MacGregorSailors.com

Hey! I just bought a mac ´91 with a swingkeel for a descent price, and man does she look good! I store her at a marina far from home atm, so i havent gotten the chance to inspect her thoroughly. As such, haven´t had the time to test the ballast system yet with a hose (seems like a commonpractice thing to do), but i had this crazy idea which i would love to have some inputs on. What are your opinions on this mod:

- Fiberglass seal shut the bottom water-inlet for the ballast tank, aka. eliminate it completely. The reason for this? To prevent any leaks from the inlet - ballast tank (rubber ring gone bad, etc)- into the boat itself.

-Using a high-quality permanently installed bilgepump to pump water into the ballast tank via a hose, and then plugging the hole as normal with the rubber knob. Emptying the ballast tank would apply the same thing, but in reverse.

I realize this solution means that it would take an immense time to fill the ballast tank compared to the conventional stock method, but wouldent you eliminate the leaking problem? or at least a bit?

Im new to sailing and boats in general, and learning. Go easy on me.

Regards // Richard from Sweden

Forgot to add, that the bilge-pump would of course be electrically powered via marine battery...

Not sure about the S, but for the X it would make more sense to just replace the 4" gate valve every 15 years or so, for $34. It takes about 10 minutes to replace.

I recommend to not do this mod unless you discover some very specific problem with the ballast system. You are adding complexity to solve a problem that doesn't necessarily exist.

Hi Starscream, yeah gotcha on that im adding a level of stuff which might be unneccessary. Thing is, im from Sweden and i dunno if they ship replacement valvesystems to over here...! And there´s another problem with sealing the inlet shut, is that i would never be able to completely dry out the ballast system completely during winters.

If the boat is in a slip or a calm anchorage, and you leave the fill/drain gate valve and the vent open, the water will not overtop the vent hole. That’s assuming it’s properly balanced to start with, of course. No risk of flooding, and there’s even a cup to contain splashes if the vent is open, or leaking a little when heeling.

I wouldn’t worry about it.

Apanbort wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 6:44 am Hi Starscream, yeah gotcha on that im adding a level of stuff which might be unneccessary. Thing is, im from Sweden and i dunno if they ship replacement valvesystems to over here...! And there´s another problem with sealing the inlet shut, is that i would never be able to completely dry out the ballast system completely during winters.

Don't worry about completely drying the ballast. In Montréal we bottom out around -30C with extended periods of -20 or below, and I don't dry out my ballast. As long as it's emptied on the trailer, some residual water isn't going to hurt. Leave the valve open on your last haul-out when the boat is sloped up the ramp, and you're good for the winter.

The valve for the X is available on Amazon in North America if you need it, and you could probably find ways to ship one if you really had to. This is what I used for my X:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000BGK22E/ref ... UTF8&psc=1

That gate valve is also used on RV waste systems. You may find a suitable replacement at an RV supplier locally.

Be Free wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:37 am That gate valve is also used on RV waste systems. You may find a suitable replacement at an RV supplier locally.

What he said. It’s either a 3” or 4” (can’t remember), but its a standard RV gray or black water holding tank gate valve. I’m sure you could source it locally.

Summary:
- The gate valves are fairly bullet proof at holding water from either side.
- Replacement are easy to get via on-line sources (Blue Water Yachts, Camping World, Amazon, etc…)
- If desired you can take it apart and replace the O-ring (good hardware store (Lowe’s, HomeDepot, Menards,ACE, or what you might have over there as well as on-line sources such as Amazon)
- MacGregor designed water ballast system so that you can’t overfill. The vent hole is above water line and the cup add additional margin to that. To “submerge the vent cup” would require quite literally tons of additional weight to achieve the displacement required
- “Blanking off” the fill/drain isn’t a good idea as MacGregor designed the boat to always sail with the ballast tank filled. The vessel can “turn turtle” if the water ballast isn’t filled while sailing. Blanching off may cause someone (not you) in the future to unknowingly attempt to sail without filling the ballast due to the “hose fill through the hidden (out of sight, out of mind) vent”.
- The expansion rubber plug does a very good job of sealing the vent hole Note: the rubber plug is adjustable by turning the flip lever to tighten the bottom nt plate to increase the expansion when the lever is rotated down.

