A New Journey Begins for OverEasy - 2020/2022

[OverEasy]

General Layout of our storage bins in the aft berth:



It’s a lot better than the hodge-lodge we had before!

Though as the Admiral has pointed out it is still a bit like playing Tetris

The clear(ish) sides do make the identification of contents a breeze though!

The layout only uses less than 2/3 of the floor space in the aft berth area generally. That was at a “two” level arrangement. Take’s up more space if we spread them out of course.

We’ve made several reorganization’s based upon what we’ve found to access more often or not and for weight distribution. The unitary sizes have made this a lot easier than it would have ‘bin’ otherwise. (Pun intended )

The Journey Continues…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

Lake Champlain is a buzz with MacGregors!!!
And this is just in Malletts Bay without even trying!

So far we have seen 6 in Malletts Bay and 4 others in our travels around Burlington and down to the Maritime Museum!










There must be several more that we have yet to discover!

The Mac26M with the green hull was a nice surprise!

The Journey Continues ….

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[pitchpolehobie]

I don't trust anyone that says the Macs don't have good "lines." Bunch of good lookin boats.

[NiceAft]

Hi All!

Lake Champlain is a buzz with MacGregors!!!
And this is just in Malletts Bay without even trying!

So far we have seen 6 in Malletts Bay and 4 others in our travels around Burlington and down to the Maritime Museum!










There must be several more that we have yet to discover!

The Mac26M with the green hull was a nice surprise!

The Journey Continues ….

Best Regards,
Over Easy

So, did you radio, hail, or some other way contact those Mac’s and find if they are board members We tend to be friendly people

[kmclemore]

FYI, we've been delayed getting back to Lake Champlain due to Ida. Hope to be back up there by the 12th.

[OverEasy]

Hi Kmclemore

Hope all is well with your travels….
We will be here through the 26th of September.
It would be great to meet up with you!

Hi NiceAft

My daughter was with us and she is into her 20s something pirate phase and was all for launching a Jack Sparrow Raid (to leave messages ) on any and all MacGregors sighted! But cooler heads prevailed with the suggestion that we could wait until occupied and under sail…. More sporting that way!

Hi PitchPoleHobie

Yes! MacGregors do cut some handsome lines wherever they find themselves.
It’s fun explaining the features and merits of a trailer/motor/sailer to the yacht crowd who seldom have opportunity the take their boats with them theirselves and travel overland to various destinations while being able to use their boat as a camper as well on land as well as on water.

It is a good and nice hearted group here at the marina.

Today was spent with bothe daughters, the Admiral, three dogs and one cat out upon Lake Champlain proper!
We circled several of the islands including Valcour Island and Carlton Prize Island where the daughters and 2 of the 3 dogs all went overboard for a swim to cool off.

Other than the Captain forgetting to haul up the aft swim ladder and not noticing a mooring line had snuck overboard in all the activity of the impromptu swimming excursion everything went pretty good . Even the snaffels weren’t more than minor annoyance.

Dinner was at Trattoria Delia in Burlington for a very nice Italian dinner together.
What a nice day!

The Journey Continues…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[OverEasy]

Hi All

This is our Air Conditioning Mod for a Mac26X.

We took a 6000 BTU 115 VAC portable single exhaust tube room A/C unit and installed it in our Mac26X just aft of the battery box next to the Galley.

We looked at several different options but decided on the simplistic approach at this time.

The addition of 2 eyelets to the aft of the battery box allows for a ratcheting tie down to hold the A/C unit in place. We contemplated mounting it to the starboard side sort of behind the head in the aft berth to better balance the boat (as the dual batteries are in the port side) but the access geometry really didn’t work for us.

The single vent pipe was placed in a cutout and hatch in the starboard cockpit bench wall.
We cut the opening to fit the same style and model as we have used previously for the fuel tanks mod and for the electrical mods. We then modified the hatch to have a two loop pin latch mechanism. A SST strap hinge was located about 1/3 the way down from the hinge on the inner face of the hatch interior wall to act as a prop to keep the hatch open for venting.

