My 1997 MacGregor 26X modifications

[C Buchs]

My third gem in this thread is:

My ears are burning. Here's a modification page I also did on that throttle install. A few other owners here have done something similar. http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1714 One potential hazard is the main sheet getting caught in it. But you can always stick it in reverse while sailing, which puts the handle out of the way. Just something to be aware of.

I HATE the position of my throttle. It's even lower than your before picture, it's just about impossible to walk around and I didn't even know there was any warning lights on it. It's so low I can't see anything on it. This mod is definitely on my list now.

Please keep the gems coming!

Jeff

[Tomfoolery]

Another thread about a stuck centerboard reminded me of this:

The centerboard cable has evidence of fraying so that will have to be replaced.

Newer versions of the X didn't use a cable, and BWY recommends using line only. Mine came with line (only), and I replaced it when I dropped the CB to inspect. It was old line, but still in really good shape. I can see why folks don't even both with the wire any more.

[Tomfoolery]

I spun the rubber inside my prop this year. Luckily I had a spare, but now I need another spare. This 4-blade is just the ticket!

The price in the OP's link is a really good price for a prop that size. I know I paid more than that for the same prop, five or more years ago.

[mac n cheese]

So many gems in this thread! First I would like to say this LED light (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00CZE ... UTF8&psc=1) you have picked out has worked very well for us. The Mod is in this thread (http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... d&start=15) about LED trailer lights (we sometimes get off the original topic on this forum). I added red tail light repair film (https://www.amazon.com/Inches-Adhesive- ... s=red+film) to the inside of one of the lenses for sailing at night. We've used it for one season so far and really like it. Pictures below:

Nice simple mod with the red film. Almost like the red lite in a cockpit used in a general aviation. First I have to learn how to sail during the day.

[mac n cheese]

Another thread about a stuck centerboard reminded me of this:

The centerboard cable has evidence of fraying so that will have to be replaced.

Newer versions of the X didn't use a cable, and BWY recommends using line only. Mine came with line (only), and I replaced it when I dropped the CB to inspect. It was old line, but still in really good shape. I can see why folks don't even both with the wire any more.

I've seen that recommendation by BWY to buy their upgraded rope line only. Not sure if I agree. The last cable lasted 20 years so having said that I will probably order another cable/rope combo which they sell
plug n' play....and only $12 or so.

[C Buchs]

So many gems in this thread! First I would like to say this LED light (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00CZE ... UTF8&psc=1) you have picked out has worked very well for us. The Mod is in this thread (http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... d&start=15) about LED trailer lights (we sometimes get off the original topic on this forum). I added red tail light repair film (https://www.amazon.com/Inches-Adhesive- ... s=red+film) to the inside of one of the lenses for sailing at night. We've used it for one season so far and really like it. Pictures below:

Nice simple mod with the red film. Almost like the red lite in a cockpit used in a general aviation. First I have to learn how to sail during the day.

I'm sure it depends on where you sail, but I don't let the dark worry me. I started by picking a clear night with a full moon. You'll be surprised how well you can see and it's nice & peaceful with no one else out! It's my favorite time to sail.

Jeff

[C Buchs]

I spun the rubber inside my prop this year. Luckily I had a spare, but now I need another spare. This 4-blade is just the ticket!

The price in the OP's link is a really good price for a prop that size. I know I paid more than that for the same prop, five or more years ago.

I didn't see a price for the prop in this thread. The best price I found with a quick search was this one (https://www.amazon.com/Honda-58134-ZV5- ... B00AJTNVJO) on Amazon $93.65 delivered. Is that a good price?

Jeff

[mac n cheese]

Furthermore on the BF50 remote location to the r/h side of the pedestal with the trim button on the left as intended.

'C' channel extrusion . 1"x1"x1", 1/8" thick.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 631-XL.jpg

WOT

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 632-XL.jpg

full reverse

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 633-XL.jpg

Following is the Honda spacer that came with the remote. This will be secured on the inside of the pedestal
plexiglass with the 3 fasteners to make it all more rigid.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 634-XL.jpg

Rear view.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 635-XL.jpg

Will it work? I'm not sure yet. The fits and clearances in relation to the mast carrier and the wheel will affect it for sure.
I won't know until I do a dry fit. Obviously I want to make it as horizontal as possible but will probably have to keep
rotating it until I get the clearances I want.

