Thanks for your time.Differences between '01 and '02 26X?
-
squirrelly
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:33 am
- Location: Jacksonville, Florida MACX5192J202
Differences between '01 and '02 26X?
Can anyone tell me the differences between the '01 and '02 26X? Other than the black bottom paint on the '02, I haven't been able to discern any, but then again, I'm a newbie! . Thanks for your time.
Thanks for your time.
-
Bobby T.-26X #4767
- Captain
- Posts: 906
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:48 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Oceanside Harbor, CA
this is off the old X website, minus the pictures that i'm not going to post here. if you want the entire page, email me off line and I'll be happy to send you the page.
MACGREGOR 26... FACTORY WEBSITE FOR THE MACGREGOR 26',
$15,990 TRAILERABLE SAILBOAT, 24 MPH,
THE WORLD'S BEST SELLING CRUISING SAILBOAT.
RECENT CHANGES TO THE MACGREGOR 26
N0VEMBER 20,1999
We have made some significant improvements in the 26 over last few months.
LADDER. Here is a photo of the finished setup. The ladder hinges up and out of the way for easy access to the rear berth. Eliminating the bump in the liner allowed us to increase the size of the rear berth.
WATER TANK VENT. The vent has been moved from under the step. This has some big advantages: (1) A ring is bonded to the water tank top and surrounds the vent hole. It acts as a dam, trapping water that slops out the hole. A similar dam could not be placed on the vent under the step without making the step unreasonably high. (2) On a steep ramp, the old location occasionally let water spill into the boat when the vent was removed. This wont happen with the forward vent. (3) The tank fills a bit faster. (4) There is no longer an air bubble that allows the water in the tank to make glurping noises when the boat is bouncing around at a mooring. (5) It is slightly easier to get at the vent in its new location. You no longer have to fool around with the step hold down bolts. This also makes it less likely you will forget to secure the step and invite a fall. However, you do have to lift the bunk hatch to see the vent hole.
STEERING. The cable and drum steering has been replaced with a very strong rack and pinion system (with a safe working load at the tiller of 2000 pounds, as opposed to the old system with a safe working load of 300 pounds.) These new units are extremely strong and durable. They are easier to install and service, and offer much smoother steering. We have raised the height of the pedestal to take the longer rack. The new units are long and thin, and take up a lot less room inside of the pedestal.
NEW HATCH RAILS. We have replaced the aluminum sliding and vertical hatch rails with 3/8 thick white polypropylene rails. These rails have been used by Schock Boats for some time now with great success. Unlike the aluminum rails, they dont change color with time. They create less friction when sliding the hatch, and look a lot better. There is no more electrolysis between the stainless bolts and the aluminum in the rail. They have nice routed edges, and are polished to a gloss surface that matches the gloss on the rest of the deck.
STRONGER TABLE WITH NEW FASTENERS. The table has been beefed up and now feels as solid as a rock, in either the up or down position. We have replaced the stainless wing bolts with black molded knobs with generous diameters. They are easier to secure, and look a lot less mickey mouse.
NEW DECK STRUCTURE. For quite a few months, we have been building decks with an entirely new layup system. Much of the balsa wood has been replaced with a system of molded beams that make the deck liner a functional part of the deck structure.
We make the layup of the initial deck skins in the normal manner. Then, instead of balsa core, we lay in 1 x 1 flexible and spongy foam beams on 4 to 6 centers. These beams are then covered with 1 or 2 layers of 1.5 oz mat. Each layer of mat overlaps the mat on the adjacent beams. Before these layers cure, the liner is pressed into the molded deck. The liner compresses the foam and forces a good bond between the wet mat and the liner. The liner forms the inner skin of the deck structure. The results are quite spectacular. This system has some big improvements. Balsa created some problems. It tends to rot if water gets to it, and it was not always possible to assure that the balsa bonded solidly to the outer skin of the deck. The result was soft spots. No more. The foam cant rot, but it really doesnt matter. It is there only to create a shape for the fiberglass covering and the pressure needed to assure a good bond.
Until we made this change, the deck liners offered virtually no structural support for the deck. Now the decks are a lot stiffer, with no soft spots. They are also a lot lighter, which improves the boats inherent stability, trailerability and speed.
We are getting a lot of positive feedback from customers and dealers on how much stiffer the decks feel under foot.
TRAILER BRAKES. We have switched to trailer brakes that have stainless steel internal structures to keep corrosion under control. They are a major improvement, and should have greatly extended life.
