alcohol stove and other questions from a newbie.

[Derektodd]

Hello all,

I just bought my 1999 26X yesterday and can't wait to get sailing. A few questions please. 1) The galley did not come with a stove. What model stove do I need to buy to install in the counter? 2) How can I replace the front windows? Where can I buy the replacement parts? The windows are all creased. (I think that's the word). 3) When the motor is on, does it recharge the battery? 4) I powerwashed the interior this morning and a lot of water got in the storage compartments in the floor of the stern berths. Does that drain with the ballast water or do I need to get that water out of there? 5) The sink drain and the drain under the stairs- Where does this water go? Does it drain out of the boat or is there something else I need to do?

I know these questions may seem pretty basic to experienced sailors, but to someone new to this, I'm like a fish out of water until I get up to speed.

Thanks for any help.

- Derek

[Captain Steve]

I will tackle a few

!. An alcohol stove, single burner from Origo was the standard. Many have installed other types.

2. factory parts are now available from Blue Water Yachts. They advertise on this website. If you mean going opaque do to many small crack likes that is called "crazed"

3. Most motors over 10 hp have an alternator which provides for charging up your batteries. If you have a red Perko switch with 1 2 Both this is a clue.

4. Any water in the cabin will not drain out. the ballast tank is sealed and drained out the stern. Water inside will have to be bailed out and soaked up with a sponge.

5. The galley sink drains out thru a thru hull on the port side. The sink in the head has a similar set up on the starboard side. On the bow there is a thru hull drain for the anchor locker. Not quite sure what the drain under the stairs means. there is vent for the ballast tank on some models. 98 and 99 were transition years for some upgrades.

Enjoy your boat.

[David Mellon]

First, Congratulations and Welcome to the site. We use Origo stoves in the . You can survey galley mods in the mod section to see what others have installed. If you have a larger engine it will have a generator and will charge your battery if installed properly. You can usually look up your engine on the manufacturers site. As to details on drainage I will let owners chime in.

May I suggest you enter your engine description, hull number, and your location in your profile, it will help greatly in answering questions.

[2BonC]

Derek,

The drain under the stairs- Where does this water go? Does it drain out of the boat or is there something else I need to do?

This drain is leading into the bilge. I think it´s ment to dry the cabin in case water came in via the hatch. As said before , unless You have a bilge pump,You have to take it out with a sponge.

As far as the stove is concerned, I think it depends on how do You intend to use it. If You plan to cook more regularely and for a family than a fixed stove e.g. Origo with two burners is ok. If You only cook a coffey from time to time I would save this place as a working space and buy a portable single burner stove for a gascartridge.

Rainer

[Derektodd]

You guys are the best!

I am docking the boat on Greenwood Lake in Northern NJ just near the NY border.

The motor is a Suzuki 50hp and fortunately, yes it has a 1 or 2 option on the red electrical switch.

I guess I have to get working on all the water in the bilge. Oh well.

Thanks for all of your help.

- Derek

[hart]

First off, congrats! And wecome to the forum.

Many of your questions have been discussed and there's a wealth of info in the archives that's very helpful. Sometimes I just go to a random page to learn something new.

If you have - or have access to - a wet/dry shop vac it will make short work of sucking that water out of the bilge.

Tell us more about the "drain under the stairs". On early X models (not sure about the 99 but I think it's this way) I believe that may be the location for the plug for the water ballast system you are referring too. You open the gate valve on the stern and pop that plug so air can come out of it while water fills in. When the ballast is full you should be able to stick your finger in there and feel the water. Put that plug back in the hole and close the gate valve on the stern.

The procedure should be in your owner's manual. If you didn't get one you can go here to download various years: http://macgregorsailors.com/manuals/index.php You'd be best off printing out the 96 since it's closest to your model. They changed some stuff in 2000 so any manual from then forward isn't the best match for you.

[Derektodd]

Thanks for the info. I will get one of those plugs.

As for the stove, i just bought a CookMate Single Burner stove from swego. It has the same dimensions and over a hundred less. It looks the same. Hopefully the same quality. I will post after using it.

I have a wet dry vac and will use it. thanks

[bastonjock]

Derek

one of the places where water tracks down into the bilges on an is past the plates at the bottom of the shrouds,get some sealant and ensure that this area is water tight.

[opie]

I have that hole you refer to when you referred to "the drain under the stairs." It is a hole Macgregor put there to warn the crew that water is very high in the bilge. If it is, you will see water spill out into the cabin.

[Russ]

I don't want to offend you, but these seem like questions from a very newbie and I'm assuming you haven't taken a boating course. In New Jersey, there is a mandatory boating education law and you are not permitted to operate your boat until you have a boating certificate. Same for your family and children.

What I would suggest is you find a local boating course and get certified. The United States Power Squadrons offer "free" boating courses to this end. They charge only to cover the cost of the materials.
Click here to find a course near you or use the following link.
http://www.usps.org/cgi-bin-nat/eddept/cfind.cgi

Ask away, you will find people enjoy sharing and helping a newbie. Every seasoned boater remembers what it was like.

