MacGregorSailors.com

Hey man, don't worry - we got your back.

I have a ton of stuff I am fighting with on my mac- but at the end of the day its all good.

one thing that I saw was a fellow that hooked the fureler to mast raising system, while he was raising the mast - it seemed to work really well for keeping it all clean while the mast came up, then he unclipped it, and placed it in he sailing position.

as for the bateryies, I agree with what was said, .. a multi-stage charger over night should fix that.

I do want ot mention on disclaimer .... IF you have to sail back to teh dock , do so under HEAD sail, not main sail ... because you can let the head sail fly to de power, . but you can't always do that with the main.

If at all possible, I would highly suggest that you try to head out with yourself, and some volunteer crew that knows the boat, BEFORE you head out with the family - dealing with engines stalling, and rigging issues and all that stuff is not fun with the kids and wife in tow.

Regarding battery charging, there are some nice products out there that "condition" and well as "charge" the battery. The two are not the same.

kevinnem wrote:Hey man, don't worry - we got your back.

I have a ton of stuff I am fighting with on my mac- but at the end of the day its all good.

one thing that I saw was a fellow that hooked the fureler to mast raising system, while he was raising the mast - it seemed to work really well for keeping it all clean while the mast came up, then he unclipped it, and placed it in he sailing position.

as for the bateryies, I agree with what was said, .. a multi-stage charger over night should fix that.

I do want ot mention on disclaimer .... IF you have to sail back to teh dock , do so under HEAD sail, not main sail ... because you can let the head sail fly to de power, . but you can't always do that with the main.

If at all possible, I would highly suggest that you try to head out with yourself, and some volunteer crew that knows the boat, BEFORE you head out with the family - dealing with engines stalling, and rigging issues and all that stuff is not fun with the kids and wife in tow.

Well, there are some who know more about motors than me with some fine advise.

If it were my boat, after only a year of dry storage indoors in a warehouse, I'd just check fluids and start it up. I would be surprised if any age occurred to the motor for that short a time indoors. I'm reminded on Jim King's boat in Florida while he was overseas for a long time. He was worried about it sitting that long. He charged up the batts and fired the engine right up.

Now that it's time to launch the boat there are lots of fun outfitting that will need to be done.

Thanks for all the good advice.

My current plan is to spend one weekend getting my boat ready to go out. I have quite a list! The boat came with the shore power kit including an onboard battery charger. I need to consult the manual, but I believe it's one that will bulk charge and then go to float when they are topped off. If not, I've got a conditioning type of charger and I can do it manually. Also, I was intending to fill my gas tanks with non-ethanol fuel and with the hose attachment, try to run the motor. If she starts up and runs OK, then I'll proceed to button up the rigging and lines for travel (bungees, etc.) and load up my other boating equipment (safety and camping gear) and organize my compartments. I also have to put on my registration numbers and decals!

So hopefully, the following weekend, I'll be ready to head down to the reservoir for a weekend of boating/sailing. I think if batteries are good, and motor is good, then spending an overnight trip in the boat is probably do-able. The marina has a nice area where I can setup my boat before I put it in the water without disturbing the folks at the ramp. I figure at least an hour to get her ready to put in the water.

If I get into trouble, I have folks about 45 min drive away that can come and bail me out.

My thoughts were to follow the manual - motor around a good bit, sail a bit with just the main, and then, if comfortable, pull out the jib. Really depends how windy it is as well as how much traffic there is at the lake. At this point, I'd be just happy to be able to motor around for the day and then camp out overnight. If I get any actual sailing in, that would be a big bonus.

Am I the only one that looks stupid pulling into the Exxon station to fill up the tanks on 'boat'? Do you guys take the tanks out to fill them or go to the fuel dock in the marina? I feel kinda silly when I pull up to the pump with that big boat and everyone is staring while I climb the ladder with a stupid gas hose. Is that how you guys do it?? (My last boat had one of those little 5 gallon metal red tanks with the rounded corners (remember the 'old school' tank?). So I used to just take the tank to the gas station.

What do you guys do?

