Do the loop in a Mac?

A forum for discussing topics relating to MacGregor Powersailor Sailboats
User avatar
Chinook
Admiral
Posts: 1726
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: LeavenworthWA 2002 26x, Suzuki DF60A

Re: Mackenzir River Info.

Post by Chinook »

maddmike wrote:Chinook,

Your questions in order:
(1) If you scan through the Zeno's Arrow thread or look up Bill at boats-4-sale's info. under Modifications, most of your questions on oars are covered.
(2) Fuel is usually available (but expensive) on the Mackenzie at the following settlements; Ft. Hope, Ft. Simpson, Wrigley, Norman Wells (say Hi for me), Ft. Hope, Arctic Red River and Inuvik (sometimes Tuktuyaktuk). Going down river you will be OK & the oars will help. Remember, I was coming up river against contineous 5-10 knots of current (had to call in one air drop of fuel & I carry 100 gals. in internal tanks!).
(3) I do not know what the cost of barge shipping will be. (do know no passengers are allowed).
(4) When I was on the river even the locals could not make it up to Great Bear Lake in their boats (Lost a friend in a crash up there several years back who was the pilot for our 1980 North Pole Skydive Expedition), but some years it is said to be 'do-able'.

When I entered the Missouri River from the Poplar River coming out of Canada, I was directly across from the Yellowstone River and decided to jib sail up the river a little just for fun before continuing down the Missouri & Mississippi, got some strange looks from several fly fishermen along the banks (lol). Also, I believe Tom Root posted some archive links to my old 'Waterways of the Americas' website a few week back, you should be able to find them. FYI, I spent 3 months in the sound & San Juan's before heading up to Alaska and the Arctic back in 1997. Next time I go to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean I'll trailer, not sail the whole way.

Tahoe Jack,
I'm headed out of Sri Lanka to Thailand tomorrow night, then back here until 10 April, then I'll head back to good old Carson City for two weeks, I'll try to touch bases when I get there.MM
Hi maddmike,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I'll enjoy poking around in the suggested locations to learn more.


Best, Mike Cecka
User avatar
Chinook
Admiral
Posts: 1726
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: LeavenworthWA 2002 26x, Suzuki DF60A

Post by Chinook »

Idle Time wrote:Chinook,
In one of you entries you mentioned a nice warm boat during the rain etc. What do you have for a heater.
Hi Idle Time,

We ordered our boat with a really neat stove. It's called a Wallis stove, and it uses mineral spirits (translate: kerosene or paint thinner) as its fuel. We try to consistently use 100% mineral spirits, which is supposed to burn cleaner. It has a single cooking element, which is a solid cast iron plate. It's designed for marine use, and is externally vented via a throughhull fitting, well above waterline. Fuel is contained in a plastic 2 gallon tank, situated below inside the galley cabinet. Electric pump supplies fuel to the burner unit. The outstanding feature of this stove for northern waters is the hinged hood, mounted behind the burner. This hook swings down over the heated burner plate, and a thermostat controlled squirrelcage fan in it turns the unit into a forced air heater, which comfortably warms the whole cabin, even when in 40 degree air and water, or colder. We made a panel to cover the gap between the companionway hatch cover and the sliding overhead hatch, which cuts down drafts. The fuel has almost no odor, and the stove cooks great. Only problems have occurred when sailing, well heeled. Sometimes, water splashes up into the exhaust tube and must be drained out. Also, if the house battery gets run down, the stove will refuse to ignite. We ended up buying a small portable propane stove for backup.

It's a nice feeling, being warm and cozy when it's cold outside. We got into 34 degree water temp in front of the Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm.

Happy sailing, Mike Cecka
User avatar
Tahoe Jack
First Officer
Posts: 309
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:50 pm
Location: Lake Tahoe Nevada 2001 26X Evin/Suz 50..'Octopus'...