Yes a single exhaust tube A/C unit does rob some of the interior air to cool the unit and Yes this does draw in outside air at the hatch openings but with a piece of pipe foam we have been able to nicely control the leakage inwardly with slip pipe insulation tubes.




















One does need to remember to open the vent hatch and prop it open with the strap hinge before turning on the A/C.

Yes this A/C approach limits it’s use to where we can obtain shore power at a marina or at campgrounds but it really has been a very enjoyable modification! It has made our trip much much much more enjoyable!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Jimmyt]

Thanks for sharing the details of your ac install and a review of how it performs. Very few, if any, boats in our size have ac capability on the hook. You could add a generator and have it, but the juice might not be worth the squeeze. Shore power in a marina (or campground ) seems like a great solution for hot season Mac-travel.

It's good to know that acceptable results can be obtained with a single duct unit, for those that only want to make one more big hole in their boat. As an HVAC engineer, I would go with the dual duct unit, as the minutiae are what I live for. Most of my work mates said that I could over-complicate a rock. Anyhow, I celebrate your success and am really enjoying your trip reports and pics! Thanks for posting.

By the way, your duct penetration is very well done! Overall the install is very clean and does not get in the way or look cluttered. Great job!

If the Admiral is happy, it's a big win!

[OverEasy]

Hi JimmyT!

We appreciate the kind words from one who knows his stuff!

Yes a “duel” hose would have been a nicer and more efficient option but they would be “fighting” for space in the confines of that section of the aft berth….

That and I couldn’t find a new small dual hose unit anywhere locally…. …
One of those make do or do without scenarios that circumstances offer us.
“Some nice A/C” has definitely trounced the “No nice A/C” option for this trip!

The single hose operation works great but that’s not to say it won’t be revisited in the future should a nice small compact equal capacity (and maybe lighter) alternative should appear….. …. It would be nice to be able to move the unit to the side opposite our dual batteries for better balance.

One nice upside with the A/C is how much drier the interior of the cabin feels with it on, even with the air ingress aspect.

The Journey Continues….

Best Regards
Over Easy

[OverEasy]

Hi All

September 6th we decided to travel to our home on NH to take care of some chores there and do some repairs for our traveling daughter’s vehicle.
Easier to do at our home than in a marina parking lot.

Our daughter picked nearly a 1/2 bushel of applesfrom our tree with many more still on the tree. She made fresh hot apple crisp for dessert!

Yes, the lawn is overgrown but our daughter came up with a great idea of turning it into a Wilded English Garden 🪴 with lawn foot paths and recessed stepping stones! It sure would cut down on the mowing!

Definitely worth considering as it would leave more time later on for boat projects and getting out on the water!!!

Must admit we are appreciating being in our home after spending 14 days living in our Mac26X (4 days of land travel and 10 days on the water).
We’ll be going back to Lake Champlain this coming Saturday September 11th and staying until the 25th. At that time we will haul out and come back to our NH home through October. After that we’ll travel back down to SC to over winter.
A real bed with real mattress…a real proper sized kitchen… running water… real bathrooms…real recliners…a real fridge and freezer…washer/dryer…are all greatly appreciated!!!

Per our plan we anticipate spending a total of 28 nights on the water and 8 nights on land living aboard our Mac26X this trip.

So far this experience has been a good test run for when we get to exploring further afield on the ICW sometime starting in 2022. So far it’s shown us areas of the value of our further planned improvements/modifications as well as ones we hadn’t previously considered.

Still hoping our backlogged engine order comes in while we are here in NH before heading back South.

The Journey Continues……

Best Regards to All,
Over Easy

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

After spending a couple of nights at our NH home and having a good visit with our daughter and one of her friends we got back to our boat on Lake Champlain in anticipation of meeting up with BobGlas at Valcour Island 🏝 Sunday morning to meet up.

Alas it was not to be. Just as we were finalizing our slip departure a last minute check of the phone we saw that there had been a SNAFU with Bob’s boat having incurred a grounding that jammed the centerboard of his Mac26M! Plans had to change as Bob had to shuttle family back from a camping 🏕 trip on Valcour Island 🏝 and would need to do so at reduced speed due to the jammed centerboard.

Bob had everything well in hand so it was best to postpone our meet up.

