So I just bought a Mac X....

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Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

opie wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:02 am Another "Welcome" to you into the MacX ownership club.
This forum will try anyway we can to help you with advice from our collective experience.
Opie, in North Carolina
:D
The cable routing seems impossibly tight without the necessary slack.
Agreed, that does look tight, doesn't it..?

Will make a note, cheers

Quick question - does the X come with a twin battery setup as standard? I ask as in the promo video I only saw one battery? I'm used to having 2. On the same subject, is it really feasible to start the Honda 50 by hand?

Another question - for putting a name on the boat, what is the preferred method? On my current one I had some stickers made, but they didn't last long in the tropical sun. Well one side did but not the other...? Would the same stickers work but perhaps covered with some clear lacquer or something? what is the usual method?

Oh, I nearly forgot... I'm planning in installing on at least one side a 500 amp copper cable, attached to the mast and then the shroud, probably the port one. Also maybe a whisker thingy - we get a lot of lightning here :cry: Has anyone else tried such a thing? Any tips? Anyone ever had their Mac hit by lightning?

Thanks!
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Russ
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Russ »

Fascinating story. Thanks for sharing. 10 years Wow. Glad it's finally happening. Pictures of Borneo look amazing.
Drifter wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:24 am
Quick question - does the X come with a twin battery setup as standard? I ask as in the promo video I only saw one battery? I'm used to having 2. On the same subject, is it really feasible to start the Honda 50 by hand?
Standard Macs were pretty bare. One battery. Didn't even have an anchor light or headsail.
That one you bought has a windlass so my guess is it has a 12v battery mounted up in the bow someplace.
Another question - for putting a name on the boat, what is the preferred method? On my current one I had some stickers made, but they didn't last long in the tropical sun. Well one side did but not the other...? Would the same stickers work but perhaps covered with some clear lacquer or something? what is the usual method?
Most people seem to use vinyl boat lettering. There are many online places to get it. However, I don't know about shipping to Borneo.
For what it's worth, this is where I got mine.
https://www.boatus.com/products-and-ser ... -lettering
Oh, I nearly forgot... I'm planning in installing on at least one side a 500 amp copper cable, attached to the mast and then the shroud, probably the port one. Also maybe a whisker thingy - we get a lot of lightning here :cry: Has anyone else tried such a thing? Any tips? Anyone ever had their Mac hit by lightning?

Thanks!
Lightning protection gets a lot of talk. There are many opinions.

Start here
https://macgregorsailors.com/forum/sear ... protection
--Russ
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WinSome
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by WinSome »

Re: windlass location.
Wondering if in former life, it was used to lower mast frequently due to bridges etc
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

The windlass does seem to be pointing at an anchor roller, very much to one side. Where exactly the line is supposed to go I have no idea?

I'll probably keep the roller as somewhere to hang the anchor for quick deployment between fishing spots but I suspect I'll be removing the big ugly windlass.

I'm tempted to order lots of goodies, such as a battery selection switch... Guess I should wait to see if the boat does actually turn up and then check it out...

I'm already building up quite a shopping list :wink:
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Russ
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Russ »

Drifter wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:28 pm I'm tempted to order lots of goodies, such as a battery selection switch... Guess I should wait to see if the boat does actually turn up and then check it out...

I'm already building up quite a shopping list :wink:
How/when is it being shipped? Can you track it somehow?

Do you have local marine supply stores nearby? I don't, so I'm forced to order everything online.
--Russ
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

I'm not entirely sure about the tracking, will have to look into it.

Regarding the shipping, it will be in a container from Japan, no trailer.

The boat dealer has given me the name of the vessel and a voyage number but neither of them make much sense (that vessel is currently in China and still will be in China and the route is from Burma and to a different Malaysian port) so I've asked him to clarify.

I'd be feeling scammed right now, except I know this same dealer has sold a few boats to local people here, one of whom now makes a business selling Japanese imports, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and hopefully he can point me to a better tracking website...
Do you have local marine supply stores nearby? I don't, so I'm forced to order everything online.
Same, I have to order virtually everything. I do have a local guy but his prices are much, much higher than I can buy online. I'm preparing my old boat for sale and each time I check for pricing, then compare online, well I like the old guy and would happily eat say 10 or 15% but the difference is ridiculous.

For example a windlass, asked what's the smallest, cheapest little windlass for my 23ft motorboat, just to save my father-in-law's back? 2600 ringgit, which in real money is $623. OK... except I just saw the exact same make and model for 1700 ringgit and 60 rm shipping, ie $419.

