MacGregorSailors.com

Part One: The New Journey Begins for OverEasy

We purchased Over Easy in September of 2020 from K9Campers.
What a great couple!

Our first foray on to the waters of Lake Winne was a bit anticlimactic as I failed to remember to put in the E-Stop clip! Had a good laugh once that was figured out, ( I gotta start somewhere and this allows for almost unlimited upward mobility.) Noticed that pulling OverEasy out with a front wheel drive Dodge Caravan can be a bit problematic in gravel too. Fortunately the ramp wasn’t to busy and a nice guy (who was launching his own design homemade 25 foot fiberglas powerboat) was kind enough to get us a pull to get up the ramp and clear of the gravel. Hopefully next time this ramp will be paved. Onward and upward....

We changed out all 4 tires on the trailer as they were all showing their age with new Hercules in anticipation of our preparations to head South for the winter. NH is a great place but our plans are to try and avoid the snow this winter for once.

The second time out on Lake Winnie was somewhat better at a nice paved ramp with a dock. A much better proposition for a pair of Newbies just learning handle a Mac 26X, Launched ok, E-Stop plugged in, motor started and lines cast off. Motored around a nice bay as we checked out gentle turns and maneuvering. So far so good. Tried to accelerate in open water but at about 25% throttle the old engine stated to bog down substantially. Motored around some more checking the fuel vent open, no apparent clogs in the fuel line, fresh fuel, filters, etc....no luck. Given the age of the motor and the peculiarities of 2-strokes one has to expect these sort of things when just starting out.

Making the best of it we chose to enjoy our picnic lunch of Bar-B-Que sandwiches and the wonderful fall colors on the surrounding shores. Why not make lemonade, eh? Returning to the boat launch went reasonably well until moving onto the trailer the off dock breeze caught our high freeboard turning us sideways. (Note to self: A Mac 26X does not fit sideways on a trailer.) with a little bit of help we did manage to straighten things out but not before narrowing the opening between the guide posts and a fair bit of wading into an October Lake Winnie. It’s true, after a while you really don’t feel the cold (or much of anything else for that matter).

Once back on the trailer nicely I was glad I had a dry change of clothes in the boat! The lake water was quite refreshing to say the least. The engine issues will wait until we get South for the winter. Again onward and upward.

Upon returning home it was time to finish preparing OverEasy for our trip South to South Carolina. Weight was a concern as was the tongue load. A heavy duty bathroom scale and a bit of calculations placed us with our tow vehicle capacity with a bit of margin. As a precaution we had a set of load improvement snubbers installed on the rear suspension of the van. A couple test runs demonstrated a much improved handling and ride.

Our Southernly travel plans included using OverEasy as an RV travel trailer. I put the dinette table down and added a bridge extension between the forward dinette seat and the port side couch. There were enough cousins to make two layers in the Vee berth and over the lowered dinette. Actually quite comfortable!

A new portapotty was installed. A bit cramped but functional.

The installation of several dim-able AAA LED stick on lamps from Harbor Freight made for a very well lit and cozy interior. A small 1500 Watt space heater, a long 3-wire heavy duty extension cord and a 12 volt battery charger (for the start/house battery completed the camper accommodations.
The addition of an interior companionway lid latch and interior handles finished things up nicely.

We removed and secured the cable stays for the mast, moved the boom inside and generally tidied up all the necessary secure nets needed for our 1200 mile trip South. Those ball ended bungee cords and a couple of ratcheting tie downs did the trick. Onward and Southward!

The Journey continues......

Well, doesn't sound too bad. Nothing broken and didn't lose the tow vehicle at the ramp.

Keep the story going as you come south! And, take some pics.

Good luck, and safe travel!

Sounds like a great adventure! Second on keeping the thread full of good times and pictures.

What part of South Carolina are you heading?
I'm always looking for good sailing grounds and South Carolina is actually closer than the Outer Banks in my state.

Welcome to Macworld!

Your adventure sounds a lot like my first time(s) out 11 years ago when we bought our Mac.

A few suggestions:
Don't underestimate how much of a difference the centreboard makes when trying to motor on to the trailer. Having it down partway is critical in a crosswind. Rudders down, too. The centreboard can't be all the way down because it will hit the trailer too hard: if its down maybe 25% it should flip up easily when it hits the trailer. A little padding on the trailer contact point will help.
Also, extending the trailer goalposts and adding guide ropes between the goalposts and the bow V help prevent the sideways-fit problem.

