Key West Pros -The opposite of Garrison Cons. I don't really know what the bathrooms and showers are like at Key West Bight so I can't comment on that. I can comment on the showers/restrooms as of 2007. They were pretty minimalist. Definitely in need of some maintenance, but they weren't used very ...

I have 2 of these in my 26M with a Honda 50 and have never had a problem. I do charge them up twice a year with a regular battery charger. http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_products/bluetop/index.php Mine are 3-4 years old. I let it one go all the way down this year. I've charged it up and we'll...

It would be really hard to put the boat on its side without ballast. I've got two personal experiences that should make you feel a little better. The first time I took my boat out I decided to NOT fill up the ballast and try out its motoring capabilities. Things worked great until I decided to make ...

gyroplanes wrote:
"Oversheeted" means too much sail area?

By oversheeted I meant you pulled in the mainsheet too far. When in doubt, let it out.

You are correct about having too much pressure aft of the centerboard, but you can mitigate that by easing the sheet and spilling wind.

As far as not being able sail lower than a beam reach... It sounds like you had your main oversheeted. I personally find the rudders on the Mac to be marginally adequate and easily overpowered by sail trim. Easing the main or rollout out the jib would have better balanced the boat and let you put it...

I repainted the topsides of my old boat with a 1 part polyurethane. They sell it at West Marine. It goes on thin and will take at least 2 coats. Do a little research before attempting to apply it as it takes some special techniques.

Racing numbers don't come stock on the sail. They are typically applied by an owner. Traditionally the racing number should be the same as the hull number, but since there's not a lot of one-design racing with Macs most PHRF fleets will let you pick whatever number you want. My sailing club just che...

My next boat will most likely have a lifting bulb keel. Retractable would be nice like the Seaward 26RK, because you can adjust it on the fly. However, it wouldn't be a show-stopper for me if I had to lock it down like a lot of the newer sportboats.

28 feet. I don't really need anything much longer. Also there are limitations on size at my marina which is on an inland lake.

It wouldn't be a deal killer for me, in fact it would be a plus.

If it's going to be a big boat, the weight might be a killer. I don't want to have to buy a monster truck to pull it around.

Great pictures! What camera?

I bought a whisker pole that came with a mast padeye. How do I install this on my mast? Do I need to get self-tapping screws or do I drill the mast? What type of screws should I get? Can I use stainless screws with an aluminum mast? I did a search a found a lot of info about using the whisker pole a...

I believe the permanent ballast is just sand mixed with resin around the daggerboard trunk. There is no removing it unless you grind it out, which I'm sure will affect the strength for the daggerboard trunk.

I have an EZ Loader trailer under my 26M. I'm pretty sure EZ Loader has dealers all over the country.

Great pictures, James. Keep them coming.