Nothing to worry about. Roger designed a pretty safe system that's hard to break. The transom valve isn't critical. Even if you left the vent in the bow open, water will only rise to the vent hole. The "cone" around the vent prevents any water from splashing out if the boat rocks. My trans...

I installed the new cable. Examining how Roger engineered the connection to the rudders is troubling. ONE LONG bolt connects the steering cable to one of the rudder brackets. It was loose when I took it off which probably added to the slop. There has to be a better way to connect it. Once I launch I...

Nice work. Good that you have a "spare mast". How many can say that? :) I assume the spare is the same diameter etc. yes Russ, it seems to be identical. got 2 spare booms and a spare swing keel too ;) they all came with the boat for $650 everything. trying to figure a way to test the keel...

Nice work.

Good that you have a "spare mast". How many can say that?

I assume the spare is the same diameter etc.

adudinsk wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2026 5:46 am I bought a BougeRV, very energy efficient, has 2 sides, with temps that can be different

That's a nice unit. Even has an app to monitor temps.

Years ago we had few choices. Nice to see so many companies offering compressor-based coolers.

I was going to respond but then saw you are talking about the "WINDOWS".

I bought the connector between the dodger and the bimini. 2 zippers is all it has.

I've used it maybe twice. I wish I got the side windows now that I see it.

You are lucky to have so many interesting places to explore. Looks like there are many many tributaries and dolphins to visit in your area. Again, that's the beauty of the Mac. It makes a great trawler with the option to get up on plane and get back in a hurry. Roger was a pure sailor and I assume i...

In some ways I’m guilty of a bit of that in that we use our Mac26X primarily as a cruiser given my physical limitations and that it’s hard to sail in tidal estuaries and rivers.) I totally get it. And you are not alone. There are many Mac owners who appreciate the boat without the need to sail it. ...

my kids are much more interested in experiential activities than in activities that require real estate to store the equipment like boats generally do… something to think about… There is much to this. We see this with our son who doesn't "own things" but prefers traveling and experiences....

To amplify BeFree's comments. Replace all incandescent bulbs with LEDs. That makes a HUGE difference. Also, I learned LED strip lighthing is not efficient and loses much power from their resistors. It's all about what power consumption you are planning. Do the math. Your cooler (compressor-based I a...

What you propose sounds reasonable. I'm running with 2 lead acid deep cycle (~110AH) batteries. One is dedicated start and the other house. They combine when charging from the motor. That's not possible with Lifepo4 batteries. My understanding is they need to be charged smarter. I've yet to dive int...

For a few years our state was inspecting boats entering our waterways. We were provided an "education" on prevention and awarded a sticker to place on our boat to avoid inspection stations. Since we were exempt, I never went through the inspection stations. However, they seemed to utilize ...

I was considering replacing it with hydraulic steering. However, that system won't work with the way the 26M rudders are attached.

New cable should be here today and I'll replace and tighten up all the other bits.

I bought just the cable so I'm hoping to avoid all that drilling.

I'm glad to see a happy ending to this story. Illustrates the point to be prudent when encountering strangers at sea. Especially in foreign waters. My first thought was the possibility of pirates. The movie "Dead Calm" comes to mind. Intersting how Starlink has changed blue water sailing. ...