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It feels like there is a few inch void under there. Is is possible to drop the floor down a few inches if I didn’t mind the fiberglass work? The extra headroom would be nice.

Ix

Open the covers that expose storage in the bilge. There it’s not enough room to be of any significance. You definitely don’t want to have any pressure placed on the ballast tank.

Our resource area does not show the inside front covers for the Mac brochures.

This is for the 2003 . If you enlarge the diagram, you will see that there is insignificant space to play with. I have to assume all M’s are the same.


In case anyone is wondering, this is for the

Cool thanks. Doesn’t look worth it.
Thanks!
Ix

Its pretty difficult to find significant ways to optimize the interior space of the 26x and 26m. I think roger and his team had plenty of data from 26s,d and 19 for how they would configure things. Ive never been in an M but sometime Id like to compare it to my X. I could use another inch of headroom and Id be set. Not gonna happen.

Best way tu optimize the was:
There is a step in front of the head. It says there is sand ballast inside.

I would prefer to put the same kg in lead. But have a smaller step and better room feeling there.
maybe some bucks more expensive...

I don't know if you could change that or if there is. No space there..

Hi Kurt!

Just from a math analysis perspective there’s not much to be gained from adding/changing fixed ballast…
There was a guy in France I believe several years ago who made a lead filled dagger board for a Mac26M.
The heavy weight lower down afforded by the depth of the deployed dagger board sorta made limited sense but at the same time it substantially negatively affected vessel stability when raised. Basically for all the work there was a net negative benefit when one runs the numbers. The significant additional extra fixed dead weight aspect vs the existing water ballasting arrangement and flooding dagger board really didn’t change things for the better. The effort to raise the filled dagger board would have also required use of pulleys and the winch … doubtful one could be raising the filled dagger board by hand.

It’s your boat, Your rules!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

It was not to get better stability.

It was just to get more space. The idea was to get the sand ballast out and put lead in.
maybe the step near the head could be smaller. That was the question.
no better Saling estimated...

Kurz,

When looking at the schematics, I don’t see any indication of sand. Diametrically opposite is storage space. It seems to me that a weighted starboard side would have an equal weight in the port side. Have you looked in that area and have seen this for yourself?

Hmmm...

When I was looking to purchase, my McGregor, I was comparing the X to the M and somewhere somebody had said the ex had slightly more headroom, maybe somebody out there can confirm? The one thing I am planning on doing with my 2002 x is to remove the floor or some of the floor in the head and replace it with teak wood with slats and a shower faucet and allow shower water to drain through the teak wood down to the bilge and have a bilge pump all this to create a shower. anybody ever done anything similar?
I plan on setting my teak wood strips right on top of the ballast tank in that area. Looks like I’ll had about 3/4 of an inch of headroom in the head.

Hi Fittsfly!

Not to discourage you but stripping out the floor of a Mac26X (or Mac26M) may not be the best means to get the features you want.
The water ballast tank may be exposed and wasn’t designed to be stood upon. There isn’t much room under it either too!

You might want to look into the various successful shower modifications here on the forum for ideas.
If your looking for headroom (something I personally appreciate) you might want to consider what we are working to on our project list… a pop-up or hard Dodger sliding companionway hatch. The Mac26D has an absolutely brilliant pop-up companionway and skirt wall arrangement that came standard. Up when you want it down when you don’t! It would have been great if such a feature was originally incorporated in the Mac26X and Mac26M!

LOTS OF HEADROOM,

Just a thought…..
Your boat, Your rules.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Another consideration is that any shower water that the bilge pump does not pick up (and there will be some) may find its way to the hole under the ladder (in later model "X" boats) and from there into the cabin.

Re weighted board.
That’s something my instincts told me was not worth it. What I kind of wished I’d done is make that stub keel out of lead. That really would have helped. But I didn’t know how well it would work when I did that.
Re fragile ballast tank top: nothing five layers of bi-axial won’t fix.
Re: inside optimized: it kind of works for most people. But unlike other boats, it’s much easier to customize it to your needs.

Ix

Ixneigh wrote: ↑Mon May 19, 2025 8:48 amWhat I kind of wished I’d done is make that stub keel out of lead. That really would have helped.

That would have been a challenge. Especially that I know you do most of your work by yourself.