MacGregorSailors.com

Just joined this forum. Going to do pull-out and final inspection on a 2002 26X that I expect to bring home next week. Want to thank you all for the helpfull
comments I have been reading here over the past year. You have helped me decide to be a first time sailor, and to do it on a Macgregor. The boat I am going to buy (if there are no surprises) has been moored for the last 10 years, with only the occasion pull-out, and regular maintenance, by the original owner. My in water
inspection, sailing, and motoring the other day revealed some problems, but nothing that I thought was a deal killer. What I noticed was:

Hull above water line looks pretty good. Minor scratches, faded black stripe, some dirt and mildew. No cracks, blisters, or repairs.
Deck felt solid when walked on. No blisters, soft spots, or repairs. 2 or 3 places under brightwork had minor surface cracks creeping out. Faded black paint.
Bright work was all tight. Nothing broken. Some scratches/abrasions.
Stays are tight. No frayed cables. No corrosion creeping out of shackles.
Winches, blocks, cams all working and in fair to good condition.
Mast, boom, jib roller furler all good.
Most of the halyards, sheets, and rode are weathered and faded. But none look frayed or stiff.
Main sail is a couple years old, looks new, heavy gauge. Original jib has some tape repair on leech. Spinnaker never been out of bag but once.
Main sail slugs look OK, but I think need to be cleaned and lubed. Did not move freely at upper and lower ends of mast groove.
Centerboard and rudders raised and lowered easily. Minor chips and scratches on rudder leading edges. Steering seemed pretty tight and supposidly upgraded.
Nissan 50 HP, 2 stroke, injected motor sounded very good and strong.
Cabin dirty but useable. Good cushions. Wallas stove inop (owner says needs fuel system cleaned). CD/radio works, but rest of electrical in and out inop.
Inch or two of water in some of the bilges. Tastes like combination of salt and fresh water. No bilge pump. Occasionally manually sucked out.
Head and galley in good shape.
Trailer looks unused. Still has nubs on tires, no cracking. Has surge-drum brakes.

All of the repairs, restoration, and detailing I noticed was needed I can easily handle myself. So far, so good.
Any suggestions what else I should look for, or should look more closely at, when we pull it out of the water?

Congratulations on the decision.
It's a big step, and you may wish to hire a professional marine inspector?

One last point; click on the control panel and go to "profile", then add where you live in "location". There may be others in your area who may be there to help with answers, or even "hands on" help.

Ray

Early congratulations on your new X! It sounds like a solid boat. A few things I would be sure to check above the water line once pulled out is:

1. Standing rigging. That's a long time for the mast to be up. Check all fittings and shrouds for broken and discolored strands.
2. Bilge. Is it dry? Are there any water lines/stains on the fiberglass? NVM, just saw where you posted it has water in the bilge. Find out where it is coming from. It could be as simple at rain entering through the companionway or something far more expensive.
3. Wallace stove. I have found these to be great stoves but somewhat tempermental. I suspect it will end up being more than a dirty fuel system.

Once on the hard, clean the hull very well and go over it with a fine tooth comb. 10 years is a long time to be sitting in water for any hull.

Good luck with your purchase and fair winds!

I would definitely want a below the water line hull inspection + records if available of bottom paint maintenance. Check for bliters! Enjoy.

Hi Capt Smitty .... welcome ... Im new here too, but as you have already found out, this is a great forum with great people ... I just wanted to say that I too just bought a and am a first time sail boat sailor .... we have been out on two four day trips, and the boat is very easy to learn how to sail on ... my intro into sailing was a one hour sail with the man I bought the boat from in less than 5kt wind .... since then, we have been in 20 plus and 4 foot seas along with calm and smoth seas and its a blast for us .... enjoy and happy sailing

If the trailer tires are original they will need to be replaced as the typical life of the tire is 10 years as they rot from the inside out. Discount Tire will not service a tire older than 10 yrs. There is a heat stamped date on the side wall when the tire was manufactured ex. 3602 = 36th week of 2002. Also check the OB fuel line and bulb--they have a short life. If the rudders are chipped the CB probably has minor damage but ez to fix. Good luck with the new boat,

Bob

bscott wrote:If the trailer tires are original they will need to be replaced as the typical life of the tire is 10 years as they rot from the inside out. Discount Tire will not service a tire older than 10 yrs.

In Arizona, recommended tire life is 3 years (obviously sun and heat). My experience has been that once past four (in AZ), anything can happen. This goes for car tires as well. I plan to replace these heavily loaded trailer tires (single axle) every three. FYI

Here is an interesting site. Be certain to read the parragraph on “Trailer Tire Life Span & Replacement".

Ray


http://www.cedarrapidstire.com/pages/26 ... -and-facts

NiceAft wrote:Here is an interesting site...http://www.cedarrapidstire.com/pages/26 ... -and-facts

Quoting from the above link; "3 to 5 years of service is the average life expectancy of a Trailer Tire. After three years of use you should consider replacing your trailer tires with new, even if the tires have adequate tread depth left. After five years of service, trailer tires are considered worn out and should be replaced. "

A good engineer friend of mine does tread separation tests for a living, he say this really is as the article relates. 3 years, no kidding .

Okay, I have the original 1997 Mac 26X trailer. What tires do you recommend? I live in NW Indiana.

windypatrick wrote:

NiceAft wrote:Here is an interesting site...http://www.cedarrapidstire.com/pages/26 ... -and-facts

Quoting from the above link; "3 to 5 years of service is the average life expectancy of a Trailer Tire. After three years of use you should consider replacing your trailer tires with new, even if the tires have adequate tread depth left. After five years of service, trailer tires are considered worn out and should be replaced. "

A good engineer friend of mine does tread separation tests for a living, he say this really is as the article relates. 3 years, no kidding .