Ref: www.bwyachts.com

Apanbort wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 6:20 am Hey! I just bought a mac ´91 with a swingkeel for a descent price, and man does she look good! I store her at a marina far from home atm, so i havent gotten the chance to inspect her thoroughly. As such, haven´t had the time to test the ballast system yet with a hose (seems like a commonpractice thing to do), but i had this crazy idea which i would love to have some inputs on. What are your opinions on this mod:

- Fiberglass seal shut the bottom water-inlet for the ballast tank, aka. eliminate it completely. The reason for this? To prevent any leaks from the inlet - ballast tank (rubber ring gone bad, etc)- into the boat itself.

-Using a high-quality permanently installed bilgepump to pump water into the ballast tank via a hose, and then plugging the hole as normal with the rubber knob. Emptying the ballast tank would apply the same thing, but in reverse.

I realize this solution means that it would take an immense time to fill the ballast tank compared to the conventional stock method, but wouldent you eliminate the leaking problem? or at least a bit?

Im new to sailing and boats in general, and learning. Go easy on me.

Regards // Richard from Sweden

The 91 swing keel doesn't have the gate valve at the stern. Call bwyachts if you want to see if they'll ship you one.

I think this may be the one you have.
http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/h202-1c0.htm

Your idea of pumping the ballast would work fine. It would take more time and use battery capacity. Your call on whether it is worth the trade.

I trailer all the time, so the ballast valve is the stuff for me. If I was in a slip all year, pumping would probably be fine as I'd only do it twice a season.

Ooppies!
My bad.

JimmyT is right! There wasn’t a Mac26X that early on.
Sorry if I added confusion. Not the intent.

I would hold off on any major modification like that until you're more familiar with the boat. I'd go over every inch and every system. Welcome to the club I'm sure you'll love it! What body of water are you on?

Apanbort wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 6:44 am Hi Starscream, yeah gotcha on that im adding a level of stuff which might be unneccessary. Thing is, im from Sweden and i dunno if they ship replacement valvesystems to over here...! And there´s another problem with sealing the inlet shut, is that i would never be able to completely dry out the ballast system completely during winters.

I'm sure you can get these locally in Sweden. You may have to make a few modifications, but easier than glassing over the hole. I doubt you would be able to pump all the water out properly with the mod you are proposing.

https://www.amazon.se/zhuolong-avfallsv ... 542&sr=8-8

Thank you everyone for your replies, and for the forum welcome as well! I realize that my idea is quite neurotic, and will get to know the ins and outs of the boat before making such a radical mod to the boat. Im overwhelmed by the friendlyness of the links to buy gaskets/etc, i will be sure to check them out! maybe its just a matter of replacing the whole rod-system, maybe im just as neurotic as i think and just need to sail the boat.

Speaking of mods, i realize this might warrant another topic, but im getting rid of the mirror in the kitchen area and installing a full on hinge area for kitchen stuff. Anyone done such? Going full Swede and hitting Ikea to get some rad kitchen furniture. Looked in the mod section, diden´t see alot of kitchen mods, if anyone got a link or pictures i´d love to see some.

Regards & thanks

Richard

Hi!

Galley mods are a main item of the many improvements Mac owners make.
Just enter “Galley” in the forum search window and hit enter!

Some are simple and some are professional grade remodels that are beautifully accomplished in fine wood finishes and marble! There are a lot of talented people here that have done just stunningly professional grade work.

All of these are unique expressions of their owners perspectives, creativity and needs.
There is no limit, large or small, to what can be accomplished.

There was a Mac26S on this forum that had some very nice modifications that were very creative and well done.
I’ll look for the link but I’ll bet one of the other members will have it on their finger tips and post it before I get back