newbie wondering if a macgregor 26x or m is right choice

[BOAT]

Yes, VERY tough boat - I turned it over in very heavy seas many times. That boat could take anything the ocean could throw at it - it was the ONLY TRAILERABLE boat that could do that at the time.

I think we better hop off this post or the authorities will get us for highjacking.

[Tomfoolery]

To get it back on topic, my original point was that having a PP in or near the sleeping area is, IMO at least, just not good, and not something that would fly with the admiral. Having it in the v-berth like the A7.0/23 certainly was a non-starter, and as far as keeping it away from her, the has the best interior layout for that. I even added a passive vent through the port to help keep it fresh in there. There's enough of a gap around the door to let air in, and in fact, the total area of that little crack is actually more than the 4" round vent gives.

[dlandersson]

THAT is a great idea.

What kind of passive vent covering did you use?

To get it back on topic, my original point was that having a PP in or near the sleeping area is, IMO at least, just not good, and not something that would fly with the admiral. Having it in the v-berth like the A7.0/23 certainly was a non-starter, and as far as keeping it away from her, the has the best interior layout for that. I even added a passive vent through the port to help keep it fresh in there. There's enough of a gap around the door to let air in, and in fact, the total area of that little crack is actually more than the 4" round vent gives.

[Tomfoolery]

What kind of passive vent covering did you use?

To get it back on topic, my original point was that having a PP in or near the sleeping area is, IMO at least, just not good, and not something that would fly with the admiral. Having it in the v-berth like the A7.0/23 certainly was a non-starter, and as far as keeping it away from her, the has the best interior layout for that. I even added a passive vent through the port to help keep it fresh in there. There's enough of a gap around the door to let air in, and in fact, the total area of that little crack is actually more than the 4" round vent gives.

I didn't forget about you; I just didn't have a pic other than some with the ugly SS unit I had on there for a while.





It's the West Marine 4-7/8" x 5-1/2" plastic louver, one inside and one outside (inside is upside-down, so both louvers angle towards the outside), with a piece of nylon bug screen in between. The hole is probably 3-1/2" diameter, as that's the largest hole saw I have in my stable. Gotta be careful drilling that thin plastic, though, as it'll crack easily if pushed. I used butyl tape to seal them, open at the bottom of the outer one so any drips that get driven in can get out. Also around the bottom of the inside vent, so keep said water drips from leaking in. I've never seen a drop come in through that vent, but even if a little got in, it's just a bare floor. The sealant could use a little trimming, as butyl tape tends to creep out a little over time, but it's easy to trim with a knife.



The porta-potti has pumpout capability (stainless deck fitting) with a vent (nylon fitting through the hull). The vent is plumbed with a loop, so laying the boat on its side won't fill the holding tank, though if it's laying that far over, that's about the least of my concerns. But rough water could conceivably slam the side, and over time add a fair bit of water I suppose, so it's brought up to just below the port, then turns downward to the PP, with both hoses cable tied to keep them reasonably neat.

The boat used to always have that 'boat smell', but with the addition of ports in the stern berth (one on each side), a passive vent in the forward hatch, a 4" cowl (scoop) vent in the sliding hatch (no dorade; just the scoop, and the hole was already there), and this vent, I never have boat smell any more. After fixing the roof leaks, I never even have water, which is where the smell comes from in the first place.

But to the OP's original question, regardless of which model, a vent of some sort in the head would be a wise investment, IMO. Solar are expensive, and solar with battery (to continue running at night) are more so, but they do move air all the time. Passive vents pull air out of the space whenever air moves over them (if you look hard, you can see the gray passive vent in my forward hatch, with the far lifeline going behind it), and pulling air OUT of the head is always a better idea than pushing outside air INTO the head, as the only place it can go from there is into the interior of the boat.

