MacGregor 22 just purchased "Spirit"

[cookwithgas]

I just purchased (well two weeks ago) a 1977 MacGregor 22 named "Spirit". I bought this boat for a measly $550, then an outboard motor for $1,700. Then a whole bunch of other stuff for another $1,000, and I seem to be draining my bank account as the days go by. All kidding aside, it has been great fun and I've given my self an aggressive three weeks to ready this boat for an overnight camping trip with my wife and two daughters. I have worked every night till after dark and all day on the weekends. I'm down to the wire now and it seems to be coming together. The first thing I did was to remove the keel and sand, then repaint it, then reinstall it with a new bolt, washers and rubber gaskets. Did anybody ever mention that thing is HEAVY! I used my lawn tractor, a car jack and the help of my two teenaged daughters to remove it, then a home-made dolly and my Jeep to push it back in place. The note "do not try this at home" might just apply here, but all is well and everything is installed with a new winch cable, SS bolts, etc.

The next modification I did was to replace all of the wood slider parts and the door, and the table, and storage covers (basically everything that is wood) with some textured HDPE similar to a cutting board material. That stuff looks really good. I rewired everything last night and was running on ships power to run the lights so I could work later into the night. I got the mast up also and my neighbor commented on how handsome the boat was. He may have been thinking to himself "I wonder how long that thing is going to be in his hard" but that's OK. I think it is beautiful!

I also removed all of the flotation foam (don't get upset anyone - I put it back in) then pressure washed it and re-installed it after cleaning out the hull thoroughly. I also installed a hatch in the front for ventilation. I've got a list a mile long of other things I want to do but we will see how fast the bank account drains vs. how fast I get things done.

Oh yea - one other thing. I put some gas lift struts on the canopy to save my back from all the lifting and lowering of that thing and they are fantastic! I got the struts from Pep Boys for $19 each and carefully installed them so the geometry would work. Got it right the first time thankfully and I think it will be a real back-saver when out on the water. Thanks to the person who posted that idea (not my own) - isn't the internet great?

My only sailing experience has been on my other four boats - Hobie 16, Hobie 14 and two Sunfish. I suspect this will be more like the Sunfish (haha). I was going to post some photos, but I don't see right away how to do it.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[cookwithgas]

OK. Let's try picture posting:

[Cjflyer]

Aubrey, Nice job!

Where did you purchase the HDPE? How does the cost match up with replacing with wood?

I would love to see the gas strut installation. I just purchased a Mac 22 (actually traded a rifle for it). I have a wedding to get ready for (daughter) so my renovations and repairs will have to wait till the end of summer but I am actively studying from folks like you. Have fun sailing her!

Chad

[Sumner]

Really nice looking, have fun

Sum and Ruth

[Trouts Dream]

Regarding the work done on your 22, bravo. I am in agreement that although wood looks nice and has a warmer feel it does come with maintenence.
I also replaced the hatch on my 26X but used 1/4 inch tinted plastic. It opens the inside up like a picture window and eliminates the clausterphobic feel down below. When we need privacy, the Admiral simply drapes a towel over it.

Cjflyer
I'm sure getting rid of the rifle and marrying off your daughter is just a coincidence.

[Cjflyer]

Cjflyer
I'm sure getting rid of the rifle and marrying off your daughter is just a coincidence.

Naw, I still have the shotgun.

[technicalman]

You should be proud. very nice looking trailer yacht. Keep her pretty. Watch the budget. It's easy to blow all your cash on her. Happy Sailing!

[cookwithgas]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. The note about spending all your money is true. I'm going to slow down a bit and try to enjoy the boat before doing much more to it. Chad - here are a few pictures of the gas struts. It was a fairly simple installation. Just make sure you check the geometry in the up position, then the down position to make sure the strut won't bottom out before the canopy is fully closed. I chose to mount the strut to the aluminum bars to eliminate more holes in the canopy (leak points). The MacGregor aluminum tubing has a heavy wall thickness so I'm not too worried about the 1/4" holes in it. The open length on each strut is about 22 inches. I wanted 24, but I found these with the pivot plates on the ends. Pep Boys auto parts has a huge selection and I just picked a unit that seemed strong and was close to 24" long when open. The open position you see in the pictures matches exactly the height of the canopy using the prop-rods that came with the boat. I can get you the part numbers off the struts if you are interested, but there are probably several that will do the trick.