The motor bogging down should be addressed asap, imo. Bogging down usually means missing fuel or air, probably fuel. I would start by changing the fuel line between the tank and the motor: new bulb, new lines and new connectors. Locate the motor fuel filter and check all the fuel lines to and from it. Can't hurt to change the filter while you're in there.

Using the boat as an RV works, but certainly isn't as luxurious or convenient as a real RV. For us, the best RV improvement was a longer mast support bar: long enough to allow the mast to clear the dodger and bimini so that the enclosure can be in place with the mast still attached to the boat.

Part Two - A New Journey Begins for OverEasy

Summary of Part One:
We bought a Sailboat! We purchased a used 2001 26 ft Macgregor Motor-sailer. It has a 50 go outboard motor and a nice cabin layout that could handle up to 6 (it would be really cozy) by normally I only expect it will be my wife and I (and the cat).

The New Journey Continues:
We purchased it up in NH and will be trailering it down to SC with our Dodge Caravan. It weighs in with the trailer at our Caravan's max tow capacity so we took our time and limited our speed to 55 mph. As we also used the boat as an RV Camper we didn't mind taking the extra time.

We camped in it 4 nights on the way down. Late start on the first day so we stayed at the NY Thruway Ulster Service Center parking lot. There was a good bit of heavy weather ⛈🌬, wind and rain so it was a good choice. A little cold but pretty comfortable ( compared to a refrigerator).

The next we stayed the second night near Richmond, VA at the Aquia Pines Campground and RV Park. Nice place, pull through sites, reasonable rate and full hookups. Being a boat we only needed electricity for our small plug-in 1000 watt space heater. Made it toasty warm inside in short order. Actually had to throttle it back several notches! Stopping at the KFC on the road in made for a good supper. (Note: The KFC was Boat, Trailer and Motor home friendly with a big parking lot to maneuver around in too!)

The 3rd night we stayed at the Ponderosa RV Park in Weldon, NC. Pull through sites, full hookups, flat and easy maneuvering. 50 amp service so a special adapter set was needed which the Park owner was nice enough to have available. He also let us purchase the set at cost in case we run across this in the future . Again the little space heater made it more that comfortable in short order.

The 4th night was a splurge of sorts at an upscale RV Park called Plametto Shores RV Resort in Summerton, SC right on the shores of Lake Marion. Nice place! As to be expected full hook-ups and pull through sites. We had great take-out supper from 'The Lake House' restaurant on site.

While there we saw a disused old Mac26M with an oversized motor, a full black bottom hull and in need of a goodly portion of TLC. It was on an aftermarket trailer which at a glance looked to be serviceable condition but needed new tires. No one we talked to knew the full story or what was going to happen to it other than it had been parked there for quite a while. Hopefully all is okay with the owners and it will someday set sail again.

on the 5th day we Arrived at our home in Beaufort, SC about 3 PM.

All in all it was a nice trip including a stop in Ferdricksburg, VA to pre-emptively replace the rear tires on the Caravan. That morning I noticed that the wear bars on the older rear tires were showing. These had been on the Caravan for about 50,000 miles already so it wasn't really unexpected. (I was being cheap and had hoped to get one more trip out of them.)

Camping in the the boat as an RV was kind of fun. Can't wait to really get it out on the water down here and learn to use all its features of our Mac26X. I've only sailed little Sun Fish type boats. By all accounts the 26X Macgregor is a good boat to transition to learning to sail a bigger boat. It has 50 up outboard incorporated so it can also adequately operate as a motor cruiser as well which comes in handy as we would like to eventually cruise the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) up and down the East Coast in the future.

The Journey Continues....

It has been a busy January and February preparing OverEasy for the 2021 season.

Navigation and Hazard Avoidance:
-- We spent a lot of time reading, hunting, Youtube viewing and debating just what kind of a inexpensive chart plotter/depth/sonar/fishfinder we needed and could actually afford. after finally settling on a Garmin EchoMap w/ transducer. It seems to be a good compromise between wants and needs. the Challenge now is figuring out the mounting of the transducer as it is 3 times longer than many of the other units. Gonna start by making a temporary mount using the flange for the ballast drain and see how that works. Clearing the engine and rudders is a bit of an exercise in geometry.

