Water Bladder under Aft Bunk?

[James V]

I need to put in more water storage and I was wanting to know if anybody has put a large, long water bladder under the aft bunk and how it worked out?

[Paul S]

I put the bladder (16 gallon) under the aft bunk..works well.. I recently bought (but have not installed) a much larger one

The only problem is there is not a lot of height under there.so the bladder doesn't seem to plump up as much as it should (hence the larger bladder purchase).

I forget what size I bought to install but it looks huge (6' long or so)

Since M's tend to be a hair nose heavy I installed it in the aft instead of the bow which would have been a lot easier.

you will have to think about the fill. I installed a fill on the transom because it is kept on the trailer and is easy to fill on land. Would be a lot tougher (not impossible) to install a deck fill though.

Paul

[kmclemore]

Since M's tend to be a hair nose heavy I installed it in the aft instead of the bow which would have been a lot easier.

Hmm... I always thought that with the 50+ HP motor on the back that Macs in general were aft-heavy and not bow-heavy? As a matter of fact, I put my batteries and water up in the v-berth storage lockers just that reason. Am I wrong?

[kmclemore]

Don't get me wrong, Eric - it's not that I feel the boat is imbalanced - just that if I were to err one way or another, I'd put stuff forward before aft.

[KayakDan]

We have a bladder in the bow(35 gal?). I have never put more than 18 gal in it. Since we sleep in the v berth,and have batteries and all gear stored aft,it seems pretty well balanced. The Honda 50,and 2-12gal fuel tanks also put most of the weight aft.
I think the only time it might be an issue is trying to put the boat up on a plane. I just don't motor that fast.

[Terry]

I put a 50 litre Plastimo bag just aft of the companionway ladder under the aft bunk and it appears to be ok but it is a bit restrictive when the bag is filled. I ran the fill hose up beside the ladder and through the starboard round mirror hole on the bulkhead. In hindsight I wish I had copied another owner who put his fill cap right at the point of the bow and ran the hose under the floor to the aft bunk.

[Frank C]

Hmm... I always thought that with the 50+ HP motor on the back that Macs in general were aft-heavy and not bow-heavy? ... Am I wrong?

Don't confuse the 26X and 26M. Owners of the recent models have frequently reported a bow-down attitude. Seems maybe that Roger got the aft-heavy message after six years of producing the X. With so many of the later X owners installing 70 and 90 horse outboards, maybe he chose to err on the opposite end of the seesaw.

[Night Sailor]

Another possibility for the reason the M seems lower in the bow than the X? The X has quite a swoop up at the bow for the boot stripe, which makes it appear to be high in the bow, lower in the stern. Perhaps the M has a horizontal bootstripe the whole side, thereby looking lower in the bow? I had not noticed the swoop do be so large until the bottom was painted.

Theoretically for best handling, the wider portions of the boat should carry the weight of ballast, cargo and crew. But as pointed out, if the stern sets too deep it degrades speed and steering characteristics at less than high planing speeds.

My X performs better under sail and motor with a well distributed load inside, including one battery, comprehensive tool and spare parts box, and two 9 gallon water tanks in V berth storage compartments. 12 lb Danfort with chain and 250' of rode in anchor well. This weight seems to counterbalance the 50 hp Merc and the two 6 gallon fuel tanks plus crew nicely.

[James V]

Thanks for the replies. I am glad that the Bladder works under the aft bunk. I will be getting the 2 of the 55 gals and put side by side. I hope to be able to get 40 gal of water total. The space is not very useful bacause of the 6 inch clearnace at most.

Bow heavy? Well my first few weeks on the boat I did not think so, but after I started adding more stuff and storing it in the bow it did become "Bow Heavy". Please note that there is not as much wetting surface in the bow vrs the stern. The same amount of weight in the stearn will not make it as stern heavy as the weight in the bow.

I also am going to put 150 feet of 1/4 chain in the bow with an 18 pound anchor. I hope I can get it to ballance when I get it fully loaded. As long as I can move around I will be OK.

[beene]

Visually, the bow does appear to be nose down a bit.

I think the M ballast tank config is different.

Does anyone remember what the main difference was between the M and X tank?

[trip01]

I too am preparing for the installation of a Plastimo water storage bladder under the aft bunk.

Where and how to install the filler hose needs more thought though.
I have drilled 5/8" holes from the sink slider cab through to the under aft bunk area.




Reckon I'll get the 150l as the depth of the under aft bunk area is less than the fill level of the bladder. (4" to 6")
http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemd ... 3=plastimo

Then there is the diaphram pump with bar pressure cut in/out. Diaphram type as they are quieter and last longer than the impeller type. Cost more though.
http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemd ... lutePage=1
Will mount the pump (motor up) in the P1 storage area.
Then a faucet - haven't found one yet.

Kind Rgds
Dave
08 26M

[trip01]

In the mean time, I plan to use the OEM 20l bladder placed in the P1 storage area. Just need to purchase 2.5 mtrs of clear 12mm hose. Hope the hand pump faucet sucks that distance. (Prevously was 1m)

Reason for re location of 20l bladder is that while it was in the under sink cab, it was too heavy causing the bottom of the sink cab to scrap on the lids of the P1 & P2 storage areas.


Kind Rgds
Dave
08 26M

[The Mutt]

I'm currently installing two 20 litre square drums in our in the forward storage bin on top of the ballast tank, the pump and taps for tank selection are in, the taps and a couple of tank disconnects are to be installed.

My figuring on putting the tanks closer to the bow is to distribute the weight around a bit more, the aft bunk shall be used for storage on a long trip, with additional fuel as well .....


Glenn

[bubba]

What are you guy's in both the M and X doing with all that water ? We use a 3 gallon dramidary and take 3 good showers with it and refill when we stop at ports for ice cream. MacGregors are plaining sailboats and total weight matters a lot.

[Chinook]

Weight does matter, so it makes sense to carry only as much water as you expect to need for the length of time you're going to be out. In our case, the stock 5 gallon collapsible container was inadequate, plus a pain to deal with. I installed a rigid 9 gallon Todd tank on the port side, just in front of the galley, in the bilge storage area. Tight fit, but I got it in without sacrificing too much storage space. Before going to Mexico, I added a triangular shaped Plastimo bladder type tank, which holds around 20 gallons. It's under the Vee berth, and plumbed into the line to the Todd tank. I have an isolation valve so I can use the Todd tank by itself if I wish. Both tanks are plumbed with external fill fittings, so I don't have to pull a hose down into the cabin to fill the tanks. I like the Plastimo water weight up in the bow, since it's been my experience, especially with the way we stow gear in the aft berth, that the X tends to be light in the bow. From what I've read here, I have the impression that the opposite is true with the M. If that's true, an aft installation of extra water storage might make sense.