Happy Sailing,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[technicalman]

Gas struts on the POP-TOP is a very good mod idea. I keep telling myself i'm going to do it but put it off. I've already "brained" myself real hard more than once with the poptop coming loose and crashing down on my head. No blood yet, but OUCH! Maybe next off-season.

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. The note about spending all your money is true. I'm going to slow down a bit and try to enjoy the boat before doing much more to it. Chad - here are a few pictures of the gas struts. It was a fairly simple installation. Just make sure you check the geometry in the up position, then the down position to make sure the strut won't bottom out before the canopy is fully closed. I chose to mount the strut to the aluminum bars to eliminate more holes in the canopy (leak points). The MacGregor aluminum tubing has a heavy wall thickness so I'm not too worried about the 1/4" holes in it. The open length on each strut is about 22 inches. I wanted 24, but I found these with the pivot plates on the ends. Pep Boys auto parts has a huge selection and I just picked a unit that seemed strong and was close to 24" long when open. The open position you see in the pictures matches exactly the height of the canopy using the prop-rods that came with the boat. I can get you the part numbers off the struts if you are interested, but there are probably several that will do the trick.

[chefmike]

Hey Aubrey
I just put my 2-22 on Lake Palestine near Tyler. Where are you planning on doing your sailing? Great looking boat, and I like your gas strut set up. that is next on my list.

[cookwithgas]

Chefmike:

We are going to try to camp in it over July 4th on Possum Kingdom. Hopefully we can watch the fireworks off hull's Gate from the boat. I have no idea what we will do if a storm comes up. I hear the lake is pretty crowded over the 4th. I've been planning, planning, planning for this trip and hope I've got all the bases covered. Tyler would be a good trip for us also - not too far away. My daughters spent a week at Pine Cove last summer and I got to see Lake Palestine then. Maybe I'll plan a trip there before the summer is over and have my sister drive over from Baton Rouge. I'll let you know if I can make that trip - I'd like to see another boat like mine to trade ideas, etc.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[Catigale]

Aubrey - if you put a plate on the other side of those two holes where your gas struts mount you will strengthen the poptop struts back to near original strength. On the bottom, the mount plate for the gas strut serves this function already of course.

[McTexan]

Our most useful addition to date has been the bolt-on goal posts for the trailer. Also ran a 1/2 rope from each to the winch tree. Never fail to hit the
"sweet spot" when loading her up to go home anymore, regardless of cross-winds or waves. Don't overlook Lake Whitney. One of the nicest lakes around
in our opinion.

Chefmike:

We are going to try to camp in it over July 4th on Possum Kingdom. Hopefully we can watch the fireworks off hull's Gate from the boat. I have no idea what we will do if a storm comes up. I hear the lake is pretty crowded over the 4th. I've been planning, planning, planning for this trip and hope I've got all the bases covered. Tyler would be a good trip for us also - not too far away. My daughters spent a week at Pine Cove last summer and I got to see Lake Palestine then. Maybe I'll plan a trip there before the summer is over and have my sister drive over from Baton Rouge. I'll let you know if I can make that trip - I'd like to see another boat like mine to trade ideas, etc.

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[McTexan]

There is one other rather pricey option you might consider after you get out and get a feel for things. We felt that the stock rudder left
a bit to be desired and decided to try the IdaSailor option. Very pleased with that decision. Went from handling like a dump truck to a sports car, and
eliminated those grounding and stump concerns we have in some of these NE Texas lakes. Have snapped the winch cable a couple times like it was a
piece of twine. Makes for an interesting trailer loading scenario....one time the water was deep enough at the ramp that we were able to winch it on
while dragging the keel. The other time I had to dive, loop a rope around the keel, and use the halyard winches to get it up high enough to load.
The cable can also collect big bunches of aquatic plants if you happen to run through a patch of it. I have had to dive with a jackknife to remove it
so the keel would fit in the trunk when loading. There are advisories and even fines for dragging some of them from lake to lake on the boat, so it's worth checking and cleaning it off. A downhaul line for the jib can also come in handy when things suddenly get hairy....going forward in an unexpected blow can be an adventure. Reminds me of trying to skateboard on a trampoline. HAHA

