MacGregorSailors.com

Update 2: Holy cow, I am super appreciative of the community of mentors that I have received thus far by answering all of my questions! I now have some good marching orders/suggestions. As a thank you and to contribute back to you all, I posted a free and easy hack for cleaning the bottom of the hull without getting wet under the thread "Bottom maintenance advice" - if you can't find it let me know.
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To keep the conversation clear in this chain, I will start a few new threads for my other questions so things don't get too confusing or too much to read for others since I'm asking questions on multiple topics.

Hello - I purchased my MacGregor 26X a few years ago from a dear friend that has unfortunately passed away. Not only did I lose a good friend, but I lost all of the institutional knowledge of his retrofits and someone to whom I could ask my 'dumb' questions.

So, I'm looking for a mentor that would be willing to help answer some questions from time to time. I currently have a short list of questions and could even put them in this forum, but I honestly think most questions aren't worth the time of you all reading them.

This is my list of questions so far:

1. Questions about the ballast retrofit he did
2. Questions about my bilge heater and golden rods
3. Questions about wiring issues with my mast light
4. Questions about installing a new HawkEye DepthTrax 2B

Please let me know if you have interest in coaching me, and some time to spare.

Thanks,
Amanda (Northern Virginia)

AmandaRuth,

Don’t worry about questions that you believe are not worth asking. Here you will have contact with Mac owners from all over the world; if you are able to supply photos along with any questions, there is a better than fair chance someone can help to some degree. If you don’t ask, it’s a self fulfilling prophesy of not getting an answer.

P.S. if you don’t have a manual, you can find one in our resource section.

Ray - thanks! Your boat name cracks me up.

I have a manual and have been utilizing this website for years with success...but in order to optimize my time and others' time that is I why I joined & put out the plea for a mentor.

Ask away! We love questions and we love new owners!

Welcome to the forum!

If you can attach pictures of any existing items that you have questions about, you will get better responses. For example, you are the first person I've seeen use the term "bilge heater and golden rods".

Also, we'll need pictures of the ballast retrofit to figure out what was done.

I'm anxious to see what mysteries your boat holds.

Welcome to the forum. Please ask away. 26x owner here.

Ok, thanks for the words of encouragement and a safe place to not be judged for these questions -- especially for my last question.

Questions about my bilge heater and golden rods: I have the golden rods and bilge heater plugged into shore power for the winter. Are there any fire risks with golden rods - seems more like an ambient heat, but I worry about anything touching them. At what temperature does the bilge heater turn on? I read 45 degrees but when I've been to the boat in those temps I don't hear it running and my bottles of water near that compartment are frozen. The green light is on the bilge heater, indicating that it is working. (link to the type of bilge heater I have is below.)


Questions about wiring issues with my mast light - does anyone have a recommendation for how to replace (e.g. brand) that fits the MacGregorX, since my wires are all frayed all the way down to the part that plugs into the deck? I'm not sure if it was original. I attached pics. I don't necessarily need to rewire the entire thing - I think I can just rewire with new parts for plugging into the deck. I would consider it a huge win if I could just find the same exact plugs, so I only have to fix the wiring and utilize the intact deck-piece that I think is likely fine.

Questions about installing a new HawkEye DepthTrax 2B - Has anyone installed one of these before, and if so, where in the boat did you locate it?

Questions about the ballast retrofit - I took out the retrofit, since it ultimately never worked. It was a cool idea with venting tubes and a monitor that would enable you to determine if the ballast tank was filling/emptying...but since it didn't work since the air pressure wasn't great enough to move the tiny fan, I removed it and put the original plug back in the ballast--mostly so I could ensure that the ballast tank was empty using a flashlight during cold weather. The plug isn't super tight anymore because of the retrofit, but the stern valve is closed so all is fine for the winter and it will remain dry. I want to keep it at this original design, but here is where I need some physics explained: When I take the boat out next and open the stern valve gate, and I take the plug out inside of the boat - is there any chance that if I don't put the plug back in that water would continue to fill and flood my cabin? Or does it stop filling at some point because of the physics of the boat and how she rests in the water. ugh. please forgive me for not understanding that part. I managed to avoid physics classes my entire life.

Golden Rods - see I don't know what is "normal" for winterizing boats, and my friend was super innovative with retrofitting the boat. I wish you all lived here so I could show you everything he did. For example, he redesigned the rudders with clamcleats so they pop up if I hit a log/stick, which is common on my waters. That way I don't drag the log or even worse have the 70hp engine prop hit it. Yes, I said 70 hp - I don't think that was standard either.

Here is a link to a golden rod - apparently they are used for dehumidifying primarily - but I have 3 plugged in inside my cabin flooring.

Hi amandaruth
This place is like a tiny bit of how the web used to be, before Facebook and Twitter. I hope you’ll love it here, and stay on even after you’ve gotten the info you need.
In term of PHYSICS: no, the boat will not swamp or sink if you open both valves and then go get pizza. The caveat is, that’s assuming she’s in a slip or other calm place. If the ballast tank plug pops out while you’re having a rollicking good sail in lumpy conditions, water can splash into the boats bilge. That happened to me once and I spent a hour sponging it out.

Ix

Pizza?

AmandaRuth wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 4:08 pm Hello - I purchased my MacGregor 26X a few years ago from a dear friend that has unfortunately passed away. Not only did I lose a good friend, but I lost all of the institutional knowledge of his retrofits and someone to whom I could ask my 'dumb' questions.

So, I'm looking for a mentor that would be willing to help answer some questions from time to time. I currently have a short list of questions and could even put them in this forum, but I honestly think most questions aren't worth the time of you all reading them.

This is my list of questions so far:

1. Questions about the ballast retrofit he did
2. Questions about my bilge heater and golden rods
3. Questions about wiring issues with my mast light
4. Questions about installing a new HawkEye DepthTrax 2B

Please let me know if you have interest in coaching me, and some time to spare.

Thanks,
Amanda (Northern Virginia)

Thank you Ix for explaining and making me crave pizza. I'm concerned that he may have damaged the width of the plug insert a bit, making the original plug not fit as tight as it originally did. It fits so it shouldn't splash up, but there is not a tight air seal. Sounds like that shouldn't be an issue based upon your reply.

Question: Digging a bit deeper here, what is the best order for unplugging, filling the ballast and replugging the ballast when I use it this winter in freezing temps? I think in the summer I may replace his retrofit since it didn't require me even unplugging or replugging.

To keep the conversation clear in this chain, I will start a few new threads for my other questions so things don't get too confusing or too much to read for others.

Welcome to the forum.

Glad to know you have been around for a while and now introduced yourself. New members add so much.
Sounds like you have been an owner for a while, however, the question not asked is the only wrong one.

Members here LOVE these boats and love to share wisdom acquired through sharing knowledge and sometimes bad mistakes.

The best thing is to do as you have done and make new threads for each subject.
Also, with 20 years of history, the search feature on the top right might turn up the answer.

One thing I'll add to what ixneigh said about the vent plug is that there should be a collar around the plug that will contain some of the splash if it leaks or you forget to put it in.

There was a change made between the early X and the later ones. Is your vent plug under the step or under the v-berth?

it is under the vberth and it does have a collar - although I wouldn't have known what that part was called.

So, when the ballast tank is full and I'm sailing or motoring around, do I "have to" put the plug back in? Or does water continue to fill the boat and eventually enter the cabin? I'm gathering the answer to that is 'no' by reading these threads, but I would rather find out the easy way in front of a computer--rather than at sea.

You should put the vent plug back in to prevent water from splashing out. Some folks have installed a tube from the vent up to the anchor locker so it self tends.