[Tomfoolery]

I didn't see a price for the prop in this thread. The best price I found with a quick search was this one (https://www.amazon.com/Honda-58134-ZV5- ... B00AJTNVJO) on Amazon $93.65 delivered. Is that a good price?

My bad. I searched on the p/n and came up with the same site and price. But what I bought a few years ago was the Solas Amita (same prop, AFAIK), and I think I got it from iboats. Currently shown at $120 with 'free' shipping.

[Tomfoolery]

Will it work? I'm not sure yet. The fits and clearances in relation to the mast carrier and the wheel will affect it for sure.
I won't know until I do a dry fit. Obviously I want to make it as horizontal as possible but will probably have to keep
rotating it until I get the clearances I want.

Just watch the bend radius on your cables. I don't know what mine are, but they operate smoothly, especially after I replaced them (I think they were original). Very happy with how it came out, but you'll notice it sticks out in the front a fair bit. I was a little concerned about that, but as it turns out, I've never bumped into it, or not that I've ever noticed, so even though it looks like a hazard, it's not.

[mac n cheese]

Thanks for the info. I don't think my dealer will take that high pitched prop back even though it's new. I suppose it will do as an emergency spare. I'll see how that
Magma hangs over the boat when I install it. Good to know about that extension. For some reason the 3 blade 58130-ZZ5-630ZA is waaaay more expensive here. Well over $200.
It won't happen this year but I would still like one to compare.

Thanks for the input Tom. The 3 blade that came with the motor is pitched way to high @ 11 1/4" X 13". My notes tell me I
need the 3 blade like yours, which is 58130-ZZ5-630ZA or 11 3/4" X 10.

I would call up the dealer and ask (gently demand?) that he/she take the prop that came with it back, and give you the 4-blade. Unless you want to keep it as a spare, which isn't a bad idea (I have two 3-blade and the one 4-blade). OBs that size don't normally come with a 'standard' prop, as there are many choices depending on the application. Little ones do, but not mid-size and up.

Is this the Magma mount your referring too. http://ca.binnacle.com/BBQ-Stoves-and-H ... _info.html
That's the one I have to attach to the rail. I like how this BBq can be used as a conventional stove with the grill off using a small pot or pan. I like my stove top espresso in the mornin.

That's the standard mount. There is also an extension, to bring it further from the rail, which may be useful to you as there's no real place to stand when using the grill unless you bring it more into the cockpit. But if you have a larger grill, you may not want to do that. Just mentioning it is all. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/magma--m ... cordNum=19

As for the trailer...it appears ok with not a lot of corrosion. Having said that and after doing the 'Mac bump' I had an issue. I only did a 10km drive to the cabin and once there I could smell a very hot l/h brake. Master cylinder revealed grey sludge. After flushing and bleeding the brakes the wheel spun free with no apparent damage to the bearing. I pumped some grease into the bearing for good measure. At some point I will have to service the bearings before I venture out on any long hwy trips. For now though at the lake I will be only doing 5-10km trips...so not a priority. I like the disc brake mod. I see BWY have seals in stock for the master cylinder so I will be ordering some spares.

I pulled all my brakes off when I got the boat, as they were all dragging and burning by the time I got it home, and put disc brakes on the rear axle only. Mine has 2 axles, by the way - a rework done by the PO. I got the kit from etrailer, which includes the coupler, two sets of rotors and calipers and mounts, and some tubing and line. Hardest part was grinding the welds off the coupler so I could replace it (bolted instead of welded, for future access), but if I didn't want to do that, I could have stripped out the shell of the original and installed all but the shell from the new one, as they are the same aside from the master cylinder (disc uses a different MC than drum). Oh, and it came with a reverse lock-out solenoid valve, and since my tow vehicle has a 7-pin RV electrical socket, which includes backup lights, it was easy to incorporate that feature; you have to do something to lock out disc or you can't back up, unlike drum brakes (especially free-backing type).

[mac n cheese]

Will it work? I'm not sure yet. The fits and clearances in relation to the mast carrier and the wheel will affect it for sure.
I won't know until I do a dry fit. Obviously I want to make it as horizontal as possible but will probably have to keep
rotating it until I get the clearances I want.