FUEL TANK STORAGE AREA. When you looked at the roof of the fuel tank boxes, the underside of the seat layup was exposed, and was not too attractive. We have covered this area with a smooth white gel coat panel, and it really looks finished.
NEW CLEATS. The plastic mooring cleats have been replaced with really good looking highly polished stainless steel cleats. Each cleat has four 1/4 bolts rather than two, so they are a lot stonger.
SWITCH PANELS. We moved the switch panel to the deck liner just inside the cabin entry. To flip on the lights, you can just reach around from the cockpit
FUSES. We are now using 5 amp everywhere in the system. We had experienced problems with lower amperage fuses blowing prematurely.
CENTERBOARD CABLES. We have replaced the wire cables with a coated, abrasion resistant 5/16 line. This should eliminate all problems with electrolysis and corrosion. It is also a lot easier for the owner to change if the hoisting system suffers wear or damage. To reduce wear, we are carefully rounding the edges of the rope hole and the hole in the centerboard trunk thru which the line passes. The mast step has been redesigned to allow a larger hole for the centerboard line, and the bearing has been relocated to assure that the line passes straight down the hole, rather than hitting the sides.
DRAIN HOLE IN THE LINER. Directly below the hatch entrance, we are now drilling a hole to allow excessive bilge water to move out onto the floor of the liner. This may sound pretty stupid at first, but there is a really good reason for making the change. Without this hole, it is possible for the boat to collect a really large, stability threatening load of bilge water. Since the liner floor area (the area that is carpeted) was essentially a water tight tub, the skipper would have no way of knowing that he had a big load of bilge water until the water had reached the level of the cutout in the face of the galley. It is true that the skipper should look in a hatch occasionally and check for bilge water, but I prefer a more obvious warning. When he steps in the cabin and ends up with water up to his ankles, he will get the message. I recommend that all owners of older boats make a similar hole. (Be really careful not to drill into the bump on the water tank found on the older boats.) You can see the hole location in the ladder photos that appeared earlier. The hole is high enough that a limited amount of bilge water will not dribble out onto the carpet.
ACCESS TO FOREDECK HARDWARE. In the past, if you wanted to add or remove hardware from the foredeck, you had to remove the panel on the underside of the front foam box and remove the foam. We have shortened the foam box, so you can now lay on the front bunk and reach up at the forward edge of the foam box and get to the nuts and bolts that hold the hardware. The access panel is no longer there.
(Search terms Change List, changelist )
MACGREGOR 26... FACTORY WEBSITE FOR THE MACGREGOR 26',
$15,990 TRAILERABLE SAILBOAT, 24 MPH,
THE WORLD'S BEST SELLING CRUISING SAILBOAT.
RECENT CHANGES TO THE MACGREGOR 26
N0VEMBER 20,1999
We have made some significant improvements in the 26 over last few months.
LADDER. Here is a photo of the finished setup. The ladder hinges up and out of the way for easy access to the rear berth. Eliminating the bump in the liner allowed us to increase the size of the rear berth.
WATER TANK VENT. The vent has been moved from under the step. This has some big advantages: (1) A ring is bonded to the water tank top and surrounds the vent hole. It acts as a dam, trapping water that slops out the hole. A similar dam could not be placed on the vent under the step without making the step unreasonably high. (2) On a steep ramp, the old location occasionally let water spill into the boat when the vent was removed. This wont happen with the forward vent. (3) The tank fills a bit faster. (4) There is no longer an air bubble that allows the water in the tank to make glurping noises when the boat is bouncing around at a mooring. (5) It is slightly easier to get at the vent in its new location. You no longer have to fool around with the step hold down bolts. This also makes it less likely you will forget to secure the step and invite a fall. However, you do have to lift the bunk hatch to see the vent hole.
STEERING. The cable and drum steering has been replaced with a very strong rack and pinion system (with a safe working load at the tiller of 2000 pounds, as opposed to the old system with a safe working load of 300 pounds.) These new units are extremely strong and durable. They are easier to install and service, and offer much smoother steering. We have raised the height of the pedestal to take the longer rack. The new units are long and thin, and take up a lot less room inside of the pedestal.
NEW HATCH RAILS. We have replaced the aluminum sliding and vertical hatch rails with 3/8 thick white polypropylene rails. These rails have been used by Schock Boats for some time now with great success. Unlike the aluminum rails, they dont change color with time. They create less friction when sliding the hatch, and look a lot better. There is no more electrolysis between the stainless bolts and the aluminum in the rail. They have nice routed edges, and are polished to a gloss surface that matches the gloss on the rest of the deck.