Electrical System:
-- We noticed that there were no existing bilge pumps incorporated. With the objective of cruising the ICW eventually and extended local trips in mind we felt better to get this upgraded. This started with adding 3 bilge pumps amidship and an additional future 2 under the aft berth center section at a later time. The unique hull/ballast geometry or a Mac 26X makes this a challenge. One is in the center under the aft dinette bench and the other two are outboard of the bilge transfer tunnels. drains are above the chines on the port and starboard sides. While we considered the existing through-hull fittings for the sink drains we felt they were to close to the waterline. the next idea was to route them bilge drains to the stern but that is complicated and the line runs too long which impacts pump efficiency. the compromise was to give each pump it's own through-hull and get then above the chine to ensure that there would be a reasonable height above waterline and reasonable routing paths for the drain lines.
-- A dual battery system was desired so that we didn't accidentally drain a single battery and not be able to restart the engine. We also wanted to have the capability of an inverter as well to power chargers and small appliances as needed. ended up choosing to go with dual purpose start/storage batteries which gives us the capability of starting from either battery. Not perfect but a reasonable compromise given the limited space. A new battery compartment floor of Trex was added and the battery securement was moved to the aft face of the compartment as well as giving each battery it's own containment bucket. Two Battery switches were incorporated so that we can charge one battery while independently charging the other while having the option to run on and/or charge both batteries. I kind of like charging batteries separately as a general preference. A new 10/2 battery charger was also added.
-- The new bilge pumps drove the need to add pump controls. While we are currently adding 3 new pumps we also wanted to give ourselves the option of the 2 additional aft berth units and a high bilge water alarm while we were at it. The battery switches are locating on the inboard face of the existing battery compartment. A new electrical box fabrication to mount the 5 bilge pump controls, a bilge alarm, additional 12 VDC circuit switches, a 120VAC input connection, 120 VAC main switch, 20 AMP breaker, battery charger supply switch, 12 VDC outlets and a 120 VAC outlet power strip is being constructed that mounts under the aft port side cabin roof. The power strip may be moved to the port side galley wall area if need be. A dedicated 120 VAC outlet is being incorporated with the future anticipation of a portable Air Conditioner to be added later. A lot to fit in a small space.
-- The current p[ower leads to the engine are laying in the aft bilge area and will be re-routed into a conduit sleeve with sealed ends to prevent possible chafing and water soak issues.
-- A pair of 12 VDC outlets are being added to the steering pedestal. One for the chart plotter and one general use. (That way we can simply unplug and remove the chart plotter entirely when not in use. Current plan is to have the depth-sonar transducer line routed in a protective sleeve on the deck temporarily until I'm sure it works where we are trying it out.
-- An extra pair of 12 VDC lines are being run forward for a LED array flood light and a drum winch to be added as time and budget allow.

Galley:
While the original galley on the MAC 26X is adequate it didn't utilize the space well. We pulled the old place face unit out and are fabricating a new custom one still in keeping with the original Macgregor design concept of being able to hose everything down if needed. To that end we are using PVC composite board and plastic drawers. A floor to cover the bottom will keep things out of the bilge area is also extended forward under the port side bench seat. The galley surface is being removed along with the existing sink and replaced with a work surface lidded tray. A new removable sink is added to the forward side of the galley wall and a gray water storage tank inside the port bench.

Ballast Tank:
We did a full fill static test of the ballast tank system in our driveway while on the trailer. As the Sea Lion trailer has more than enough capacity and the boat is resting on substantial bunks this was something we could safely accomplish with the addition of a pair of 6 Ton jack stands under the rear frame of the trailer. It took a while to fill but it was worth it. While the actual ballast tank was perfect (NO LEAKS inside or out - HOORAY!!!!) the collar for the vent wasn't sealed at it's base from the factory back in 2001. the fix is relatively simple with thin epoxy added to the well and allowing it to flow out under the collar mishmash.

Ventilation:
Considering adding a solar vent kit to the companion way lid. The previous owners were kind enough to give us one when we purchased the boat. I still need to get it out of the box but it will be a welcome addition to the work list as it will help keep the interior air fresher.