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. The note about spending all your money is true. I'm going to slow down a bit and try to enjoy the boat before doing much more to it. Chad - here are a few pictures of the gas struts. It was a fairly simple installation. Just make sure you check the geometry in the up position, then the down position to make sure the strut won't bottom out before the canopy is fully closed. I chose to mount the strut to the aluminum bars to eliminate more holes in the canopy (leak points). The MacGregor aluminum tubing has a heavy wall thickness so I'm not too worried about the 1/4" holes in it. The open length on each strut is about 22 inches. I wanted 24, but I found these with the pivot plates on the ends. Pep Boys auto parts has a huge selection and I just picked a unit that seemed strong and was close to 24" long when open. The open position you see in the pictures matches exactly the height of the canopy using the prop-rods that came with the boat. I can get you the part numbers off the struts if you are interested, but there are probably several that will do the trick. Happy Sailing,

Aubrey Scott in Texas

[McTexan]

OK. I freely admit that I need to get a life....(multiple posts) We tend to stay home on holidays and avoid the crowds due to having flexible schedules,
and make up for it during the week. A couple other mods we did was to replace the stock side stay adjusters with turnbuckles. If I NEVER see another ring ding it will be too soon. The other that comes to mind is a lever thingy for securing the front stay. It makes putting the mast up easier. I either have the wife hook it while I raise the mast, or walk the front stay up under tension and hook it if I'm alone. The lever takes up the slack after it's secured, then is locked with a pin-one with a spring loaded ball bearing in the end. NO ring ding! I bought the cheaper 2 cycle motor mount for the 6 hp extra long shaft Nissan. No regrets there either. We leave the motor on to trailer but rope it to the safety rail to keep it from stressing the transom.
I added some extra length to the tongue to get the balance right. It's either that or move the axle if you want to trailer with a motor hanging off the back. I guess you could add some interior weight to the bow as well. Without enough weight on the ball, you can get a dangerous and often unexpected amount of fishtailing. Heap bad ju-ju.

I just purchased (well two weeks ago) a 1977 MacGregor 22 named "Spirit". I bought this boat for a measly $550, then an outboard motor for $1,700. Then a whole bunch of other stuff for another $1,000, and I seem to be draining my bank account as the days go by. All kidding aside, it has been great fun and I've given my self an aggressive three weeks to ready this boat for an overnight camping trip with my wife and two daughters. I have worked every night till after dark and all day on the weekends. I'm down to the wire now and it seems to be coming together. The first thing I did was to remove the keel and sand, then repaint it, then reinstall it with a new bolt, washers and rubber gaskets. Did anybody ever mention that thing is HEAVY! I used my lawn tractor, a car jack and the help of my two teenaged daughters to remove it, then a home-made dolly and my Jeep to push it back in place. The note "do not try this at home" might just apply here, but all is well and everything is installed with a new winch cable, SS bolts, etc.

The next modification I did was to replace all of the wood slider parts and the door, and the table, and storage covers (basically everything that is wood) with some textured HDPE similar to a cutting board material. That stuff looks really good. I rewired everything last night and was running on ships power to run the lights so I could work later into the night. I got the mast up also and my neighbor commented on how handsome the boat was. He may have been thinking to himself "I wonder how long that thing is going to be in his hard" but that's OK. I think it is beautiful!

I also removed all of the flotation foam (don't get upset anyone - I put it back in) then pressure washed it and re-installed it after cleaning out the hull thoroughly. I also installed a hatch in the front for ventilation. I've got a list a mile long of other things I want to do but we will see how fast the bank account drains vs. how fast I get things done.

Oh yea - one other thing. I put some gas lift struts on the canopy to save my back from all the lifting and lowering of that thing and they are fantastic! I got the struts from Pep Boys for $19 each and carefully installed them so the geometry would work. Got it right the first time thankfully and I think it will be a real back-saver when out on the water. Thanks to the person who posted that idea (not my own) - isn't the internet great?

My only sailing experience has been on my other four boats - Hobie 16, Hobie 14 and two Sunfish. I suspect this will be more like the Sunfish (haha). I was going to post some photos, but I don't see right away how to do it.

Aubrey Scott in Texas