After you first got your Mac, what was the first thing you..

[DHK79]

I bought a in need of a lot of TLC to get it back to sea worthiness, but the first things I spent $$$ on was a new main sail and an auto-pilot.

Doug (DHK79)

[Highlander]

Bought my new 2008, first thing I beleive was a Merc. 75HP 4stroke many many boat $$$ & installed it myself to save even more boat $$$ , Then followed by vhf radio , 10" gps , hand held vhf , remote mic for base station vhf , stereo , speakers , sub-whoofer, depth finder, 4ft double anchor roller bowsprit , clipper rigged & on & on & on we go !!!

J

[arvid]

the first you should do is filling swingkeel With lead and reinforce it and the hanger system , NeXT is to enlarge the cramped head cabinet With a short wall on the keelcase and a New door , New Kitchen is a must , a long narrow plastic tank in the side of bed is very practical and Places weigth low in the boat , there are a Perfect batteryplace aft of the bunk under cockpit , Automatic ventilation of ballasttank is a must - Mount a hose instead of vent.valve and route the hose up in deck heigth before it Connects to sink hose . the stupid liftgate are easy to rebuild to a swing door and single seat , i have made a cabindoor instead of the big plastic sh~t .... over the cabin Hatch i have a hard top instead of soft top because real glass is more visible than grey plastic windovs .... i have tilted the backrests in the cabin dinette - 90 degree isnt healthy or practical ....solarpanel and ledligths are a good idea. reinforcing the transom and installing minimum 75 hp motor is very practical - 90 Suzuki is the ideal motor because of Power and quality that never stops - dont buy e tec because they get sour and stops by long time low speed .... i have a lot more mods and more are planned ...

[Bilgemaster]

I'm actually still waiting to be able to legally pick up my 26X, purchased more than a month ago, and haul her home. The boat title's all squared away, but the previous owner never got a bill of sale or title for the trailer from the guy he got it from. Trailer titles may not have been a required thing in Maryland a decade or so ago. I don't know. But, I'm pretty sure it'll all get worked out here in Virginia soon. An affidavit's been filed with the Commonwealth, and the previous owner's also just managed to get in touch with the broker he bought it from years ago to perhaps try to get a proper bill of sale that way. In the meantime, my biggest expense has been getting my hands on a proper tow vehicle: a nice solid old loaded '99 Durango 4WD with the big 5.9 liter (360 cui) V8 and the factory tow package--Class IV hitch, tranny cooler, the gang's all there for under 2 grand. It's like a compact armored personnel carrier with really comfy leather seats. In theory, rated at 7,500 lbs. tow capacity, I suppose it could tug a pair of 26Xs down the road. I've also got a couple of anchors: a Fortress FX-11 (based on recommendations on this very forum) and what looks like an ancient (1930s or '40s?) but quite possibly never-used Wilcox & Crittenden 20 lb. Navy style anchor off our local craigslist--only $20, and though it may well turn out to be a less tenacious bottom-grabber than the ultrasexytime Fortress, it certainly looks cool as all hull. No rode or chain yet--still shopping. I mean, I still need something to do at work other than, you know, work. I've also been lurking through reviews of cheapo inflatables, especially Intex' various offerings. There's 4 of us, so I'm still mulling over whether to go light and cheap (Excursion 4 or Seahawk 4) or sturdier, heavier and more expensive (Mariner 4). Knowledgeable comments and suggestions would be most welcome, especially concerning stowage or towing of these Intex models. I've already got a nice working electric trolling motor from a buddy who found it in the shed of a place he just bought. A $20 engine mount kit that fits all Intex models, and we should be all set.

Fortunately, the boat's coming with all sorts of electronic and other goodies. Just armfuls of stuff, some new in box and never even installed, the acquisition of which might otherwise threaten to put the squeeze on my pizza fund. The previous owner remembers some of the wiring stuff he did, but not all, and of course there are no wiring diagrams, so sorting it all out will likely be first order of business, along with a fresh coat or two of bottom paint, once she gets to her new home.

And then there are the sailing books...lots and lots of books. This is my first sailboat, you understand. Sure, I've got a '67 Amphicar, so am no stranger to motoring down freshwater rivers and lakes, but the last time I "sailed" as such Jimmy Carter was President, and I was manning a spritzel sail on a 16th Century galleon replica called the Golden Hinde II and being helpfully told what to do by coked up hollering psychos up on the poop deck. So yeah: books. Lots and lots of books like The Sailing Handbook, The Handbook of Sailing, The Book of Sailing Handbooks--whatever I can get my mitts on. English, German, Russian, whatever. Frankly, I was most astonished to discover that I can still whip off a bowline, sheet bend or square knot just like when Engelbert Humperdinck and the Captain and Tennille were still mysteriously in the charts. It's that persistent sense memory from San Francisco Harbor in the '70s, hanging in there like a fish riding a bicycle down Lombard Street, or something maybe even a bit more memorable than that.

Hopefully VERY soon, say within the next few weeks, that 26X will finally be in my driveway all legal and proper, and the voyage of discovery can truly commence. Needless to say, any Mac 26 owners in the Washington, D.C. area would be most welcome to come by to offer moral support, offer tips, or just to shake their heads ruefully at my multiple follies whilst scarfing down slices of not-bad-at-all CostCo Pepperoni. Just toss me a line me off-list.