New Lines:
We have noticed that our keel line needs to be replaced. While we are at things this was one item that we don't want to have fail on us while we are out on the water. The instructions look easy enough but I won't know until its done whether that ends up being true.......

Summary:
The prep work has been a good experience and has made us appreciate what we have. I has allowed us time to become more familiar with the design and functionality. It has allowed us to consider what we would like to accomplish and how to incrementally work toward achieving this objectives in a rational manner within our physical and budgetary limitations. The plan now is to finish up, clean up and then to get Over Easy on the water down here in SC in early/mid March and keep her at a marina slip for several months so we can get out and about without contending with having to schedule launchings and retrievals around tide schedules. There are extensive estuaries, bays and channels to explore locally as we develop our boating, sailing and navagation skills. As newbies we don't have any delusions, we have a lot to learn about our vessel, ourselves and our local area.

The Journey Continues!

Great posts! I really enjoyed reading about your trip home and your plans. Thanks for posting!

So in a “while we’re at it” aspect we are changing out our existing pair of 9 gallon fuel tanks for new Moeller 12 gallon tanks. This required a small detour in planned workscope to enlarge the width of the under bench fuel tank cubbies and the addition of two compartment covers to allow for refueling access and tank level checking. Got all the cutting done yesterday and today. Nw I need to get the old seat gunk cleaned up and seal the new covers in place.

Congrats on the boat and new adventures. We have camped on ours as well found the fiberglass buys more time in the AM before it gets too hot. My brother was bailing out of the tent at 730am while we were comfortable well towards 9am. There is a good vehicle conversation in the trailering thread so won’t have it here but it is a fun read so thought I would let you know. ~Todd

Thank you!

Hi All!

Here are some "dirty" in-process and "cleaner" installed photos of our 12 Gallon Fuel Tank Modification / Upgrade.

Please pardon the winter scrud ..... working on projects is the current priority in getting ready to get on the water for the 2021 SPRING SEASON !!!
Once the projects are secured WE WILL WASH the boat with the new (Christmas Present) Ryobi Electric Pressure Washer. Honest!!!
Sorry there are no "Before" pictures with the previous tanks and the fuel tank cubbies in their original configuration.

Anyway here are the photos:
1) Layout to make the Seat Tank Cubby Aceess Hatch cutouts. (Same for each side)


2)_ Dry fit of Seat Tank Access Hatch.


3) Installed Seat Access Hatch screwed and glued. (Note: We took time while things were exposed to fill in the intra-seat hollow voids with water-proof foam as well as the cubby interior top surface perimeter to eliminate any place for future wasps to take up residence in the future. those interested might want to take a look-see in their fuel cubbies as there is about a 1/2" to 3/4" wide gap between the interior cubby ceiling edge to the cubby walls ALL the way around. ) )


4) Installed Access Hatched Open showing the new 12 gallon fuel tanks fill port and quantity gauge. There is more than enough room to get a fuel fill nozzle and/or the spout of a portable 5 gallon transfer canister in. The fuel gauges are plainly visible when seated at the helm.


5) Here is a picture of the fuel cubby lip AFTER routing it out (on both fwd and aft) edges. We left the existing upper and lower lips inlace as they were.


6) Here is the newly widened fuel cubby opening.


7) TADA!!!! The NEW 12 GALLON TANKS FIT!!!! (Just a 1/2" per side room to spare. Note: In the "Final" installation we will be placing a nitrile rubber spacer sheet on both the fwd and aft sides of the tank so they don't rattle about. Ditto for under each of the new tanks.


View from Aft looking Forward showing the maximum 'protrusion of the NEW tank into the cockpit. It is the same for both sides and is the same as the protrusion of the prior tanks.


Still to Do Items:
New fuel lines to be mounted to the cockpit walls to keep them up off the cockpit floor.
Custom PVC Fuel line floor cross over protective cover in the 'engine foot well' to keep from stepping on and tripping over fuel lines
Addition of fuel tank selector valve (A/B/Both)
Addition of canister fuel filter/water separator
Painting of all exposed fiberglass with fresh white gelcoat


It's gonna be a busy week down here as we are concurrently remodeling the Galley, Adding 3 Bilge pumps, Adding High Bilge water alarm, Converting to a dual selectable battery system, Removal/remodel of old boat electrical distribution system, Fabrication/Installation/Wiring of new code compliant DC Electrical Control panel.