1) You got the stove. Alcohol stoves are the safest in that they do not use fuel with heavier than air fumes. There is only one place for fumes to go (down) and there is no way for them to get out. Personally I hate alcohol stoves because they are difficult to get started. We have a one burner butane stove. Butane is heavier than air so adequate ventilation is important with this kind of fuel.

2) Front windows? As mentioned, Blue Water Yachts in Seattle is a parts dealer. They advertise here or google them. Great folks and that's where we bought our Mac.

3) Your motor should charge your batteries. Most outboard motors don't have large alternators so battery conservation is often an issue. The battery A/B/Both switch is used to manage the load. Typically you will want to keep one battery dedicated to starting (the A battery) and the other for house stuff (lights etc.). Placing it in the BOTH position will charge both, but also drain both if the engine isn't running.
We also carry one of those jumper packs in case we drain both batteries. Remember there is no AAA at sea.

4) Powerwashed huh? Wow! There is no drain in the bottom. That's probably a good thing because every hole in the bottom is a potential leak.

5) I don't have an X, but I think the "drain under the stairs" you are referring to might be the vent for the ballast. As mentioned, download the manual from the "Resources" tab above. You really need to understand how the ballast tank works. A partially filled ballast will slosh around and could be dangerous.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. This might be best suited for the general forum than the mods section. You will never be short of an answer and this forum is fantastic for information.

[2BonC]

one of the places where water tracks down into the bilges on an is past the plates at the bottom of the shrouds,get some sealant and ensure that this area is water tight.

Bastonjock, I have read this hint several times before, now I must ask. Do You apply the sealant from the outside, does this work?

Rainer

[tangentair]

Just a mention for consideration for those who power wash their interiors (I wish my washer had some power but he is only 15 so it is more of a complaining washer than a power washer - anyway), when we wash things out - after removing cushions and covers and everything we do not want wet - I angle the boat down in the nose and wash from the back forward, using a long hose on a wet vac to get the water out. I find that everything drains down into the cabin sole except for the storage(s) next to the head area, I use a smaller vet vac to get to that water. For some reason we never have to clean out the V berth area, but if I do I will reverse the procedure. Just thought I would mention it. Have had to do it in May before season starts and August so far....

[The Mutt]

We have a 97

The base of the stair has a cover that once removed gives access to the ballast tank vent, the floor has a hole in the corner for water that gets into the boat to flow down to the bilge ready for the bilge pump to remove.

Glenn

[The Mutt]

one of the places where water tracks down into the bilges on an is past the plates at the bottom of the shrouds,get some sealant and ensure that this area is water tight.

Bastonjock, I have read this hint several times before, now I must ask. Do You apply the sealant from the outside, does this work?

Rainer

Drill out the pop rivets, remove the stainless plate, clean the chainplate (the bit that the shrouds connects to) apply sealant, I also forced some down all the gaps, when replacing the stainless plate you will notice it isn't perfectly flat, replace the plate over the chainplate with the dome bit bowing up, replace the pop rivets with closed end rivetts NOT blind rivetts, clean up excess sealant that squirted out from around the plate. Don't forget to do the bow chain plate, our boat sits stern down on our driveway, when it rains we had water coming in at the bow, travel along the lip that holds the wire and come out in multiple places, a lot of water got in that way.

I did our chainplates last weekend, I'll post some pics when I have time to upload to our site.

I have also found leaks around a few bolts on the transom, I removed the cover trim from the end of the rear berth and had a close look while it was raining heavy, bolts holding both rudders and the ladder were the culprits. While I had the rudder linkages off I also found some badly worn stainless bolts.

Glenn

[SkiDeep2001]

Hi Derektodd, I just bought a 98 X 2 months ago and had some of the same questions. She sat over the winter and when I picked her up I put in at ramp to reposition boat on trailer. You will find bow will be up to rubber stop but will drop back when you pull out. Not sure but I think I've seen what's called the Mac bump referred to here. Might be to get boat all the way forward on trailer. As for water in bilge, yes, you do have to sponge and bucket aft bilge and the drain at bottom of step is to drain cabin into bilge. When I got home I had water in cabin and full bilge. I was thinking I had a cracked hull or some big leak somewhere. Was told on this site to check chain lockers, so dummy that I am, I went to bow and put a plug in the anchor storage compartment and sponged out water. DOH! There was still water coming in after a complete dry out. Soon found out the chain lockers are on port/starboard midship outside of hatch cover that has mast tackle attached to them. They tend to flex/move and so will leak water into bilge. Seal with Marine/RV grade flexible silicone sealant. Also check those little white hole caps on overhead in cabin. They cover through holes where screws/bolts are mounting hardware. If you see drips, the seal under and around bolts/hardware need to be resealed with 5500 sealant. And the owners on this site are awesome with responses and information. Good luck and have fun. Safety First!