MacGregorSailors.com

I've been researching the 26X a fair amount and for the most part all indications are that at the base of the companionway there is water ballast controls in an enclosure with a step on top.

A few times now i have run into pictures of the 26X with a ladder in that location going directly to the floor and no water ballast access there at all(please see examples in following website adverts).

So i am wondering if anyone knows if there is more than one layout for the X model with that difference and if so if it is for certain years or ??? I am asking because i have been unable to find any 'official' documentation of design difference and because what i have found in pictures is the same year and model(advertised in any event) most with the step but some with the ladder to the floor.


Cheers };~)


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Yeah, Roger modified the design during the run. The early X boats have the "step" with the ballast plug in in. The later models have the ladder and the ballast plug is under the V berth. Mine is a 2001 and it has the ladder.

thank you Hart. hhhmmm "Wind Song" i have seen that in my travels somewhere??

Do you or does anyone have any prefrence on location and ladder vs step?

Cheers

PS. ***blushes*** after you tell me the location and i read the 2002 manual a little closer i do find official documentation.

Looked at one with the step. We have the ladder. MUCH prefer the ladder. It easily swings up out of the way. We have a line attached long enough to loop over the starboard winch to hold it up and out of the way when working in the aft berth. Swinging ladder is tons easier than working a wingnut.

-Pat

chuckling.......... thinkin my gal is pretty used to "working with a wingnut" };~)

Do an advanced search in MacGregor Powersailor Discussion Change on the key words +factory +changes +26x . Not the search window at the top=right of the page, but rather the link just under it. Happy reading.

~Rich

Well Rich i have to say thanks one more time. i had done a couple of searchs but i wasn't using the right 'terms' and was drawing a blank(which i had suspected was because there was no such thing as i was talking about).

It's a bit of a paradox for me as well, i have always been very good at finding almost anything i want or want to know on the net but when it come to advanced searches i am huge challenged lol it's like computers and cell phones, i can build, install rebuild, trouble shoot puters all day long, but find and use a feature on a cell phone?? sheeesshshhhh!

And yup, lots of good and applicable reading there

Cheers, Bill

We did a lot of resarch before buying our 2000

We chose the 2000 model because it was the first year of the ladder. ( and a slight hull shape change, or so we are told)

We enjoy the ladder as it just seems more safe when entering or exiting the cabin, and not that much of a hassle to go forward to pull the air plug if needed. Although, most of the time we just leave the plug out and works fine with minimal spillage.

In reference to swinging the ladder up, I attached a couple of small extension blocks behind the ladder's mounting hinges. This moves the ladder just enough to enable it to be raised completely vertical, in fact, slightly past vertical. In this position, it no longer interferes with the opening of the head door. It stays up by itself, but securing it as mentioned in a previous post (I loop a short bungee around a grab handle mounted to the side of the companionway) is still a good safeguard against accidental fall of the ladder.

Win Chime stated that he leaves the plug out with very little spillage. I observed this too in my with ladder and the plug under the v-berth.
However isn´t it very dangerous to leave the plug out as all the ballastwater above the vent hole will spill out if the boat is banking ?

By the way as I´m most of the time single handed it´s quite uncomfortable to close the valve and then jumping to the v-berth to close the airvent. I´m still looking for a mod to get rid of this plug. I´ve seen some at the mg-pages however they were all to specific to use US-offtheshelf products.

Rainer

A request for the administrator transmitted in the blind :
Could You please provide a simbol for the wording "MacGregorSailorPages" beside the smilies as to this pages is often referred to. This would reduce the sailers time for typing and give them more time to sail
thank You
Rainer

By the way as I´m most of the time single handed it´s quite uncomfortable to close the valve and then jumping to the v-berth to close the airvent. I´m still looking for a mod to get rid of this plug.

2BonC-
As I singlehand as well, I don't understand your concern with getting the ballast vent closed quickly. After closing the water intake, no more water is filling the ballast, so there shouldn't be a race to close the vent. I stop filling the ballast when the water level is within a half inch or so of the vent hole.

It is important to replace the plug when sailing for two reasons

1 When heeling, the ballast vent will partially dump your ballast, creating a dangerous 'partially ballasted boat'

2 If Your transom valve should leak while underway, the plug will help keep the ballast in - otherwise again, you could end up partially ballasted which is dangerous.

please put your plug in after filling your tank

Hi K9Kampers,
it´s not a matter of time or hurry but I´d like to avoid being forced in the cabin and waiting for the waterlevel to raise !
Actually it´s not a real problem however I like modifiýing/improving my

WD wrote:thank you Hart. hhhmmm "Wind Song" i have seen that in my travels somewhere??

Where are you located (you can add it to your profile if you like)? I bought the boat from a couple that sailed it out of Pensacola, Florida and then later out of Bay City, Texas. So far I've only sailed in and around Perdido Bay on the Alabama/Florida line. I'm sure this isn't the only boat named Wind Song though, lol.

I too prefer the ladder since you have two steps instead of one and it raises up out of the way easily for access to the rear berth.

There are some other design changes in the later years I like better too. The early models have balsa as a filler while the later ones have something else (I forget what) that's not supposed to rot. Also the early boats used aluminum for the rudder brackets while the later use stainless steel. The newer boats have polypropylene rails for the companionway hatch and sliding hatch. Supposedly easier to maintain or something. Seems like there are a few other minor differences too.