The AGW 8 wire? 25 ringgit per foot. Each, so black and red is 50 rm, and the 20ft I wanted would be 1,000 ringgit, or $239. Checked online, same price, but black and red together, so literally half the total cost and shipping was very little. So just those 2 items I saved $320 by buying online and waiting a few weeks. And he has nothing in the way of a retail store where you can browse, you just describe what you want and he slaps you with a big price :|
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

(anyone else forever having to keep logging in to this site?)

This is by far the most promising-looking location for a generator I've seen! It's exactly the kind of inspiration I've been looking for! :D

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... hp?t=26260

As I live in the tropics and it gets ridiculously hot and humid here, I'm thinking of installing this thing 12V thing:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32860884626.html

Any smart people here know the minimum generator size or output required for a "About 13100Btu/h" unit? I keep hearing (reading) about a Honda but not sure if I can find that here in Borneo.
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Russ
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Russ »

Drifter wrote: Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:08 am (anyone else forever having to keep logging in to this site?)
Make sure you have remember me checked (see below).
Also, at the very bottom right of this screen, click Delete Cookies. (it will only delete this board's cookies)
If you are coming to this site via a bookmark, re-do your bookmark.

Image
As I live in the tropics and it gets ridiculously hot and humid here, I'm thinking of installing this thing 12V thing:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32860884626.html
From what I can see, that compressor is belt driven. The 12v part is only the fans etc.
If you are looking at a generator, you can use a standard house AC unit. Search the forum for all the many ways folks have done AC on their Macs.
There are some 12v marine water cooled units out there. They get expensive and will still need a way to power them.

Any smart people here know the minimum generator size or output required for a "About 13100Btu/h" unit? I keep hearing (reading) about a Honda but not sure if I can find that here in Borneo.
The 2,000w Honda is the gold standard. Quiet and reliable.
A 1,000w Generator would probably handle a 6,000BTU AC unit. Startup would be the important factor.
Of course venting exhaust is important.
--Russ
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

I DO have the 'remember me' thing going but often I change pages and it wants me to login again. Normally if logged in anywhere then refreshing a different tab it should remember me but nope, have to login all over again. Weird.

Welp, very glad I asked here because somehow I entirely missed that the compressor on those things are belt-driven and require a car engine or something!

I have found a couple of others, roof-mounted and entirely electric, claiming they can run with your truck's engine off (and kill your battery...) but the website seems a bit iffy:

https://www.guchen.com/electrical-truck ... b-van.html

Regarding a normal house aircon unit, they're huge and hugely heavy! Add the weight of a generator and I seriously wonder if the poor boat will still plane with a little 50 hp Honda?

How about this thing? The :macx: cabin is perhaps too big for it..

https://www.rigidhvac.com/store/products/393758
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Tomfoolery
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Tomfoolery »

Russ wrote: Wed Aug 26, 2020 6:29 am If you are coming to this site via a bookmark, re-do your bookmark.
That's what fixed it for me, on both the Windoze computer and my iPad. I don't remember if I had to clear the cookies, but I was using an old bookmark which required that I log in constantly, even after checking the 'remember me' box.
Drifter wrote: Wed Aug 26, 2020 8:03 amHow about this thing? The :macx: cabin is perhaps too big for it..

https://www.rigidhvac.com/store/products/393758
That's only 1500 BTU/hr. The smallest common window units at 5000 BTU/hr and under $100US may or may not be enough in the tropics. And there is zero insulation in these boats.

You need more.
Tom
Be seeing you . . .
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

Will try fiddling with cookies and bookmarks, cheers!

Here in Malaysia/Borneo "window" style air-conditioners don't really exist, only the split type with a big, fat, heavy thing outside, then a large, bulky unit for inside.

It really does seem ridiculous that there isn't a wider range of options for boat aircon? It seems either stupid money for some "marine" thing where the specs are about how many cabins your megayacht has, or it's a case of bodging some home unit into your boat with a thumping great generator somewhere.

If they can make small, portable generators how hard can it be to make a small, portable air-con?

And so many silly adverts for fake 'air con' which are just evaporators with water, because Borneo isn't humid enough already?

Gah. I'm sweating just thinking about it... Have been poking around the idea of some form of aircon for my current boat for years but always there's this weird "What.. for a BOAT?" barrier.

Come on capitalism, there is air con, there are people sweating in boats; connect the dots here??
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

Lemme bounce an idea off you guys...

