celebrating 20 years of Mac ownership

[Herschel]

So far I have shared some history of just getting my Mac from Michigan to Florida, initial learning curves as I tackled new systems not found on smaller day sailors and shared some of my early cruises. I thought I would discuss the evolution of sleeping arrangements and how that has gotten "sorted" over the years. I knew going in that Roger M. had assured us that we could sleep six aboard comfortably, so it was just a matter of assigning berths and rolling out the bedding. NOT! First, I discovered that the "king size" berth required a degree of freedom from claustrophobia I had long since lost due to "mishaps" in childhood. Then I discovered that the port quarter berth, while affording good head room, required a considerable degree of flexibility which my then sexagenarian (60+) knees found cumbersome for those middle of the night sorties to the head. Then there was the "double berth" amidships on top of the lowered dinette table. The admiral and i found that berth challenging for two reasons. First it was both lumpy due to the jig saw puzzle of cushions involved necessitating an air mattress topper. But that led to the realization that the right size air mattress was a single. No way the two of us could sleep comfortably on a single sized mattress. OK for our bedtime "story book reading" , but not sleeping. So, I yielded the very nice single berth with air mattress to the Admiral and sought comfort in the V berth. I made the port side V berth work for a couple of cruises, but my fondness for reading before sleeping propped up by a headboard ran afoul of that arrangement. Simultaneously I found the OEM cushions rather thin for sleeping on my side, so I had six-inch new cushions upholstered and fitted. Then my feet didn't fit comfortably under the anchor locker encasement. Not to be fouled by that, I built a port side V berth extension that adds 17 inches of berth that can be stowed below when cruising in the daytime and brought out at night. I get to read myself to sleep with my "headboard" being the locker encasement, and I can just scoot down over my extension for sorties to the head at night. My septuagenarian knees appreciate that convenience. And it only took me about 15 years to get that all sorted!

[Russ]

Contrary to the advertising, these are still small 26' boats.

Your description rings familiar. Unfortunately, the M doesn't allow extending the v-berth as you have.

[45Plus+]

Russ - I am not looking at my M right now but just imagining it, couldnt the port side v berth be temporarily extend past the head door - at least overnight? Yes, that prevents overnight visits to the head but I suppose if you have a portapotty you could just temporarily locate it to the galley area. Just a thought from a 6' 2" person thinking about how not to have to sleep under the cockpit.

[kurz]

Russ - I am not looking at my M right now but just imagining it, couldnt the port side v berth be temporarily extend past the head door - at least overnight? Yes, that prevents overnight visits to the head but I suppose if you have a portapotty you could just temporarily locate it to the galley area. Just a thought from a 6' 2" person thinking about how not to have to sleep under the cockpit.

I do have exactly this configuration. But all stays in place 24/24.

I put some Javel (Chlor for household) in the porta potty rinse water tank. No smell so far.

[OverEasy]

Hi Herschel!

We agree with just about all your experiences and sleeping evolutionary progress.
Except we had the experiences of others on this forum.

Our 70 night stay on Lake Champlain back in 2021 was on the Vee berth and dinette with a jigsaw of cushions and the aft berth as storage.
Extension of the Port side Vee berth by about 18” was an easy mod and really made it more comfortable.
I use the dinette for ease of getting up/down/up/down/up/down during the night.
We converted to 6” thick custom cushions we did ourselves in 2022. Much more comfortable!

Really enjoy the space, comfort and ease of modification our Mac26X provides us!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Russ]

All this shows how versatile the Mac is. ALL Macs. x/m. they have been able to sleep families and less.
I don't think there is any 26' boat with more cabin space.

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

Didn’t mean to exclude any Mac26M owners ….. it’s just that “ours” happens to be a Mac26X.
🫣

Best Reagards,
Over Easy

[Herschel]

One other area of development during our 20 years of ownership is that of preparing meals aboard. Our X does NOT have a stove in the galley, just a counter and sink. So, wanting to be able to grill burgers, dogs, steak, and the occasional pancake, plus brew coffee, we bought a Magma LP grill early on and mounted it on the aft port stanchion. The PO had installed a collapsing cockpit table forward of the pedestal. We preferred eating in the cockpit than the dinette below which was usually kept as a berth. For heating food, we brought aboard a small microwave which has served us well. We keep it at home when not on an overnight cruise. We, also enjoy eating at restaurants near marinas when that is an option.

[Deeseas]

Purchased our Mac 19 in April 1996 and still love it today. 27 years, thought we would up grade to an X but the 19 was too good for what we do.
Doug

[NiceAft]

Purchased our Mac 19 in April 1996 and still love it today. 27 years, thought we would up grade to an X but the 19 was too good for what we do.
Doug

[Russ]

We use our Magma grill for everything but coffee. You seem to have coffee covered as well.

[Herschel]

We use our Magma grill for everything but coffee. You seem to have coffee covered as well.

Yes, we picked up this nice little stainless steel stove top percolator. The trick with percolators is not grinding your coffee too fine so it doesn't fall through the strainer into the brew. You also have to watch it so that it doesn't percolate too strongly and boil out the grounds into the brew. This pot is just about ready to pour and drink. Oh, and the handle gets HOT!

[ris]

In 2015 my wife and I went to Sanford to look at Hershal's Mac and helped him put his mast up. We eventually bought a Mac 26X a few weeks later. Still have it and have traveled over 14000 miles on the Mac. Have only had it 8 years but no regrets. We do not use the mast just use the boat as a trawler. We both have disabilities. The X makes a great trawler. So congrats Hershal on owning a Mac for 20 years and thanks for spending a day with us and showing us your Mac 8 years ago.
Richard

[Herschel]

In 2015 my wife and I went to Sanford to look at Hershal's Mac and helped him put his mast up. We eventually bought a Mac 26X a few weeks later. Still have it and have traveled over 14000 miles on the Mac. Have only had it 8 years but no regrets. We do not use the mast just use the boat as a trawler. We both have disabilities. The X makes a great trawler. So congrats Hershal on owning a Mac for 20 years and thanks for spending a day with us and showing us your Mac 8 years ago.
Richard

You are totally welcome. I was very impressed at your set up on your Mac 26X and the amount of cruising you have taken her on. Those of you that have done the Loop have really set the gold standard for cruising in Mac's. If you remember that day 8 years ago, I locked myself out of our truck. Ever since then we carry TWO key fobs every time the admiral and I go anywhere in one of our vehicles or out on the boat. I have always been impressed with your motoring without ever using rudders for docking. I'll leave that skill set to you, but it is still impressive.

[Herschel]

Well, the admiral and I enjoyed a balmy 83 degrees day with winds ranging from above 10 to 2 mph. we took advantage of the good weather to enjoy our first sail since hitting the 20-year mark. It was a sublime day. Just when I begin to entertain the thought that maybe I should pass this boat on to a younger family, I realize that I still love going out in her. Even in our late 70's we still enjoy the health and dexterity to be able to sail her in moderate winds with safety and enjoyment. And there were no bats in my mainsail cover! So, I am glad I switched to mainsail and working jib. It just felt like "proper" sailing. The "old geezer" stanchion mod worked great, too. Absolutely no issue with the main sheet. Plenty of clearance.