So I just bought a Mac X....

[Jimmyt]

Just wanted to say THIS looks amazing compared to what you started with

+1
Wow! I can hardly believe it's the same boat! What a transformation.

[Drifter]

Flattery will get y'all everywhere... or some pizza anyway

So, 1st trip...

Weather was terrible and everything was last-minute so the boat jammed with disorganized mess, so not the best of starts but good to get her wet.

Problems or issues noticed:

The previous owner said he fitted a 4 blade prop which gave more thrust but above 3500 rpm he'd get an engine overheating alarm. Well that didn't sound good, so I replaced it with the proper 3 blade one which was also supplied.

Big brain thinking eh? Yeah, except it still sounds the alarm and cuts out. Was fine at 3500 or below but as part of the test run tried WOT and within 30 seconds got the alarm.

I guess replacing the impeller is obvious, though it's peeing strongly and that really doesn't seem to be the issue. So I'm guessing/hoping thermostat?

Steering. My goodness!

I'd read somewhere how the Macgregor needs a hand on the helm continously or it will wander off course, but my goodness! Let your attention wander for 10 seconds and you're at right-angles! Unbelievable how this thing just heads off by itself and requires constant steering input.

I think I need to do some form of adjustment for this? As there seems around 10 inches of freeplay on the wheel; just crazy. Had a truly awful time just trying to keep it straight on a river, in daylight. Are they all as goofy as this, and can it be fixed or modded?

On a related yet different note, not only does it steer wildly by itself but actual steering is... almost nothing? Absolute full-lock, as far as it will go, is basically just a mild suggestion. So huge amount of freeplay in the middle, yet the actual steering is seriously weak sauce?

Again I have to ask if this is normal? Do all you guys n gals just vaguely float off in the general direction, while constantly sawing the wheel from side to side?

Trying to park it on the trailer, with a brisk sideways tide... well it was impossible. I realized while leaving that steering back onto the trailer was a non-starter, but did a lot better than expected, at first. Then it decided to swing a bit sideways, totally ignored my steering inputs, even throwing it into reverse made no real difference and it came to rest sideways across the trailer.

Lots of waist-deep wading in gloopy mud and salt water crocodile-infested water was required to get the thing pointing in the right direction.

My previous 2 boats would nose-dive sharply upon cutting the throttle, as though I'd stamped on some brakes or something. This just... keeps going? Reverse was like throwing an anchor, but on this even a cut throttle, even into reverse, it keeps going? I then, cursing, gave it plenty of throttle in reverse, which made a lot of noise but not much difference, before the resting sideways thing.

It's late now and I'll clean her up and sort things a bit tomorrow, as she's now covered in black muddy footprints, palm prints etc.

I know you can't use the rudders at higher speeds, but for getting back onto the trailer, could the rudders be deployed, without tying them, so they can kick up if hitting anything?

Despite the pounding rain and having to crawl at hull speed, and the total embarrassment of trying to park, we managed to have a generally good time, nobody was hurt and we even caught a nice catfish. But those 2 issues, steering and overheating, I need to figure out.

[Drifter]

Will post some pics later

Going out for a meal now

[Starscream]

Fun times on a 26X


With the centerboard down, the boat steers just fine. With only the rudders down, it's kind of like drifting in a car: the nose might start pointing in the way you want to go, but it takes a lot of time for the boat to start going in that direction. If you're in shallow water, even just a few inches of centerboard is better than nothing, especially if your rudders are up too.

If both the rudders and the board are up, and you are trying to steer with just the motor...well...good luck.

When getting back on the trailer, you need some centerboard and full rudders-down. They'll kick up when they have to. You can't put partial rudder down very well because then the rudder trails the boat with too much surface and makes it very, very hard to steer. If ever your steering suddenly feels difficult, look behind you and I bet one of your rudders isn't pointing straight down anymore. Would be good to confirm that the cross-bars on your trailer are positioned to properly hold the centerboard up in the slot: if they are in the wrong positions you risk an accidental lowering which can lock the boat in place while launching or grind your board into road-dust.

With a good rack-and-pinion steering system, the free play is very slight. Sounds like yours is in need of adjustment or replacement, but I haven't done that mod (yet) so I can't help you.

