Still looking for recommendations on location of drainage from companionway floor to bilge on a . I've decided to do it, but would rather not make mistakes as to location.

[Jimmyt]

Here's the location on a 2013 26M.

I agree with you. If I have significant water standing there, I want it headed toward my bilge pump. I'd be wishing for a bigger hole....

[OverEasy]

As JimmyT provided in the photo of his Mac26M the cabin floor drain is a “ horizontal” hole going fore to aft on centerline in the rear wall that in most instances houses the battery compartment.

Don’t know why the hole isn’t there already unless a factory slip-up or a PO mistakenly plugged it. Guess that is lost to history

Anyway, if you choose to add it back I’d suggest looking down inside the battery compartment, first for any obstructions behind that aft toe wall, and second when drilling the “horizontal” hole to avoid drilling further than needed (to avoid hitting something else”.

Often when I’ve got to drill a hole in a similar geometry I add a piece of scrap board behind and below as safety backers to avoid dinging 🛎 un intended surfaces with the penetrating drill bit.

The hole in JimmyT’s photo looks to be about 1/2 diameter (which is the same on our Mac26X which has a drain hole in roughly the same location).

FYI Aside Note:
On the Mac26X that area has two different configurations depending on vintage and/or what mold configuration was used.
Early Mac26X had the water ballast fill vent located in a fiberglass step up out of the cabin to the aft companionway to the cockpit.
Later Mac26X models where the ballast vent was moved forward did not have that fiberglass step but will still have the ballast tank just behind the aft toe wall so care needs to be taken to avoid possibly penetrating the ballast tank… One can still access the gap space between the aft toe wall and the ballast tank via the port bench aft of the galley that generally acts as the Mac26X battery compartment.

Close up of JimmyT’s drain hole photo showing the horizontal nature of the hole….



Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Piddle and Futz]

Thanks to you both.

[Be Free]

It is my understanding (at least on the "X") that the hole was added to allow water out of the bilge. Without it water in the bilge could rise to the point where it became a safety hazard before it could be seen on the cabin floor.

[OverEasy]

Hi BeFree!

That’s an interesting thought…

Guess it works both ways ….
Cabin flooding through companionway or fwd hatch AND “HEY!…YUR BILGE IS FULL!!”

Either way the hole has a function and isn’t superfluous!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[NiceAft]

Earlier today I went aboard my 2005 and checked for a drainage hole; none.




Interesting; if the theory of the hole being there is to relieve water build up on the , why was it removed from the 2005 . It would be interesting to find out if the 2004 & 2003 also do not have that release feature.

I don’t recollect, did any owners of newer models report having such a feature.

In seventeen years of sailing my Mac, I never had an instance of that feature being needed, but, I guess it only takes one time to make one regret not having it.

[Be Free]

Without the hole the water would have to come up around 7" higher (on an "X") before you would see it on the cabin floor. That's a lot of water. A group 24 battery is a little over 9" tall. Depending on where you have it mounted if it's not underwater it could be awful close at that point.