Congratulations on your purchase and your decision to become a sailor. Of the many lessons I think I have learned in 53 years of sailing and 9 years as a 26X owner, the most important for me is to respect the weather and check weather reports before going out. Regarding the 26X, I have gone to using the working jib as my regular head sail, and I reef the main when in doubt. It is always easier to shake out a reef when you don't need it, than it is to put one in when you do! Because of all the irregular surfaces around the deck, my wife and I try very hard not to step backwards, but to turn around and walk back the direction we want to go. (She suffered a severe fall backwards through the hatch several years ago!) Lastly, I never try to drive the boat up on the trailer (just too vulnerable to effects of wind). I tie up and float it on. Obviously, with 8 years down and more to go, I am sold on the 26X. We have had many wonderful sails, as well as, long trips under power. The 26X gives us a lot of flexibility.

Herschel wrote:Congratulations on your purchase and your decision to become a sailor. Of the many lessons I think I have learned in 53 years of sailing and 9 years as a 26X owner, the most important for me is to respect the weather and check weather reports before going out. Regarding the 26X, I have gone to using the working jib as my regular head sail, and I reef the main when in doubt. It is always easier to shake out a reef when you don't need it, than it is to put one in when you do! Because of all the irregular surfaces around the deck, my wife and I try very hard not to step backwards, but to turn around and walk back the direction we want to go. (She suffered a severe fall backwards through the hatch several years ago!) Lastly, I never try to drive the boat up on the trailer (just too vulnerable to effects of wind). I tie up and float it on. Obviously, with 8 years down and more to go, I am sold on the 26X. We have had many wonderful sails, as well as, long trips under power. The 26X gives us a lot of flexibility.

Great advice, X2

Bob

by dlandersson » Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:45 am

Okay, I have the original 1997 Mac 26X trailer. What tires do you recommend? I live in NW Indiana.

When I replaced the tires on my 2000 trailer, I went with the stock 205-14/78 tires because I could get them quickly in a pre-mounted combo. In rertrospect, the load on these was just about maxxed out, and going up to 215's might have been a better option, I don't trailer far or often, so it won't be much of an issue for me.

by Capt Smitty » Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:49 pm

All of the repairs, restoration, and detailing I noticed was needed I can easily handle myself. So far, so good.
Any suggestions what else I should look for, or should look more closely at, when we pull it out of the water?

One other piece of advice. When you retrieve the boat from the water, it may have the tendancy to pull back a bit on the trailer. I've seen/heard about people doing the "Macgregor bump", (get your rig going at 15mph and slam on the brakes), to shift the boat forward on the trailer. Never, ever try to do the "Macgregor bump" with a Jeep Liberty if you forgot to let the water out of the ballast tank! I didn't end up hitting/damaging anything, but that boat pushed me along like it was a playground bully.

Ten years on a mooring/ have a Marine surveyer do a mosture test and Osmosis bubbles. They also can find if proper Epoxie barrie coatings were applied.
Ck Centerboard trunk and centerboard cable and fiberglass .
I love the MacX and currently Bighting the Bullit installing a new 50 Merc. BF.
I can spend the money for a Carribean Cruise or just burn it on My Mac.
Loose Lips sink ships and regardles of cost my new outboard must survive.
Dave

Capt Smitty wrote:Just joined this forum. Going to do pull-out and final inspection on a 2002 26X that I expect to bring home next week. Want to thank you all for the helpfull
comments I have been reading here over the past year. You have helped me decide to be a first time sailor, and to do it on a Macgregor. The boat I am going to buy (if there are no surprises) has been moored for the last 10 years, with only the occasion pull-out, and regular maintenance, by the original owner. My in water
inspection, sailing, and motoring the other day revealed some problems, but nothing that I thought was a deal killer. What I noticed was:

Hull above water line looks pretty good. Minor scratches, faded black stripe, some dirt and mildew. No cracks, blisters, or repairs.
Deck felt solid when walked on. No blisters, soft spots, or repairs. 2 or 3 places under brightwork had minor surface cracks creeping out. Faded black paint.
Bright work was all tight. Nothing broken. Some scratches/abrasions.
Stays are tight. No frayed cables. No corrosion creeping out of shackles.
Winches, blocks, cams all working and in fair to good condition.
Mast, boom, jib roller furler all good.
Most of the halyards, sheets, and rode are weathered and faded. But none look frayed or stiff.
Main sail is a couple years old, looks new, heavy gauge. Original jib has some tape repair on leech. Spinnaker never been out of bag but once.
Main sail slugs look OK, but I think need to be cleaned and lubed. Did not move freely at upper and lower ends of mast groove.
Centerboard and rudders raised and lowered easily. Minor chips and scratches on rudder leading edges. Steering seemed pretty tight and supposidly upgraded.
Nissan 50 HP, 2 stroke, injected motor sounded very good and strong.
Cabin dirty but useable. Good cushions. Wallas stove inop (owner says needs fuel system cleaned). CD/radio works, but rest of electrical in and out inop.
Inch or two of water in some of the bilges. Tastes like combination of salt and fresh water. No bilge pump. Occasionally manually sucked out.
Head and galley in good shape.
Trailer looks unused. Still has nubs on tires, no cracking. Has surge-drum brakes.

All of the repairs, restoration, and detailing I noticed was needed I can easily handle myself. So far, so good.
Any suggestions what else I should look for, or should look more closely at, when we pull it out of the water?