Do the Loop in a Mac

Post by Tahoe Jack »

Thanks for the details Mike....appears that your exploits, and those of Maddmike, are the proof test of getting the most out of our Macs. BTW, am thinking that a Suzy/Johnson EFI may have faired well on your Alaskan voyage re fuel burn and not requiring oil.....any thoughts? Looking forward to your continued participation on the board. Jack
User avatar
Chinook
Admiral
Posts: 1726
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: LeavenworthWA 2002 26x, Suzuki DF60A

Re: Do the Loop in a Mac

Post by Chinook »

Tahoe Jack wrote:Thanks for the details Mike....appears that your exploits, and those of Maddmike, are the proof test of getting the most out of our Macs. BTW, am thinking that a Suzy/Johnson EFI may have faired well on your Alaskan voyage re fuel burn and not requiring oil.....any thoughts? Looking forward to your continued participation on the board. Jack
Hi Tahoe Jack,

I'm sure the Suzy would be a great choice. We see a lot of Honda 50 hp 4 strokes around here as well. I haven't researched any of the 4 strokes yet, but if I get serious about repowering, I'll need to. I do like the idea of increasing range, and not having to store/replenish 6 or more gallons of synthetic mix oil is nice to contemplate also. I'm wondering how much better the efficiency is with 4 stroke compared with my injected 2 stroke. When loaded for cruising, I could usually squeeze 5 to 6 miles from a gallon if I kept the throttle at around 2500. I'd drop to 4 mpg or less when above 3000, and would only get 2.4 mpg wide open. Insights would be welcome.

Mike Cecka
User avatar
Jeff Ritsema
First Officer
Posts: 204
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:09 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Post by Jeff Ritsema »

Foolish "how to" question: I have a few pics to post from photobucket.
Got as far as control v and pasting the IMG stringer, but no photo comes up. What am I missing?
Frank C

Post by Frank C »

Jeff,

1. At your Bucket album (be sure you're not signed in)
2. click the target photo to normal screen view (not thumbnail)
3. Rt-click inside the photo, then choose "Copy image address"

It is this "image address" that you must insert between the two IMG tags ...
(the URL address won't do it).


(As a quick test, rt-click your avatar image to see the menu choices.)
Image
User avatar
Captain Steve
Captain
Posts: 722
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 9:40 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Oxnard, CA "Wildest Dream" '98X Nissan 50

Post by Captain Steve »

Mike, I loved your write up. Do you have it available as 1 document. My wife has a hard time reading for a period of time off the computer screeen. Found this out after I bought her an Ebook reader! Anyway before I open and print each day, I thought I would ask. You can email me if that is better.
User avatar
Jeff Ritsema
First Officer
Posts: 204
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:09 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Post by Jeff Ritsema »

Image
Agree with Mike on Chinook, the Wallas has been a gret addition. Thought you might like a pic of my Wallas stove and heater combo.

Image

The apple is for the wife- she's a professor.
LOUIS B HOLUB
Admiral
Posts: 1315
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:40 am
Location: 1999 Mac-X, Nissan 50 HP, Kemah, TX, "Holub Boat"

Post by LOUIS B HOLUB »

Hey Jeff...is that a modified interior of a MAC...anyway it sure looks nice...
:macx:
User avatar
Jeff Ritsema
First Officer
Posts: 204
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:09 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Post by Jeff Ritsema »

It's an Odin 28, formerly called the Mast 28 and it is modified some.
By the way, Frank, thanks for the help on posting PICS.
Jeff
User avatar
Captain Steve
Captain
Posts: 722
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 9:40 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Oxnard, CA "Wildest Dream" '98X Nissan 50

Post by Captain Steve »

Mike, sorry for the request for a all on one page report. When I viewed the report on my laptop I noticed the split screen with the one page ckick here link. Didnt show up on my desktop so I clicked day by day. Got to get my wife interested in this!
BK
Captain
Posts: 545
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by BK »

Steve, after my wife and I read Mike's story, we are also up for doing the trip in the Mac. We actually meet Mike and his wife in Prince Rubert at the end of his trip last summer.
We were looking at the map of the Inside Passage and Prince Rubert looks to be the best place to kick off the cruise to head north. Maybe we could interest Mike into doing a flotilla? The month in August should do it. I would bring a radar for the fog.
User avatar
Chinook
Admiral
Posts: 1726
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: LeavenworthWA 2002 26x, Suzuki DF60A