[Highlander]

Here,s the passive vent Tom has I believe , they will not allow water to enter even when left open in turbulent sea,s
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/lewmar--c ... 20_004_502

http://www.lewmar.com/products.asp?id=8 ... &channel=1

These r a nice small vent & work good I had one on my & removed it before I sold it , I intend to install it on my one of these days

J

[Tomfoolery]

Here,s the passive vent Tom has I believe , they will not allow water to enter even when left open in turbulent sea,s
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/lewmar--c ... 20_004_502

http://www.lewmar.com/products.asp?id=8 ... &channel=1

These r a nice small vent & work good I had one on my & removed it before I sold it , I intend to install it on my one of these days

J

That's the one, John. It's small, but it does draw air out when the wind blows, and it doesn't actually take much air movement to keep a boat fresh. That's not the same as keeping it cool when the sun shines, so someone shouldn't expect to feel a breeze from it, but a handful of small vents has made a huge difference; from stuffy to, well, nothing. No more smell, no more stale air.

Oh, and that vent is tough, unlike some of the other passive and solar vents. Since I wanted it up front, it would get stepped on (a lot, most likely), and that vent is a thick, solid chunk, screwed to the deck or hatch at the perimeter. The internal plunger with o-ring will seal it tighter than a duck's backside against green (well, brown in Lake Ontario ) water, but normal driven rain and spray has never let a drop in even with the plunger open.

[paulkayak]

whgoffrn If you want to see a YouTube video of am M in high wind check out.
http://youtu.be/PxmDYpj_lo8
45 knot wind sounds rather high to me. Watched this video over and over when I started sailing to help me get over my fear of heeling.i believe his main concern is "I can't reach my beer"

[gabid]

whgoffrn If you want to see a YouTube video of am M in high wind check out.
http://youtu.be/PxmDYpj_lo8
45 knot wind sounds rather high to me. Watched this video over and over when I started sailing to help me get over my fear of heeling.i believe his main concern is "I can't reach my beer"

The wind in this video I would say 12-15 knots top.

[BOAT]

He is inside a bay - no swells - even 40 MPH winds are easy to deal with when there are no swells - but that guy is not in 40 MPH winds. Based on the chop I see in the water I would put it at over 15 - I sail all day long here in the ocean at 15 and the water is calm - there is something whipping up that water and it's not the ocean because he's not in the ocean! He is in Fan Fransisco Bay!

40 mph winds out in the ocean where I am will put the sea at least around 6 footers - I can't even spot a 1 footer in the video. There are no waves there to knock him down - you can go into FIFTY MPH winds in the M boat with full ballast and a reefed main and she still won't knock down if there are no swells - she will just sail on her side - trust me - I know.

Piece of cake.

[Russ]

He is inside a bay - no swells - even 40 MPH winds are easy to deal with when there are no swells - but that guy is not in 40 MPH winds. Based on the chop I see in the water I would put it at over 15 - I sail all day long here in the ocean at 15 and the water is calm - there is something whipping up that water and it's not the ocean because he's not in the ocean! He is in Fan Fransisco Bay!

40 mph winds out in the ocean where I am will put the sea at least around 6 footers - I can't even spot a 1 footer in the video. There are no waves there to knock him down - you can go into FIFTY MPH winds in the M boat with full ballast and a reefed main and she still won't knock down if there are no swells - she will just sail on her side - trust me - I know.

Piece of cake.

I gotta agree with this. Sailors seem to exaggerate winds speeds. I used to as well. Then I got an anemometer and was surprised to learn the winds were not as strong as I believed. You can tell by hair. Unless these gentlemen have some strong hair spray, their hair is not blowing like 40mph winds would.

[SENCMac26x]

Surely you're not suggesting sailors could be exaggerating to make a better story? What's next, you're going to tell me that fishermen aren't always honest about the size of the catch or more importantly the one that got away?

[Highlander]

Well I have sailed with those two crazy guy,s cause I lean a little bit on the crazy side myself !! , they have the instrumentation on board to give them that data so I doubt they r making this up
here,s my boat with the bow right out of the water
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 11-3-1.jpg

here,s my boat sailing into the wind
http://vid844.photobucket.com/albums/ab ... 0_2494.mp4

http://vid844.photobucket.com/albums/ab ... 0_2495.mp4

J

[dlandersson]

I once almost caught a fish this "........." big!

Sailors seem to exaggerate...

[Highlander]

I once almost caught a fish this "........." big!

Sailors seem to exaggerate...

was it a whale or a whopper !!

J

[BOAT]

Again, like I said - high winds are not the problem - it's the SWELLS - get your boat into high seas with a wind like that - THEN we are talking about something.

I don't see any real swells in any of the pictures that have been posted.