STRONGER TABLE WITH NEW FASTENERS. The table has been beefed up and now feels as solid as a rock, in either the up or down position. We have replaced the stainless wing bolts with black molded knobs with generous diameters. They are easier to secure, and look a lot less mickey mouse.
NEW DECK STRUCTURE. For quite a few months, we have been building decks with an entirely new layup system. Much of the balsa wood has been replaced with a system of molded beams that make the deck liner a functional part of the deck structure.
We make the layup of the initial deck skins in the normal manner. Then, instead of balsa core, we lay in 1 x 1 flexible and spongy foam beams on 4 to 6 centers. These beams are then covered with 1 or 2 layers of 1.5 oz mat. Each layer of mat overlaps the mat on the adjacent beams. Before these layers cure, the liner is pressed into the molded deck. The liner compresses the foam and forces a good bond between the wet mat and the liner. The liner forms the inner skin of the deck structure. The results are quite spectacular. This system has some big improvements. Balsa created some problems. It tends to rot if water gets to it, and it was not always possible to assure that the balsa bonded solidly to the outer skin of the deck. The result was soft spots. No more. The foam cant rot, but it really doesnt matter. It is there only to create a shape for the fiberglass covering and the pressure needed to assure a good bond.
Until we made this change, the deck liners offered virtually no structural support for the deck. Now the decks are a lot stiffer, with no soft spots. They are also a lot lighter, which improves the boats inherent stability, trailerability and speed.
We are getting a lot of positive feedback from customers and dealers on how much stiffer the decks feel under foot.
TRAILER BRAKES. We have switched to trailer brakes that have stainless steel internal structures to keep corrosion under control. They are a major improvement, and should have greatly extended life.
FUEL TANK STORAGE AREA. When you looked at the roof of the fuel tank boxes, the underside of the seat layup was exposed, and was not too attractive. We have covered this area with a smooth white gel coat panel, and it really looks finished.
NEW CLEATS. The plastic mooring cleats have been replaced with really good looking highly polished stainless steel cleats. Each cleat has four 1/4 bolts rather than two, so they are a lot stonger.
SWITCH PANELS. We moved the switch panel to the deck liner just inside the cabin entry. To flip on the lights, you can just reach around from the cockpit
FUSES. We are now using 5 amp everywhere in the system. We had experienced problems with lower amperage fuses blowing prematurely.
CENTERBOARD CABLES. We have replaced the wire cables with a coated, abrasion resistant 5/16 line. This should eliminate all problems with electrolysis and corrosion. It is also a lot easier for the owner to change if the hoisting system suffers wear or damage. To reduce wear, we are carefully rounding the edges of the rope hole and the hole in the centerboard trunk thru which the line passes. The mast step has been redesigned to allow a larger hole for the centerboard line, and the bearing has been relocated to assure that the line passes straight down the hole, rather than hitting the sides.
DRAIN HOLE IN THE LINER. Directly below the hatch entrance, we are now drilling a hole to allow excessive bilge water to move out onto the floor of the liner. This may sound pretty stupid at first, but there is a really good reason for making the change. Without this hole, it is possible for the boat to collect a really large, stability threatening load of bilge water. Since the liner floor area (the area that is carpeted) was essentially a water tight tub, the skipper would have no way of knowing that he had a big load of bilge water until the water had reached the level of the cutout in the face of the galley. It is true that the skipper should look in a hatch occasionally and check for bilge water, but I prefer a more obvious warning. When he steps in the cabin and ends up with water up to his ankles, he will get the message. I recommend that all owners of older boats make a similar hole. (Be really careful not to drill into the bump on the water tank found on the older boats.) You can see the hole location in the ladder photos that appeared earlier. The hole is high enough that a limited amount of bilge water will not dribble out onto the carpet.
ACCESS TO FOREDECK HARDWARE. In the past, if you wanted to add or remove hardware from the foredeck, you had to remove the panel on the underside of the front foam box and remove the foam. We have shortened the foam box, so you can now lay on the front bunk and reach up at the forward edge of the foam box and get to the nuts and bolts that hold the hardware. The access panel is no longer there.