[Russ]

That much play in the steering is not normal. Could even be dangerous. I would resolve that first.

As mentioned, these flat bottom boats will not steer without fins in the water. Especially if you are fighting sideways blade pressure. Well, they will steer under power with some speed. But not tight maneuvering.

Sideways blade pressure will cause the pull in steering. My Suzuki has a trim tab to compensate for this. Maybe yours needs adjusting. (see below)

As mentioned, I come onto the trailer with rudders down (not locked) so they can kick up if needed. It's not needed until loaded because that's the deep end of the ramp. I have a dagger board and leave it mostly down with hand on the pull to lift it up just before I reach the trailer.
And ballast IN provides more bite of the water, however I usually dump it before loading and that makes the boat be more susceptible to crosswind. In your case, cross current might make it wiser to have ballast out and the current have less grip of the boat.

All in all, it must have been exciting to finally get her dunked. That overheating sounds like you have a couple of good handles on the cause.

Reverse? Now these boats don't reverse well, but they do reverse. Are you sure the prop isn't slipping?

[Drifter]

I recently replaced the trim tab, as it's a zinc anode and the original looked a bit eaten.

It's not pulling to any side in particular, just sort of lurches off on a tangent, then a lot of steering wheel movement to get it to stop going that way... at which point it will think about it a bit and then lurch off the other way...

Put it this way, my brother in law got a video of me steering in the rain, and it looks like one of those old-timey movies where the guy isn't in a real boat and is constantly moving the steering wheel around without it making any difference.

But it's no movie, it really does handle like that

I'll write to BWY and see if they can advise on exactly which cable I need, as there seems quite a variety of different ones. First I'll ask a boaty friend if he has any idea how to adjust the existing one (or do any of you know?)

[NiceAft]

The dramatic amount of play in the steering is my concern. These boats do have somewhat of play, but hat amount should not be.

It has been a few years since I have seen posts concerning this, but the solution in many cases was replacing the steering cable. There were many posts of where this was done, and showing the steps to doing this messy job. Cable may not be the correct description. When you open the side panels on the pedestal, you can see the linkage (maybe a better term) attached to the steering wheel. This is what many replaced to correct severe play in the steering.

[Tomfoolery]

When getting back on the trailer, you need some centerboard and full rudders-down. They'll kick up when they have to.

Yup. CB down, at least partially, and I use one rudder, usually because I have to tie up where there are rocks on the dock side. But one rudder full down is waaaaaay better than no rudder, and both are better than one. That long, skinny CB makes a decent skiff keel if the water is too shallow for full down.

I added a short block with bunk carpet to the front of the middle bunk, the one that’s supposed to support the CB if you forget to secure it, but doesn’t if you Mac Bump it too hard. I posted some pics of it here, somewhere.

[opie]

Drifter,
- For launch, I back down into water until back truck tires are touching water and my Mac 26X floats gently off trailer.
- BUT, on retrieving I only slightly submerge trailer tires. (your trailer may differ). Truck tires are maybe 8 ft from water. This allows bow of boat to be pulled in water by hand by a line tied to bow cleat and then bow snuggles partway into its cradle on the trailer. I then crank it by winch all the rest of the way up and safety chain it. By doing this, you will prevent the boat sliding sideways over its bunks and getting misaligned. As a newbie my first time I had the boat in a terrible position because I backed the trailer in too far.
- ditto on steering comments that something must be wrong with your setup. At slow speeds, with fins down, I have only slight wandering, but yes there is some. Are you sure your rudders are connected and move in unison with engine. Also, is the engine connected? Many sailors disconnect the engine from rudders when sailing and then reconnect when not sailing. I never do that myself. Too lazy and don't care. And is motor mount correctly installed and motor and prop down into water the correct depth and motor vertical?
- Reversing for me is easy. Occasionally, due to circumstances, I reverse into a slip or dock. Boat handles proudly. On crowded summer afternoons is one example, when I have to public dock for a few moments and dock is full but the forward boat has courteously tied up far enough along the dock that a 15 foot boat could fit, but not a Mac26 if I head in. So I reverse in and tie up with plenty of room for passengers to exit and reboard. Again, it seems easy for me, and the ever present gawkers would snicker if I didn't nail it first time.

