Max Horsepower for '01 26 x

[Jimmyt]

Here is the link for my engine install. viewtopic.php?t=15666#p183156

I have the pictures. I sold the kidtech domain that was used in the link. Will post.

Victor

Wow Victor.
What a clean install! Looks like it was meant to be there!

[Jimmyt]

Just a thought: Just how much horse power is actually required to pull an adult water skier….?



Answer: One


Just a thought…

gift

I have been on a small slalom behind a 70hp on a 15 ft Boston Whaler. I'm 6'-2", 197 lbs, and I could almost stop the boat on a sharp cut. So, 70hp will get you up (I was in shallow enough water to hop) on a light boat. But, if you're much of a skier, it won't give you the ride you're looking for. I'm not sure I could get up on a slalom behind a Mac with a 70 without doing something really tricky. You could probably get up on two, or a wakeboard, though. In deep water, you really need something that comes out of the hole pretty quick (unless you are extremely strong).

I learned how to ski (on two skis), behind a 1957 Johnson 10 hp on a wooden skiff. I probably weighed about the same as one of my legs weighs now...

[OverEasy]

Hi JimmyT!

Sounds like you have the same condition I’ve grown into over the years!

As a water ski instructor taught me early on the size of the ski width and length has to be sized to the boat as much as to the individual.
Yes, a 1000 hp quad will pull anyone on anything regardless of skill set for the skier or the boat operator (think bare foot skiing).
The skill of the skier isn’t much to appreciate with the “punch and go” crowd that exists nowadays…..
With the right skis we used to pull two real adults behind a Johnson 25 hp on a 16 ft Starcraft with an adult operator and adult spotter day long and had a blast doing it including jumps.

MacGregor designed a very nice multifunction sail/motor/cruiser that can pull a skier equipped with the right kind of ski(s).
IMO Much of the stuff nowadays is proffered by wannabe sales people for the inexperienced “punch and go” crowd.
To each their own I guess…..

The wake board crowd has figured out that fun and skill don’t necessarily equate with “go fast” to have fun.
(Yeah the specialized wake boats are heavy on the hp so they can make the wake but their not out for blinding transit speed to have fun.)

Just glad I had the opportunities to get good instruction back in the day from people who really cared about what they did.
Long time ago for me. There is no way in hades I’m gonna be interested in getting back on a ski (or board) nowadays.

Down south around the tidal rivers and estuaries one seldom sees a local water skiing or tubing…. They refer to those that do as shark chumming!

Again, to each thier own… not everyone has the same desires or needs.

Best Regards
Over Easy
fudt

[Starscream]

Not sure whether to start a new post or continue this one.

While installing the RV100 transducer I decided to repair the ladder bolts through the transom, which was damaged by an idiotic Evinrude dealer, now bankrupt.

It turns out that the transom isn't attached to the deck plate around the ladder bolts. Seems very odd to me. Are all 26Xs like that, or just mine?



The tube through the bolt-hole is just a roll of paper I'm going to use to keep the bolt-hole open while epoxy-ing the sanded-down areas around the bolt hole. I can re-drill the hole, I just want to be sure I know exactly where it is.

I'm planning to fill the gap with thickened 105 West System epoxy from the inside, connecting the transom to the deck, and filling the gap visible on the photo. I'll load it up on the inside and create a sort of fillet, and who knows, maybe I'll add a couple layers of fb on top.

Any advice on filling the gap would be appreciated.

Motivation to do this repair came from this thread.

[OverEasy]

Hi StarScream!

We’ve wondered the same thing on our 2001 Mac26X but haven’t had the inopportune aspect of having it opened up like you have experienced. We noticed some “give” in the surface but have not taken things apart like you have had to do.

There are several things you might want to consider:
- A simple reinforcement of the local area to support the ladder bolting and call it a day.
- A bit more complicated but try and see if there is additional space lower down between the shell and the plate where the ladder rest foot contacts is your ladder is like our existing one and see if you can reinforce those areas as well.

What we had contemplated but hadn’t explored further if we were to retain our existing ladder was to remove the ladder and inject Thixset Epoxy into the gap between the shell and plate then reinserting the bolts after clearing he holes and applying silicone mold release to the bolts. If actually there is a gap lower down where the rest foot contacts we would drill a hole at the rest point and inject the Thixset Epoxy there as well to fill the void.

Just a suggestion….

Best Regards
Over Easy
fudt

[Starscream]

Hi StarScream!

We’ve wondered the same thing on our 2001 Mac26X but haven’t had the inopportune aspect of having it opened up like you have experienced. We noticed some “give” in the surface but have not taken things apart like you have had to do.

There are several things you might want to consider:
- A simple reinforcement of the local area to support the ladder bolting and call it a day.
- A bit more complicated but try and see if there is additional space lower down between the shell and the plate where the ladder rest foot contacts is your ladder is like our existing one and see if you can reinforce those areas as well.

What we had contemplated but hadn’t explored further if we were to retain our existing ladder was to remove the ladder and inject Thixset Epoxy into the gap between the shell and plate then reinserting the bolts after clearing he holes and applying silicone mold release to the bolts. If actually there is a gap lower down where the rest foot contacts we would drill a hole at the rest point and inject the Thixset Epoxy there as well to fill the void.

Just a suggestion….

Best Regards
Over Easy
fudt

Thanks for the advice.

There isn't any gap lower down where the ladder support peg contacts the transom. The transom itself is solid fiberglass top to bottom, side to side. It's thicker at the motor and rudders, and thinner in the areas between the rudders and the motor.

I'm interested in the idea of mold-release on the bolts. Would that mean that I could apply the epoxy with the bolts in place?

I'm using West 105 resin with their 406 colloidal silica adhesive filler, thickened to "peanut butter stage" per recommendations to make structural repairs. The little batch that I experimented with to fill the screw-holes went on like drywall and hardened like rock.

If I make a fillet along the deck/transom joint, do I fiberglass over it before, or after, it cures, or maybe just leave the thickened epoxy filet as it is?

[OverEasy]

Hi StarScream!

For this limited area, given the new to reconstruct and fill, you might want to consider using glass fiber strand fill type product.
I’ve used epoxy based products like ‘Bondo Blondie’ long fiber filled materials that have the fiber and thickener already mixed in with good results for semi structural repairs of limited areas (corners, gunnels, etc) that have had chunks knocked or gouged out. For large areas I’ve done it with a this material and a layer of regular fiberglass cloth sandwiched in as well at the same time. These repairs have held up well on power boats without any incident of delamination or cracking of the repaired areas even though they had been subjected to continuing abuse.

The repairs were done to near finished shape with only slight positive surface to allow fir finish sanding and finishing work.
Sometimes when a larger area was involved I would wait until the material was set but not hardened and carefully use a screen rasp that would bridge the area to knock down the high spots and level the surfaces. This technique works well with a light touch and minimizes the amount of finish sanding to get back the desired surface.

For what it’s worth….

Best Regards
Over Easy
fudt

[Sheppie62]

I don’t know what year this was. But looks like previous model Suzuki engine sold (DF70) on the 26m was quite heavy (359lbs). Heavier than new DF90 (341lbs), same as new Mercury 75/90/115 (359lbs). I wonder if that info is correct?