I just drive into the gas station and fill 'em up. What other folks think really doesn't matter.

kmclemore wrote:I just drive into the gas station and fill 'em up. What other folks think really doesn't matter.

What he said, and the older I get, the less I care.

Thanks Comrad kmclemore - I was hoping it was not just me. The first time I did it I was a little embarrassed because I have never done that before.

We have a fuel depot in town that sells non-ethanal fuel, so in the past I've been taking 10 or so five gallon cans to them and filling them up. I would transfer the fuel into my boats, airplanes, etc. when I got home. Now I have a card for the cardlock stations and we have three in town with non-ethonal so I can go anytime I want and fill whatever I need to....no lookie-loos or even station attendants to ask stupid questions or give dirty looks.

JT

The Evinrude ETEC60 Manual did not say anything that I can remember about "non-ethenol" fuel ? ! ? Did I miss somthing? Am i putting the wrong gas in 'boat'?

Most regular gas is ethanol blended. Premium isn't. 4s are fine with it, but the 2s are not rated for it. I run premium regardless cause that's what i run in everything, even my 98 F250. Still runs great and I expect to get many more years out of it.

As for the gas bar…same as above. I've been bugged by the odd fisherman "thought sail boats don't need gas!" or something along those lines. They don't say much after you pass them on plane. Had a few call on the radio very surprised and very different attitudes. One guy watched me come in and was totally sold after a half hour of questions

Not sure about the accuracy of the statement that premium has no ethanol. Think that depends on where you are buying it. Most places I've been have the "may contain 10% ethanol" on all the pumps.

The gas station by my shop has one set of pumps marked "no ethanol" and they charge a 35 cent/gallon premium for it. Using it, the mileage on my Suburban went from 15mpg city to 19 mpg city. I've had folks at repair shops tell me that ethanol gas causes alot of damage to small motors like lawn mowers, trimmers, chainsaws and outboards. Modern 4-strokes may be engineered for using ethanol gas from a corrosion stand-point, I'm not sure. But I'd just as soon not take the risk. Plus, I'd like to get as much range out of my puny 12 gallon tanks as I can get.

I plan on pulling the boat up to the station to fill the tanks. Each 12 gallon tank will weigh 96 pounds when filled, which would be quite a bear to try and hoist back up into the boat. That would probably look more foolish than climbing in the boat with a gas nozzle in hand.

For me it's simply convenience. I have a two gallon can that is very easy to carry and more than adequate to top off my 6 gallon tanks on my slipped boat.

Unless the kids are along, I mostly sail - the wind is free.

BOAT wrote:Am I the only one that looks stupid pulling into the Exxon station to fill up the tanks on 'boat'? Do you guys take the tanks out to fill them or go to the fuel dock in the marina? I feel kinda silly when I pull up to the pump with that big boat and everyone is staring while I climb the ladder with a stupid gas hose. Is that how you guys do it?? (My last boat had one of those little 5 gallon metal red tanks with the rounded corners (remember the 'old school' tank?). So I used to just take the tank to the gas station.

What do you guys do?

Here in Canada Premium fuel is no ethanol ie no fillers ( except for petro can which puts all manner of crap in their gas). Couldn't tell you about south of the border. Almost all regular gas here now has 10% and since the fifties I believe, every car produced for sale in north america has been rated for ethanol/alcohol, hoses, gaskets fittings ect which are prone to drying/ cracking. And most aluminum block cars specifically say premium fuel only for that reason. I've only ever done the haul the 12g tanks out to the gas station with a harbour cart three blocks to the closest gas station, but it was only to avoid a $40 call out for the fuel dock. Ill pay the forty bucks next time...

These guys pretty much covered everything on the motor, but I would do one more chore. Make certain you check the grease in the Bearing Buddies before pulling off.

As to filling up at a gas station, that's always enjoyable. I like to see all of the envious stares, and listen to the great compliments while I'm in the cockpit filling those tanks.. Mac's are beautiful boats, and people are always goo goo eyed when looking at Nice Aft. Just be certain to not gas up the tanks until you are close to your destination. It's not safe to haul the boat around with high explosives on board.

Ray