A refreshingly candid view from a man knows better than most. Thank you.

Now who can tell us about low speed performance. My Bigfoot stops on a dime, and maybe all the others do too?

Since it's probably time to get to my water pump, a job I've not done before, I will do the R&R gaskets and seals.Does the pump get replaced or just the impellor and seals?

OK<I won't do that ,but I wonder if the flushing device will in fact be any kind of test for the bottom seal? I'm thinking it won't. Maybe it's time for me to learn how to get that foot off. I did manage to get a Seloc repair manual that covers Yamaha, Mercury & Mariner 4 strokes,2.5 to 225 HP ....

We're just getting over an extended stretch of -30 weather, but come spring I'm going to fire up the engine at home with its "bigfoot" in a garbage can full of water. If the gear oil passes that test, I'll take it to the lake.Thanks again for your comments.

I think a critical part to an effective "bump" is a slack winch strap. I tried more times than you can imagine,unsuccessfully, before finding out this detail,from this site of course. Also bent my ladder in my first year of attempted bumping.

Both of my Macs blistered after only one season in Lake of the Woods, just north of the 49th parallel,before I applied a barrier coat.Water temp. reaches 72F max....briefly.

I've become so frustrated with attempts to cover the boat well,that I now simply remove the roller furling ,clean and wax the surface,adjust the trailer to tilt aft,winterize the motor and plug in my onboard "smart" charger. I wash and wax in the spring and hope the boat doesn't deteriorat...

My 1998 26D and then my2002 :macx: developed thousands of tiny blisters after sitting at the dock for the summer.I jacked the boat up off the trailer and sanded the bottom lightly to open up the blisters,then left them to dry out over winter.I lightly sanded again in spring and rolled on 1 gallon of...

Thanks,I'll try that.
Any thoughts about possible water pump damage?I'm thinking that maybe you southern sailors don't run into this kind of problem much.

I left my boat in the water too long with the motor tilted up. Air temp. reached a low of -8C. It started up,ran well while I motored over to the ramp about a mile away....no issues noted. :) At home,while winterizing,I find my gear lube to be distinctly milky. :( Anyone know what else I might have ...

I think I would put something stretchy between the boweye and the chain to absorb some of the shock. If I recall correctly,the boat I chartered in the BVI had a short section of thick nylon braid which was hooked onto the uppermost 6ft. of chain which took some of the pull just ahead of the boweye.

My 1988 mac26D and my 2002 26X both blistered and were then repaired using Interlux Interprotect,which was effective in both cases.

Both my Macs,a1988 26D and now my 2002 26X, developed osmosis sitting at the dock in freshwater before being repaired with a barrier coat and antifouling. So I emphatically recommend protection for those in similar situations.

I also know of boats that have been in the water without barrier coats or antifouling for extended periods of time,many summers in some cases,and have not developed osmosis.But I can't explain why some get it and some don't. Having had 2 macs develop the problem has certainly affected my view.

My :macx: developed blisters after one season unprotected in freshwater and was professionally sanded and coated with a clear epoxy before I bought it. I coated it with Aurora bottom wax and it blistered again. Upon investigation,I found that the Epoxy was the wrong type,not intended as a barrier co...