Congrats on getting to this point. It really doesn't seem that long ago when you just had photos of your far away 26.
Opie
ps - on edit......Is the pee water warm, almost hot? If not, yes it is probably thermostat if you are getting high temp engine alarm because water is not getting past tstat. There also may be an oil alarm and maybe a tilt alarm on your engine.

[svscott]

With the recommendations that were already offered, I don't have much value to add about why your boat behaved like a bobbing bottle of Clorox but I for sure want to congratulate you on getting the boat to this point and looking as good as it does. I've been hoping for this update from you for awhile!

For the mid mast support, I cut an oblong semicircle out of a piece of 3" pvc then cut it to length and drilled it out to bolt into the mast step.

I don't think you confirmed one way or the other but did you have centerboard lowered and at least 1 rudder down for slow speed maneuvering? You want centerboard and rudder(s) down when you're below about 6 knots. Raise them for speeds above that. I've only loaded my X onto the trailer a couple times, and where I'm boating, there is only crosswinds and never a current to deal with but I didn't have the same issues that you're describing. My wheel only has a little slop before the engine and rudders respond. Also, if you have not already inspected them, take a look at the throttle and shift cables where they exit your motor and bend when you tilt the engine up. One of mine was frayed and mostly broken so I replaced both cables and kept the good one as a spare.

I also have the Honda bf50. I'm not sure what my prop pitch is, but it's a 3 blade and it worked great for getting on and off the dock the handful of times I took it out last season.

[OverEasy]

And we thought we was the only one to achieve sideways landing on the trailer first time out....

We are still practicing techniques but the centerboard even partially down as many have already mentioned makes a big difference.

We’re still working with the rudder dipping aspects.

One thing that helped was running a line from the top of the port guide post to the top of the winch post and back to the top of the starboard guide post. This forms a “V” which helps keep the bow from wandering off.

Having the forward section of the trailer a bit higher out of the water when retrieving also seems to help too! It allows us to capture the bow and use the winch to pull the boat onto the trailer. There is a ‘Sweet Spot’ with how much in/out of the water to have the trailer and placement of the tow vehicle combination.

Sounds like you have a great positive attitude which is a real benefit no matter what your confronted with. You have done a remarkable job!

[Drifter]

Well thank you all very much for the encouragement and praise

Regarding the centerboard and rudders, nope, didn't have them down at all, at any point, including attempting to intercept the trailer.

In fact the rudders were still bolted in place, to ensure they didn't fall down while towing

OK, I'll have to experiment a bit with the ropes, figure out just how they are supposed to be connected for the rudders. I don't seem to be able to find any suitable hitch pins locally. Might try drilling a hole through my existing bolts and then putting the clippy bit through, as I can find the clips locally, just not the thicker part. Main thing is it's good to know I can use the rudders!

I was pretty sure I'd read somewhere someone mentioning they used the rudders for slower-speed steering, and yeah, I think that's a necessity

Had a closer look at the steering, not the actual stuff but just trying it again at home. First thing I noticed was that the engine was able to flop from side to side far too easily - it was actually entirely disconnected from the steering! Must have bounced free on the way home, as we didn't do any kind of tying up on the way back

(as an aside, the guy at the local boat club who drives the tractor to get you in and out of the water, well let's just say he has an attitude problem, so we didn't hang around.)

I find a little ball thingy and was able to reconnect it. After that I could see the rudders do actually move quite a lot, so I think for sure the steering will be WAY better with the rudders down. Obviously rudders only work when moving through the water but if it's actually going where I'm telling it to then I'm happy to be quite decisive and bash it onto the trailer firmly. On this occasion I realized I had no real control so just cut the engine and jumped overboard to try and manhandle it onto the trailer.

(The tractor guy said you shouldn't cut the engine until it's on the trailer, but that rather presumes the engine would be of any actual use at steering, which it clearly wasn't! I considered the prop more of a hazard then a help and so stopped it)

Jumped is the wrong word, more like clambered and squeezed through the pulpit, climbing onto the trailer hitch, before jumping into the mud.. I've ordered a rope ladder, which I'll tie onto the bow railings. This trailer is not original and has no ladder, so unless you want to go swimming to the stern ladder there's no sensible way of getting onboard while launching.