(Search terms Change List, changelist )
-
Bobby T.-26X #4767
- Captain
- Posts: 906
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:48 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Oceanside Harbor, CA
on edit: posted twice by mistake
Last edited by Bobby T.-26X #4767 on Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Sloop John B
- Captain
- Posts: 871
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 2:45 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Florida 'Big Bend'. 02x Yamaha T50
-
Chip Hindes
- Admiral
- Posts: 2166
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:13 am
- Location: West Sand Lake, NY '01X, "Nextboat" 50HP Tohatsu
-
Frank C
All changes cited in the above listing (factory date Nov '99) were present on my model 2000 - delivered in August '99. Also, judging by feedback on this board, most of those changes were on all 1999 models, and many of those changes were on the later 1998s.
Bow light on my 2000 was on the bow, not the pulpit, so it seems like that was a running change in 2001. Never heard or read of anything else - I doubt there was anything more significant.
Bow light on my 2000 was on the bow, not the pulpit, so it seems like that was a running change in 2001. Never heard or read of anything else - I doubt there was anything more significant.
-
Chip Hindes
- Admiral
- Posts: 2166
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:13 am
- Location: West Sand Lake, NY '01X, "Nextboat" 50HP Tohatsu
Ditto. Similar to Frank's '00, my X has an '01 serial number but was actually delivered in Sep '00, so it apears Mac goes for the "changeover" late in the previous year like the auto manufacturers, rather than strictly on a calendar basis.Frank wrote:Bow light on my 2000 was on the bow, not the pulpit, so it seems like that was a running change in 2001.
Similarly to the bow light, I believe many of the changes which eventually showed up on Frank's and my boats were also running changes over the previous couple years. If this is so, there are probably a whole slew of slightly different pure stock configurations based on manufacture date.
Which sort of begs the question, if there are no changes, what is the point of a changeover other than purely by calendar year?
It would be interesting to determine at what approximate serial number range each of the listed changes took place. Not interesting enough for me to attempt it, though.
-
Frank C
The changeover isn't "late" in each year, it's specified as July 1 of each year by USA regulations - sorry, not quite sure which regulatory agency, but they're responsible for monitoring boat builders. My Mac ID number is MacX.3067.G9.00 (dots inserted for clarity).Chip Hindes wrote: ... it apears Mac goes for the "changeover" late in the previous year like the auto manufacturers, rather than strictly on a calendar basis.
... It would be interesting to determine at what approximate serial number range each of the listed changes took place. Not interesting enough for me to attempt it, though.
(3067) The four center digits are the hull number, serialized for the X model.
(G9) The next two digits are the manufactured date, months A thru L, and calendar year.
Mine means July '99, one of the earliest of the model 2000 X-boats.
(00) The final two digits are the model year, which changes by law on the first of July, every year.
Curiously, hull serial numbers are not always synchronous to the manufactured date. For example, I've seen here that one (or several?) hulls molded AFTER mine ... were actually released through manufacturing BEFORE mine, e.g. MacX.3069.F9.99 - meaning that my hull was molded earlier but held aside for some reason, exiting the plant a day or two (possibly a week?) after subsequent hulls. My boat's final assembly happened in July, ergo it's a model 2000.
Anyhow, my "G9" must be married to a "00" by law, and Chip prolly has a "H0" that must be followed by "01." Likewise, an "A2" must marry to an "02" (among the last of the X-boats?). Assuming a few prototypes were just abandoned, I guess the earliest of the M-boats might be coded as MacM.0004.H2.03. Is there any good reason for all this gibberish? Yeah, it's the full-employment mechanism for a few hundred guv'ment bureaucrats.
Regarding Chip's second comment above, we kinda did that on Heath's former board, or on the Sailnet list-server - can't quite remember which. We did determine that many of the items in Roger's change-list appeared on late '98 boats (ID codes A898, thru F898), and nearly all items appeared on the late '99 boats (ID codes A999, thru F999). Sorry, never bothered to keep an external record - once those threads disappeared, the info evaporated!
We gotta be careful. After all, we're not trying to track classic Mustangs or Corvettes here!
Isn't this a bit like tracing the lineage of a Ford Pinto? ... or an AMC Pacer?!
-
Jim Bunnell
- First Officer
- Posts: 278
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 8:13 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: Southfield, MI; Tohatsu TLDI 50, '03 26M hull # MACM 0019 C303
-
Frank C
-
Bobby T.-26X #4767
- Captain
- Posts: 906
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:48 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Oceanside Harbor, CA
-
Frank C