Regards,
Bilgey

P.S. Does anyone know for sure if the "crown" or "stock" of the Guardian G-16 anchor (that is, the part that the flukes and stock slide into) is interchangeable with their similar-sized but more expensive Fortress FX-11?

[tlgibson97]

Unfortunately, my first big purchase was a new mast when I snapped mine two months after purchasing the boat. I had a nice new Loose gauge waiting for the new mast to arrive. I didn't know any better and the person I trusted to check it said the rigging was tight enough.

Since then, I have a list a mile long that I have done to the boat. It was 16 years old and bone stock when I got it.

[Russ]

Wilcox & Crittenden 20 lb. Navy style anchor off our local craigslist--only $20, and though it may well turn out to be a less tenacious bottom-grabber than the ultrasexytime Fortress, it certainly looks cool as all hull.

That anchor is perfect as a decoration in your garden. Place 2 flower boxes next to it and your house will look so nautical. Totally useless for an actual boat anchor. Don't even bother.

There's 4 of us, so I'm still mulling over whether to go light and cheap (Excursion 4 or Seahawk 4) or sturdier, heavier and more expensive (Mariner 4). Knowledgeable comments and suggestions would be most welcome, especially concerning stowage or towing of these Intex models. I've already got a nice working electric trolling motor from a buddy who found it in the shed of a place he just bought. A $20 engine mount kit that fits all Intex models, and we should be all set.

Those Intex boats are great for pools. In fact, we have one in ours. Cheap and when they get a hole, you just throw them away.
The "Mariner" looks a bit more substantial, but I wouldn't trust it for very much. My bias comes from a company that primarily imports Chinese made pool floaties for kids and cheap disposable pools. Tow it? Can it be towed...without ripping out the ring? Those things look like light duty boats.
You are looking at 4 person models, why? Do you need to put all 4 people in at once? We have a small WM dinghy. Very well made (in France so I think it's made by Zodiac) with a hard bottom. With a proper bridal, I can tow this thing at full power. We take turns going ashore if that's the idea. Mostly used by the kids for fun.

We tow ours. Too hard to inflate and deflate. Flip it over on the foredeck when we go home. Motor (Suzuki 2.2) is stored on the stern pulpit on a wood bracket. However, many have used trolling motors on these things.



The dinghy doesn't seem to go fast enough for our teenage son, so we have upgraded to this thing.

[Russ]

Also, many have used hard dinghys. These have benefits such as sailing dinghys which can be a lot of fun.

[blues midnight]

Just bought a 2006 M a few weeks ago, trailered her home & on the way bought new light truck tires (60 psi) to replace the original tires that were very bouncy, the high psi tires virtually eliminated the bouncing (and my white knuckles), especially in the 45 C UAE heat. Since then have been forking out for tune-up parts for the 2007 Evinrude 90 Etec, generator for the (crap) window A/C, new battery, bits and pieces. Short-term shopping list includes gelcoat restoration supplies, permanently mounted A/C (Crusiair maybe) since good cabin cooling will make the 6 mos of 40+ C weather bearable, wakeboard towrope (for me), towable for the grommets, marine 2nd battery, PC & Lowrance cables for motor.

Have yet to put her in the water, just found crack in the Etec oil tank, common prob with this model and year, siliconed it up and ordered new tank, waiting for good morning calms (been offshore lately) and makin sure motor doesn't crap out on me by tuning it up before I bite the bullet and test the waters. Hopefully this weekend...

Been lurking here since the purchase, no doubt will be posting questions, great site, I've learned a ton already!!

[Russ]

Just bought a 2006 M a few weeks ago, trailered her home & on the way bought new light truck tires (60 psi) to replace the original tires that were very bouncy, the high psi tires virtually eliminated the bouncing (and my white knuckles), especially in the 45 C UAE heat. Since then have been forking out for tune-up parts for the 2007 Evinrude 90 Etec, generator for the (crap) window A/C, new battery, bits and pieces. Short-term shopping list includes gelcoat restoration supplies, permanently mounted A/C (Crusiair maybe) since good cabin cooling will make the 6 mos of 40+ C weather bearable, wakeboard towrope (for me), towable for the grommets, marine 2nd battery, PC & Lowrance cables for motor.

Have yet to put her in the water, just found crack in the Etec oil tank, common prob with this model and year, siliconed it up and ordered new tank, waiting for good morning calms (been offshore lately) and makin sure motor doesn't crap out on me by tuning it up before I bite the bullet and test the waters. Hopefully this weekend...

Been lurking here since the purchase, no doubt will be posting questions, great site, I've learned a ton already!!

Congrats and welcome to the Mac owners club. You MUST post some photos once you get her on the water. Sounds like you are busy with plugging holes.

[danc1957]

Hello all, Ahoy!
I've been lurking in here for a while and been working on my
2000 to get her ship shape. First thing I had to do is rebuild the BF 50 lower unit, that was painful but fortunately the labor was free. After that was to replace the lighting with LED navigation lights. Hope to see some other local Mac owners this summer around the Chesapeake, Outer Banks area and Norfolk, waiting on an order from the BWY folks and it should be ready to do some sailing soon.
Lots of great info on this site!

[dlandersson]

Ditto. Not even a porta potty or fuzzy dice for the rear-view mirror. Spent the first season just figuring out everything the PO had.

No big $$ things for the first season, just a new porta-potty and a bunch of little things.

[Russ]

Ditto. Not even a porta potty or fuzzy dice for the rear-view mirror.

LOL Fuzzy dice