Just watch the bend radius on your cables. I don't know what mine are, but they operate smoothly, especially after I replaced them (I think they were original). Very happy with how it came out, but you'll notice it sticks out in the front a fair bit. I was a little concerned about that, but as it turns out, I've never bumped into it, or not that I've ever noticed, so even though it looks like a hazard, it's not.

I purchased a pair of the following @ 13 ft. Uflex Universal 33C Style Control Cable Mach Zero http://www.ebay.ca/itm/291785073875?_tr ... EBIDX%3AIT

From my research they make premium cables. 13' should give the wiggle room and bend radius I need.

[Seapup]

I HATE the position of my throttle. It's even lower than your before picture, it's just about impossible to walk around and I didn't even know there was any warning lights on it. It's so low I can't see anything on it. This mod is definitely on my list now.

Please keep the gems coming!

I did too so I bought a used ebay topmount control, (since its more compact) stuck it inside the pedestal and cut a hole so it stuck out similar to OEM $$$ flushmount controls.

[mac n cheese]

Well I'm back in Calgary after spending a good portion of my summer holidays at the family cabin on Babine Lake BC. Fortunately we were spared the wildfires and smoke
compared to other areas in BC. I achieved most of the mods I set out to do including sea trials and break in procedure on the new Honda BF50D. I was kept so busy with the mods
on shore and sea trials for the motor that I didn't have time get the sails up. It was a power boat summer.

I'll share with pics....lots of em.

New BF50D

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 733-XL.jpg

Transducer for my old Humminbird 565. I also replaced the old cracked seal on the transom valve.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 734-XL.jpg

New thru hull boot and throttle/shift cables. Cables are 13' and I'm ok with them up in the air like that without stepping
or tripping over them.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 735-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 775-XL.jpg

Helm.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 736-XL.jpg

I'm happy with my remote installation with the trim orientated as it should. It took a bit of fiddling with the metal extrusions
and plastic spacers. I added an extra fastener from the standard 3 (total 4) to make it all more rigid.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 737-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 738-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 739-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 740-XL.jpg

Notice the motorcycle fork boots that I used as a conduit for the control cables.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 741-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 756-XL.jpg

On to the electrical. Group 24 batteries. The #1 start battery is lead/acid which came with the boat and is fairly new. The #2 house
battery is a new AGM deep cycle.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 744-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 743-XL.jpg

Notice the Voltage Sensing relay or combiner on the left made by Yadina. No need to switch the Perko battery switch when up and running.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 776-XL.jpg

I really like the power monitor on the right. All for about $10.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 742-XL.jpg

Following taken through the access hole once the stove is out. Besides the fuse panel you can see the batteries on the left,
the shunt for the power monitor, negative bus bar and a 50 amp resettable fuse.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 747-XL.jpg

Looking aft.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 753-XL.jpg

Side view of the battery installation. The #2 or house battery is held by the SS bracket and the #1 battery is secured to the tray
with the Moeller battery tray to the platform with fasteners. The rubber shock mount you see on the lower right (2 total) against the curved hull are from
an old China made 2000 watt inverter generator. It all seems secure. We'll see how it all holds up in the ruff stuff.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 752-XL.jpg

New SS cleats and hatches port and stbd.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 757-XL.jpg

New SS cleats and bow anchor roller from BWY.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 760-XL.jpg

At the front of the anchor storage box I installed a piece of surplus aircraft track fitting. No excuse now for losing
all my chain and anchor.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 763-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 765-XL.jpg

LED light over the table. I simply wired it to the original light adjacent.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 766-XL.jpg

Are these ever bright and give out a great light.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 767-XL.jpg

It looked like a pain to run a light over to the lavatory so I hung a qty 6 AA battery operated LED light. Slick and bright.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Boats/New-Ma ... 770-XL.jpg

I really love working on this boat. I've got some of the big stuff out of the way obviously. It's really endless what you can do.
The passion is still there on this 20 year old boat.

[Herschel]

Very nice. I take it that your anchor rode is all chain? If so, what is the length? If you get bored and run out of mods to do, you can come spend some to the winter in Florida and help me out with my '98 X!