We are gonna have to set the new AC (Code requirements are that one can't have AC and DC in the same enclosure) Shore Power and Dual Battery Charger System (and separate battery charge indicators) on hold for the moment until we get into our marina slip before the end of the month....

Gotta get back to it ......

UPDATE 05/12/2024:

I finally got around to remembering to take a couple of better photos of our fuel selector/FPV/filter/separator/bulb panel set-up on the boat. I should have done it earlier an’ jus’ ever got-a-round-tuit

This is now our third season with this set-up and it’s been working out great for us…everything easily falls to hand in use, is easily checked and easily serviced.

As you can see the selector is where one can see it from just about anywhere in the cockpit and reach it from the helm seat.
The primer bulb is also readily at hand form the helm seat by just reaching over the seat back.
The filter water separator visual bowl is large enough to contain any water collected without needing to be addressed on an immediate crisis basis and is easily checked/serviced(drained) at the start or end of any trips when we raise/lower the engine. (As we try to exclusively use ethanol-free marine fuel we haven’t found any water accumulation at all. Only early on when we couldn’t get anything but regular automotive fuel did we find any errant water droplets… but they were easy to see and drain into a cup for proper disposal.)

Hi All!

It has been a busy 2 weeks!
But LOTS OF PROGRESS!!!

Already posted on the new set of 12 gallon fuel tanks and the fuel locker cubby modifications.
That that great to get out of the way!
Still need to do the external filter/water separator and true 4 position ( Tank1/Tank2/Both Tanks/Off) selector valve though......

Where to begin...... BILGE PUMPS OF COURSE!
We opt’d to start with 3 automatic/manual bilge pumps.
#1 is on Port, #2 is Center & #3 is Starboard amidships.
Discharge is also amidships above the chines on both sides.
Minimal discharge runs with smooth surface marine grade bilge hose.
No check valves per current manufacturer recommendations.
Taking into account the EXCELLENT advice from several more experienced forum contributors with regard to potential heeling issues we’ve added easily accessed 1/4 turn discharge isolation valves.
We’re not planning on sailing that aggressively but better to put them in now than wish we had later!
Also added a separate high bilge water alarm in the center section as a back stop failsafe.
We plan in adding an additional two bilge pumps in the aft berth port & starboard at a later date.
Used marine grade bilge wire for all pumps and switch.
For the high water switch, starboard & center pumps as well we high mounted plastic junction box with a protected terminal strip under the aft dinette bench. That way if any replacements are needed it should be relatively easy to access.
The Port pump wire route to the new junction box fabricated into the aft galley wall.
Removed and capped the galley and head sink drains.

Here are some pictures:





















Now onto the NEW INTERMEDIATE DC ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX & NEW ELECTRICAL CONTROL PANEL.
While the existing DC electrical was adequate and functional we wanted to upgrade Over Easy to a DUAL BATTERY SYSTEM, upgrade some of the wiring, the addition of the 3 initial (and 2 future) bilge pumps, the high water switch, DC outlets, an independent battery charge & use system, upgrading of the Engine start cables into a water protected conduit, conversion from fuses to resettable circuit breakers and space for future expansion all drove us to make the leap to fabricating a new ELECTRICAL CONTROL PANEL & NEW INTERMEDIATE JUNCTION BOX.

Let’s make a start with the engine starter cables. The prior existing ones simply ran along the Port side under floor bilge subject to potential water and chafing. The cables were clamped to the old original engine cables with a screw and nut and wrapped in old electricians tape. The splices weren’t staggered and had evidence that they had been wearing against each other. So we pulled and inspected the cables which did not appear to be marine grade. In general the cables appeared ok otherwise. (Note: Marine grade wire insulation is designed for wet environments. Non-Marine grade wire insulation should not be in wet environments as it will eventually become permeated, rot and eventually fail.) What to do? Well we went and got some Titeflex conduit to protect the wires, added a plastic junction box and a proper isolated 3/8 stud panel with SST studs, washers and self locking nuts.