As I mentioned, there is no jetty here but Tractor Guy was adamant that untying the boat from the trailer is not his job, so at least one person - me - has to be outside the boat, undo all 4 tie downs in the mud, release the front chain, unwind the winch and then try and grab the bow railings as it floats away, and clamber on. Then run across the roof and to the cockpit to start the engine, put it in reverse and steer away from the pointy spikes that used to be a jetty...

Yet it did reverse, reverse does work, it just doesn't have that instant stopping power of the 200 hp Evinrude I'm used to. Probably me expecting a bit much from a little 50?

I'm very familiar with my old motorboat for parking on the trailer. I know with that to cut the throttle about 2 boat lengths away, a couple of seconds later my own bow wave would lift the rear of the boat and shove it forward, with just enough oomph to plant it nicely, so the trick was to be aiming just right and then let the wave do the work.

With this boat I was aiming absolutely perfectly for the trailer, and yes, allowing for the current, but as I got really close it just decided sideways was more fun and I just could't spin the wheel fast enough or get it into reverse and then throttle fast enough - I just gave up, cut the engine and decided to do it by hand!

One fantastic bright side - my fishfinder worked perfectly! I've got through a few fishfinders on my previous 2 boats, none of them seemed quite right, but this one worked fine. It's complicated though, so I need to get used to all the options.

Really, this 1st trip SHOULD have been a cautious affair and all about testing things, but it was really taking my father in law fishing , my brother in law for a fun day out and of course the Admiral came along. I didn't even get to test putting the centerboard down, as I wasn't 100% sure I'd be able to get it back up again

Didn't test it with and without ballast, didn't test the rudders, couldn't even get to my own fishing gear as all sorts of other stuff on top of it and I was 100% steering or peering at things (such as the thru-hulls from the old toilet, to see if any leaks - nope).

When setting off yesterday I noticed parts of the trailer were very low, only about 4 inches from the ground. Just adding water to the head, under the sink, plus an icebox etc seemed to flatten the tires a bit and so today I've been under the boat with my angle-grinder, cutting those sections off. They were excess for the adjustable rollers, so not needed but could be a real problem if finding a speed bump or similar. I'm now filthy dirty and need a shower, and this is already a long post, so i'll shut up for a bit

Forgive me for being so lazy, but anyone happen to know the part number for a Honda BF50 thermostat, circa 1996? I have a PDF manual but that's 2002, 6 years later, and Honda tend to change things. And the manual doesn't mention the part number anyway.

[Drifter]

Y'all might like this - shows the vague steering, and how wet I got. Seems my bimini is good for the sun but doesn't do much to keep the rain off the captain!

[Tomfoolery]

Here’s a YouTube vid of me putting the boat on the OEM steel trailer. The only difference from bog-stock is that I extended the goal posts with pipe and covered them with PVC pipe with a tennis ball cap on each one, and I added a bow roller just behind the little bow bunk. It’s the first thing the hull hits and it help raise the bow to where it can easily get onto the carpeted bunk, but low enough that the hull doesn’t touch it when the it’s sitting on all bunks.

On almost every attempt, I scrape the starboard goal post, which knocks me to port, and until my son shot this video, I always thought I was hitting some part of the trailer under the water. Easily corrected by reversing slightly and timing the forward throttle to the sideways bounce, but now that I know it’s the goal post I’m hitting, I should be able to compensate and not hit it.

I leave the engine in gear while I attach the winch line and pull it into the vee block, then go back and kill the engine, tilt it up, and pull up the rudder. I usually pull up the centerboard just before I hit the trailer, but it’s only down a little so if I don’t, it’ll just close up anyway. Mustn’t forget to secure it once on the trailer, though, and if it’s not pulled up before hitting the bunks, and if I blow the loading, that CB will drop down in front of the rear bunk and lock me into the space. Yeah, I’ve done that.

[dlandersson]

Flattery will get y'all everywhere... or some pizza anyway