Spousal interest

Post by Chinook »

Captain Steve wrote:Mike, sorry for the request for a all on one page report. When I viewed the report on my laptop I noticed the split screen with the one page ckick here link. Didnt show up on my desktop so I clicked day by day. Got to get my wife interested in this!
Hi Captain Steve,

My formula for maintaining spousal interest on the Inside Passage:

* Digital camera with strong zoom and video capabilities
* Surround to keep cockpit reasonably dry during rainy periods
* No see um netting cover to keep cockpit bug free during sunny periods (only had horsefly problems a couple of times, but sure nice then)
* Good heater for the cabin
* Spectacular scenery and wildlife appearing at regular intervals
* Sunny days at least once a week

Good luck with spousal crew recruitment, Mike
User avatar
Chinook
Admiral
Posts: 1726
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: LeavenworthWA 2002 26x, Suzuki DF60A

Post by Chinook »

BK wrote:Steve, after my wife and I read Mike's story, we are also up for doing the trip in the Mac. We actually meet Mike and his wife in Prince Rubert at the end of his trip last summer.
We were looking at the map of the Inside Passage and Prince Rubert looks to be the best place to kick off the cruise to head north. Maybe we could interest Mike into doing a flotilla? The month in August should do it. I would bring a radar for the fog.
Hi BK,

I'm trying to place when we met you. Can you help refresh my aging memory? I agree that Rupert is an excellent place to start out, especially if you have less that 2 months available. It's over 500 nautical miles from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, and you do have to negotiate several tidal rapids, plus a stretch of Johnstone Strait, and Queen Charolette Sound, all of which can result in delays awaiting favorable conditions. The scenery is more spectacular and rugged once you cross into Alaskan waters, although there is much to recommend the northern BC passages. Sorry I won't be able to join your flotilla this summer. I have obligations on July 4 and Labor Day, helping Leavenworth, WA celebrate our centennial. Thus, cruising this summer will have to involve shorter trips. We plan a long week in the San Juans as part of Blue Water Yachts annual rendevouz, followed by 3 weeks on some lakes in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, BC, and another outing on Lake Chelan. We will possibly head back toward Alaska or the Queen Charolettes the following summer.

A note on weather: of course every summer is different. Last summer everyone was still talking about the previous summer, which was hot and sunny almost the whole time. Great for cruising but harsh on the glaciers. Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau retreated over 600 feet that summer. Last summer brought lots of rain and overcast conditions in late June and July. We had our best weather in early August. We didn't have radar on the boat, just a good reflector, GPS, good charts and a thoroughly waypointed route. We didn't encounter fog until late July and early August. Tended to be more prevalent on the outer coast and as the time progressed. Radar would be nice, but we didn't feel particularly handicapped without it. Of course, we didn't encounter pea soup while running up a major cruise ship route, or while crossing Dixon Entrance.

Another note on radar. We used to insure with Boat US and when I checked with them to extend coverage for our Alaska trip, they declined to cover. They said they required radar and a boat length of at least 28 feet. After that news I shopped around, and ended up locating excellent coverage through our homeowners and auto company, Safeco. Their coverage covers the entire 48 states plus Alaska and Canada, is good to 75 miles offshore, and includes $500 towing insurance. They weren't hung up on boat length or radar equipment. It's worth checking out insurance limitations beforehand.

Good luck with your cruise. I'll look forward to learning how it went.

Happy sailing, Mike Cecka
BK
Captain
Posts: 545
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:47 pm

Post by BK »

Mike, I am pretty sure that was you that we meet. We were the couple that was on the old cruise ship Norwegian Dream that lost 2 engines and did not go to 3 of the planned ports. You said you heard about the problem. You said your son was heading to Prince Rubert with your truck and trailer to pick you up.
That day you were heading to the old Indian Village by bus.
We talked awhile about your Bahama trip and you said getting there is just waiting until the winds were right.
Is you trip to the Bahamas on your web site? Did you drive to to Prince Rubert or take the ferry?
Bob and Sue Kelly
Post Reply