newbie

[whgoffrn]

I am the very proud new owner of a 1999 26x and already have some goals in mind. Not this year but next year i plan to do the miami to bimini crossing (with a group of course) and wonder what u all suggest as far as good upgrades. My x has rolling furler jib boom vang topping lift. Im not so much worried about speed more about safety (maybe ive let some of the negative comments about these boats creep into my head about how unsafe they are etc etc) but just wondered if anyone could give me some advice as far as a good list of upgrades to start working on little by little this next year

[Jeff L]

Welcome aboard the board...

[whgoffrn]

Ty!

[Russ]

Welcome aboard.

Safety:

There are tens of thousands of these boats out there and I can name 2 incidents that ended tragically. One drunk captain decided that without ballast in and a dozen people onboard to open the throttle full tilt. It didn't handle well like this. Another was also a seriously overloaded boat that capsized. These boats have an amazing safety record. Theoretically they float when holed, however I've never heard of one that actually needed to use the flotation. They just don't get holes and sink. Most are owned by first time boaters with no experience. With that, there are few accidents.

The biggest safety item you can buy is a VHF radio and a floating VHF hand held. They are less than $100 so there's no excuse not to have these. PFDs...get good ones and have them nearby. Have throwable devices. Make sure your crew and passengers don't do stupid things and you will be fine.

Education: Get some. There are near free courses available from USPS. Your state may even require it to operate a boat.
http://www.usps.org/cgi-bin-nat/eddept/cfind.cgi?C

These boats are a lot of fun. A compromise boat. Doesn't sail great, doesn't motor great, but it's a lot of fun and very safe.

--Russ

[whgoffrn]

Ty one of the many reasons i chose a mac was its ability to run from storms....being in fl and having been caught out on the mosquito lagoon in a storm that came out of nowhere i had read with gusts 60 and up to 80mph 2 years ago in a 12ft plastic logic boat.I realized how quick things can turn nasty and grew to respect what mother nature can do. All i plan to (for now)do mostly with it is cruising icw mosquito lagoon fishing and maybe some king and tarpon fishing just slightly offshore at beaches at cape canaveral besides vhf and pdfs i think my first real safety upgrade is some form up to date weather warning to give me enough time to run from 4-5 miles off cocoa beach back to inlet if a quick moving storm is coming.......any suggestions? Radar? Xm weather sirius? What are some semi budget cost effective ways to get an early warning its time to roll in and drop sails and run???

[Russ]

I Also bought our Mac thinking we could outrun weather. Nope.

Smartphone weather apps are the best. We have mountains that blockour view of oncomiming weather. Some watch weather apps radar and such. Great tool to keep prepared. And be prepared to weather it out. It will happen.

[NiceAft]

whgoffrn,
You never stated what size motor you have on your transom.

One of the reasons I also purchased my Mac was to be able to outrace a storm to safely get back to port. Unless you have a super large motor that can get you up to 40 or more MPH, it's not happening. My 50 HP Honda certainly won't do it. And If the storm is between you and your home base, well, as they say in Brooklyn, FAWGETTABOUTIT!

A Mac is a great boat. Be sure to post about your trips.

Stay safe,

Ray

[whgoffrn]

Hmmmm well it also has a 50hp . so radar or Sirius or xm weather isn't much help? After being caught out in the lagoon in that rare microburst I put a ton of apps on my phone and watched closer which did help but I was looking for a step above that and just based on reading on internet it "seemed" xm weather or Sirius was an improvement over WeatherBug and windfinder type apps...so still not much help?

[NiceAft]

When it comes to weather, enough can not be said about precautions.

(A) check the weather reports for the area you will be in.
(B) be aware of the skies while there.
(C) keep your VHF radio on so as to hear what is going on about you.
(D) if you have not already done so, take a sailing course that has as a part of it, learning to read the clouds.
(E) since you have already experienced how fast things can go wrong, always wear a PFD. (Mine are auto-inflating. They are more comfortable)

Ray

~~~_/)~~~

[Tomfoolery]

When it comes to weather, enough can not be said about precautions.

(A) check the weather reports for the area you will be in.
(B) be aware of the skies while there.
(C) keep your VHF radio on so as to hear what is going on about you.
(D) if you have not already done so, take a sailing course that has as a part of it, learning to read the clouds.
(E) since you have already experienced how fast things can go wrong, always wear a PFD. (Mine are auto-inflating. They are more comfortable)

Good list. I would add

(F) large top notch anchor and long ground tackle of a style best suited for the bottom conditions normally found in your sailing area.
(G) a change of clothes and/or foul weather gear, as you're going to get wet.

Since you know you're going to get caught in some weather, sooner or later, it's best to plan for the worst, and hope for the best. But getting caught in it and not being prepared (including mentally) is really bad. These Macs are pretty tough (keep the ballast tank full), and will weather a storm well, but you need to have the gear and the knowledge so it doesn't become a disaster if it's getting the best of you.

Riding out a storm can be scary, but it doesn't have to be life-threatening.

[whgoffrn]

I doubt until i can trick a few of yall into letting me in on a dry tortugas or bimini float that id sleep over night on it anchor plans for now are two 25lb+ anchors on bow with 20 feet chain anchor buddy rope possibly stick achor for rear for when in shallow....if out offshore a sea anchor for emergencies....two big anchors chain anchor buddies vhf usual cg requirements and every weather app i can find before it ever sees water and with each new mile farther from shore i will add more...sirius weather , dinghie, gps chart plotter etc etc

[dlandersson]

Here's pretty much what your X should look like once you get it in the water.

Bear in mind that you can always find things to throw money at.

[whgoffrn]

Haha yeah im going to be bankrupt before i ever get it in water. .. an ebay addiction and a new boat is havoc to a checking account... wooohoo just won bid on the globalsat gps puck for opencpn ... tons of great ways to spend money in archives lol

[Mac26Mpaul]

Yeah the outrunning a storm benefit is a bit of a fallacy And usually in open water the swell/waves will be at a point where you can't do much more than 5 or 6 knots anyway if there is bad weather around. But don't worry about that, because there are many other benefits to the big motor

If your going to sea, I'd put an GPS Epirb on your list as they can really save your bacon, and having one on-board is great peace of mind. Everyone has one here (probably because its illegal to go more than 2 miles from land without one here!).

[Erik Hardtle]

Hey there whgoffrn...

I have a 1999 26X as well... you can check out my Mods and logs at:
http://www.enctrader.com/knotshore.htm

We have been slowly finding our way in the direction of the Keys and Bimini... just not yet... we are doing the BEER Cruise in Pensacola, FL this year.
Bring on the 20 questions...
______________________________________________________________
Capt Erik, Admiral Jean, First Mate Christina & Swabbie Nicole
1999 MacGregor 26X, "KnotShore"
New Bern, NC