Under the sink on the X there is actually a lot of room, if you remove the plastic insert (I know, I saw it on a video, where a chap installed a cupboard in there).

So there's room to stick a 'window' aircon unit, I'm thinking..? Yet where to vent out the hot air?

I'm thinking some form of cooling finned vents... angled towards the stern.

Pointing up they'd catch rain water and spray, pointing down they could catch spray, pointing forward they could catch spray - but I figure if I have water over-taking the boat from the stern then I maybe have bigger problems than a flooded aircon?

Another silly question - I've never owned a generator, but I presume they have a little exhaust pipe somewhere? Could such a generator be mounted in the same place, under the sink, with an exhaust outlet?

Yes, a CO2 detector and care to prevent exhaust fumes leaking, but surely this must be possible? Many boats have entire inboard gasoline engines, so what's the difference?

I'm just thinking that space is big enough for both the aircon and the generator, which avoids long, high-voltage power cables, and both the generator and aircon need an outside vent/exhaust, and if putting them both in the same place then some efforts at sound-proofing that compartment could be done...

Do I need more sleep (1.22am) or am I making some sense here?

Edit: I've had some sleep now. I still think it's an idea with potential :) However instead of trying to find some way of extending a genset's exhaust, which will be very hot and able to melt fiberglass, I'm thinking of a couple of exhaust fans!

Yes fans!

They, with an inlet for air to get into that compartment, could take away both the hot air from the aircon AND the exhaust fumes from the genset.

A single unit like this RV window thingy can shift 5 cubic meters of air a minute on it's lowest setting:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000533151340.html

2 of them would be replacing the air inside that compartment every few seconds, yet when underway you can batten down those little hatches (which are black and match the :macx: )

I'm sure a local electrician could wire it so if the genset is running, so are both fans and you can't run the genset without them.

Advantages of this cunning plan:
  • Both aircon and genset are quite low down, inside the boat for balance
    Both towards the rear, the most buoyant part of the boat
    Both are inside, away from the worst of salt water, wind, rain etc
    Pre-made hatches that batten down and are designed for rain etc
    Both are inside, away from thieving people, curious children etc
    No chance of the genset falling off into the water and electrocuting swimmers
    Rubbery mounts and soundproofing all in one place
    The genset is powering its own exhaust system, so no battery drain
    Can build a sliding rail system to slide them out for maintenance (out of the rain or sun)
    Can use affordable domestic units, as easy to replace and they're quite sheltered
    This space is actually wasted in the X anyway
Downsides
  • You would need a lot of soundproofing and vibration damping, but at least it's hidden so you can just go crazy without worrying too much how it looks
    Need to be extremely careful to ensure the aircon doesn't end up sucking in exhaust fumes (a partition between them could help?)
    Even if the fumes are all outside it's potentially possible for wind to blow them back into the boat (though they would be seriously diluted by then)
:?:
Drifter
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Drifter »

Update: After saying it was all working OK, I'm now told as well as a broken cleat (how does one break a cleat?):

"2. Drain plug valve was broken as well. The owner said he has it but it seems to be old and it should be better replaced."

And you can see some more pics of the scruffy old girl here:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... 9wZ3VIbjR3

So my (rather urgent) question - where to find a replacement valve thingy?

I don't even know what this item looks like, but I presume it's some serviceable thingy and someone has some reasonably affordable replacements?

:?
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Jimmyt
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Jimmyt »

Your pics indicate the boat is an 08? That looks like a center ballast valve pic, if I understand what I'm looking at. Not applicable after 1997.

http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/h202-1x1.htm

How do you break a cleat? Let me count the ways; including stepping on it if you're heavy, snagging anchor chain on the end of it, anchor rope hitting it wrong while anchored in miserable conditions, flaw in original casting... 5 year old with a hammer. 8)

It's not a bad looking boat. A little TLC should do the trick.
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Jimmyt
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Re: So I just bought a Mac X....

Post by Jimmyt »

And... I would not advise mounting a portable generator inside of the hull on an x or m. Motor well, or bow pulpit would be better spots. Gasoline, and gasoline engines mounted low in the hull bring on a set of issues in addition to the CO, CO2 issues. Sure, with enough vent air, and control safeties, it can be engineered to be survivable, but it's a risky proposition. And I would not even consider it unless exhaust gases were piped directly outside of the boat.

Now, if you want to talk putting a small window unit low in the hull and solving the condenser air and condensate issues, I'm on board.
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