as I am new to this boat, I have a question, hopefully not dumb. in looking in the hold's or bilge whatever it is called. in the cockpit where the foam is suppose to be. is there a diagram of where it is to be located? mine was strewn everywhere. I would like to put it back in its original location.
thanks, G
styrofoam flotation in a Mac 25
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Stickinthemud57
- Captain
- Posts: 786
- Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 7:50 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
- Location: Grapevine, Texas
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Re: styrofoam flotation in a Mac 25
A completely non-authoritative, absolutely amateur take on the question:
I have a Mac 26S, which has a similar means of insuring against sinking - Pieces of styrofoam jammed into various voids between the inner liner and the outer hull. I had to pull some out of the way above the galley area when mounting rails for the foresail travelers, and I am completely convinced there was no plan involved. Grab a piece of styrofoam, try to stuff it into place. Cut if necessary. Repeat until the void is filled.
In my 26S, the styrofoam is in the upper areas, not in the bilge, so the plan may differ from the 25. I think the main thing is that it is captive. That way if the boat gets blown over and water pours into the cabin, the styrofoam will (hopefully) provide enough floatation to prevent sinking.
It is quite possible that some of the foam was removed by the previous owner. Maybe there is a diagram like you are hoping to find, but that would surprise me. I would say, if it is an area that is not useful for storage, cut a suitably-sized piece of styrofoam and wedge it in place.
Hopefully an actual 25 owner will have more definitive advice to offer.
I have a Mac 26S, which has a similar means of insuring against sinking - Pieces of styrofoam jammed into various voids between the inner liner and the outer hull. I had to pull some out of the way above the galley area when mounting rails for the foresail travelers, and I am completely convinced there was no plan involved. Grab a piece of styrofoam, try to stuff it into place. Cut if necessary. Repeat until the void is filled.
In my 26S, the styrofoam is in the upper areas, not in the bilge, so the plan may differ from the 25. I think the main thing is that it is captive. That way if the boat gets blown over and water pours into the cabin, the styrofoam will (hopefully) provide enough floatation to prevent sinking.
It is quite possible that some of the foam was removed by the previous owner. Maybe there is a diagram like you are hoping to find, but that would surprise me. I would say, if it is an area that is not useful for storage, cut a suitably-sized piece of styrofoam and wedge it in place.
Hopefully an actual 25 owner will have more definitive advice to offer.
The key to inner peace is to admit you have a problem and leave it at that.
Re: styrofoam flotation in a Mac 25
Hello, I own a 1982 McGregor 25. So like Stick said there are cubes of Styrofoam basically thrown down under the v-berth and aft of the cabin. It looks like they cut out big pieces and fit them in like playing a Tetris game. There are some really big pieces that are possibly 4 foot long but most of the pieces are around a square foot each. I have had to pull out pieces to work on parts of the boat but I try to put them back in as I found them. Just make sure that all of your Styrofoam is dry or it will be worthless as a safety measure. If you need new foam Then stop by a tractor supply, Lowes, or Home Depot when they are unloading utility trailers out in the front parking lot and the guys are plenty welcome to give you big blocks of new Styrofoam! Good luck!