Photos below:











Then there is the custom Intermediate DC Junction Panel which also allows access to the #1 Bilge discharge shut off valve ( mentioned previously) to the aft side bulkhead of the galley. This allowed gathering all the negative wire leads, control panel ground and batteries to a valid negative buss bar. Same for the primary positive leads for the batteries and and control panel positive to a valid positive bus bar. The individual use circuits positive leads route to a terminal strip for connection to the control panel. ( The existing leads had been nicely replaced and labeled by the PO with marine grade wire. but were too short to route up to the new control box.) We also gathered and secured the distributed wires to the hull above the chine so they won’t flop around anymore!

We first added a nice sized rectangular access hatch (same as we used for the fuel tank through bench access) which was the largest that would fit and absorb the old cutouts that were in the side of the galley. Then using 3/4 thick PVC exterior all weather board we fabricated the biggest panel back we could fit and still have rapid easy unobstructed access to the #1 Bilge discharge isolation valve.

Here’s some photos:















Finally onto the custom CONTROL PANEL.
So original panel was 4 switches and fused. The fuses were difficult to access and many distributed circuits were doubled up. After pulling is out we found there was evidence of mild corrosion and we suspect it was an original from the factory. (Not sure what we are going to do with it but it’s not going back in ).

We went with 5 bilge control switch sub panels from SeaDog as they have separate indicated Automatic and Manual selections. The SeaDog Manual selection also stays ON when selected whereas other brands only have a Monetary-ON option. We kind of like that so that if we had to (if the automatic aspect failed for some reason or other) we can turn on a particular pump and it stays on while we deal with other mitigations (such as finding where to water is coming from! ).

We also added a SeaDog High Water Alarm subpanel Incas all else fails. ( Like we forgot to turn on the automatic bilge pumps and/or the batteries run low.) The sub panel will work quite loudly with even as little as 5 Volts!

We chose to go with TWO six switch sub panels with resettable circuit breakers from SeaDog. We changed out several of the higher amperage circuit breakers that came with the panels for more reasonable lower values.

We added TWO 12VDC outlets for in cabin use. We have a couple of phone charge adapters and a nice 12 foot 12Volt extension cord so we can be just about anywhere in or on the boat if desired.

The NEW CUSTOM CONTROL PANEL fits under the Port side recess as one enters the cabin area. We fabricated it from all weather exterior 3/4 thick PVC board, SST bottom mounted piano hinge, a brass hold open support slide and a pair of fabricated thumb screw closure locks. The top also makes a nice shelf under the VHF radio. Wire transfer from the aft bulkhead of the galley INTERMEDIATE PANEL is through a pair of 3/4 diameter TiteFlex conduits. One conduit for the Bilge positive control #14 AWG leads and the other conduit for #14 AWG the distributed circuits, 5 preloaded spare wires and the common negative #8 lead and positive #8 leads. Inside are a valid Positive and Negative bus bars and two terminal strips to organize the transfer leads to the switches.

While busy the interior is actually quite organized and roomier than many of the system control panels I’ve used in commercial and residential control boxes.

Here are some photos:















Then finally to the NEW DUAL BATTERY ISOLATED CHARGE/USE CONTROLS!
This allows us to selectively charge one battery at a time or both at the sametime.
It also allows us to use just one battery at a time or both together.
So we can select to charge Battery #1 while using Battery #2 or vice versa while we are on shore power (or when we eventually get a generator). Any Outborad Engine charging will go to-the current use battery selected. We currently have the previously existing START Marine battery and have added a second Dual Use START/STORAGE MARINE battery. The batteries are in side the seat aft of the galley on a reinforced Trex Deck with individual battery buckets and a common hold down strap. Whew!!!

A photo of the battery control switches is below:








Well that covers the past two weeks.

Tomorrow we assault the galley modifications!!! CHARGE!!!!?



Update July 28,2021
A somewhat recent addition to our DC Electrical System Mod is this compact digital Battery Charger to replace our older “Godzilla” Start/Charger which is great and all but is 8x the volume!

Yes there may be smaller ones out there but this suited the bill for variable battery types (including LEFePO4 should the need arise).
It has a rapid charge rate of up to 10 Amps, multiple lower charge rates and a nice automatic maintainer feature.Did I mention that it is WiFi enabled so we check on our phones to see Battery and Charger condition/status via the home or Marina modem. this not only allows us to check but also to remotely change settings if desired.





It slips under the interior top side molding over the battery compartment seat next to the galley and is secured with two SST clip hooks that started life as swivel snaps which we trimmed the swivels off and removed the spring bail.
These are held to the back of an edge routered PVC Board with SST screws.
The Charger itself is held onto the PVC Board by replacing the 4 existing back casing screws with longer SST screws in recessed holes to minimize wall scratches.
On either side of the Charger on the front are a pair of SST Yacth cleats to neatly gather up the AC and Battery leads.
We modified the Battery leads with unique protected polarized slip connectors to allow for removal from the permanent boat leads that go to the Battery Charge Select Switch so one or the other or both of the batteries can be charged and automatically maintained from shore power.
We modified a 12 VDC automotive electrical socket so that we can take advantage of the charger’s built in regulated power supply feature. This adapter is also with protected polarized connectors. This comes in handy when on shore power to run 12 VDC devices such as fans without needing to use the batteries. It also allows us to remove the Charger from Over Easy and bring it home so we can power up ur GPS Chart Plotter to pre-program waypoints and trip tracks at home at our convenience. This is a lot more pleasant than doing it in the slip or in the car.

It is a great title addition and we really enjoy the features and flexibility it provides us!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Almost forgot, We still GOTTA get a label maker and ident the switches and the bilges.........

All is very impressively installed! And I'm very interested in your progress. I like projects better than the next guy. And I'm certainly one who would be accused of "the pot that called the kettle black"... but...

Bilge Pumps - I'm wondering what scenario(s) you're preparing for? OR What bad past experience has caused you to go to such extremes? Actually, I'm wondering if I've been playing Russian Roulette and not thorough enough. Even the Titanic only needed seven bays to fill to sink. My (maybe) overly simplistic logic goes something like this... if it's a rain leak, fix the leak and use towels and sponges. If you get holed in one bay, it can only be of a certain size. Anything over a certain size (say... about a square inch) and a bilge pump isn't going to be of any value. The boat is going to fill. Being on the frugal side, I'd get one bilge pump and have enough hose and wire on it so I could place it in any holed bay. Multiple holed bays or bigger holes... beach it, rely on the "Roger's unsinkable core filled areas", and/or wait until help arrives...

I like being able to switch on the "correct" bay, but having to still crawl under and open/close the valve kind-of squelches the convenience factor.

Battery Switches - Why two? The Perko I have one, has 1, 1 and 2, 2. All make before break. What scenario does your configuration do beyond that?

Aside - Your topic has kind of changed... and really this stuff might be more appropriately in the Repairs and Modifications section and broken up into multiple topics. There's lots of good information here. That way, in the future, when someone wants advice and searches on bilge pumps or electrical work, they'll get a concise topic versus digging through various portions of multiple posts in a topic with many other subjects.

Some very nice work here. This is particularly impressive.



I have the same view as Inq. When I see that panel, it says "This boat has had water problems. Look at all those bilge pumps and alarms on a 26' sailboat". Just curious, did K9 report water accumulated in the bilges?

I have ZERO bilge pumps. I also have zero water in my bilges. If I did, I would search for the rainwater leaks and seal them. I have, on occasion, found some water in the aft berth bilge and used a sponge to dry it. I think it came when the transom got dunked during launching. Since bilge pumps cannot pump dry, even if I had a lot of water in there, I'd still end up sponging the last bits out.

I've seen many Mac owners install bilge pump(s). Nothing wrong with being prudent, but I wonder how often they are used.

The only place that concerns me is the one thru-hull for the sink/motor well drain. If that were to fail, I'd have a problem. It really should have a seacock. ANY other hole in the boat would likely be from some major incident and likely no bilge pump would be able to keep up with a hull breach. Beach it and call the insurance company.

Since the Mac has no common bilge, I am considering a portable pump (like Inq described) that I could move to where it is needed. Again, the ONLY place I think there could be a manageable leak is that one thru-hull. Perhaps another plan would be to have a plug handy. I need to noodle a way to install a proper seacock on that thing. It's glassed in so that's the challenge.