Meanwhile it has become a lazy Sunday morning with a Denver scramble omelet sandwich cooked by the Admiral on our cute one burner induction cooktop on our new galley! Complimented by Prosecco Mimosas!






Not a bad Plan B!

The Journey Continues…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

It’s already Wednesday the 15th of September!
Already halfway thought the month!
The time is really pleasantly flying by for us on Lake Champlain!

On Sunday (9/12/2021) we decided to take a sunset cruise around our cove of Malletts Bay.
It looked like a beautiful evening approaching to be out with calm winds and smooth waters.
As we motored out we were pleasantly surprised to see ANOTHER Mac26X motoring into our cove!
It was the LandLady on her inauguration splash run with her new owners Jeff and Annabelle (& Jake ) !!!
What a really nice coincidence!!!





We were both pleasantly surprised as we had each been following each others progress on the forum.
Jeff and Annabelle have done a lot of good work getting their vessel prepared and it was an honor for us to witness their first voyage!
Talk about an interesting and adventurous couple!
We happen to have a small bottle of Champagne aboard Over Easy in our cooler awaiting a special occasion and if this was the perfect opportunity for a celebration of their efforts and serendipity!

We followed each other back as the LandLady was headed to the nice Malletts Bay Vt DNR Boat Ramp and Over Easy to her slip next door. Night had descended by this time and docking is always more of a challenge when done by feel .

I went over to the boat ramp after we had tied up to lend a hand or friendly encouragement.
Jeff did an excellent job handling The LandLady onto her trailer.
I introduced Jeff to the “Mac Bump” technique art form …..just a little speed but not too much and hitting the brakes but not too soft and not too hard…just right!
Jeff’s a natural!

We went to the large upper level parking area to de-rig.
Jeff had it all well in hand so I provided some lighting with our van headlights and our folding step ladder.
Things finished up around 11 PM with Jeff and Annabelle (& Jake) and The LandLady headed to a local campground for the night.

What a very nice evening to share with another MacGregor couple!
Jeff and Annabelle (& Jake ) are wonderful people!

The Journey Continues…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Jimmyt]

Cool that you ran into LandLady! Really enjoying your reports. Keep em coming.

Docking by feel...

[OverEasy]

Hi All!

On Monday (09/13/2021) we were able to take a cruise up from our slip at Champlain Marina in Malletts Bay up to Monty Bay Marina in Monty Bay to accomplish a long anticipated meet-up with Kmclemore!!! This was roughly a halfway point for both of us with the promise of a nice burger and ice cream!

Kevin and Jen are a pair of very special and good people who have many noteworthy accomplishments to their credit! A pair of truly unique people!!!

Our cruise up was roughly 30 miles into a stiff breeze with moderate 1-2ft chop and temps in the mid 60s to mid 70s. Quite a bit of spray once we were in the main body of Lake Champlain. It took us a little more than 3 hrs to make the trip at roughly a ground speed of 9 mph per the GPS at 3800 RPM from our old Tohatsu 50. This was pretty good and in-line with our engine performance in SC.

The plan had been to get together at 3 pm but our headwinds delayed our arrival till 3:30. The interesting thing is our Garmin GPS swapped marinas from Montys Bay Marina to Gilbert’s Marina in front of Montys Bay Campground?!?! We blithely motored right on by Montys Bay Marina into Gilbert’s wondering what happened Kevin clear up the confusion with a quick phone call and redirect.

A few minutes later we were tied along side no worse for wear! (Except I was soaked through from the spray!! Good thing I’m a wash and wear kind of guy!! )

Due to the start of the school year and it being a Monday the Snack and Ice Cream Shack had decided to close fir the season on Sunday the day before and hadn’t gotten to updating their website hours. But all was not lost as Jen and Laura had prepared a very nice array of snacks and appetizers that were more than enough along with several wine spritzers!!! All Good!

We had a great time talking with Kevin and Jen. They have a very nice Mac26X with some very nice mods. Loved their galley with a REAL refrigerator and electric pump running water system! Kevin also made a very nice wooden dinette table with a well thought out corner features that make it a breeze to sweep up! (Maybe he can share a photo or two of his handiwork?)















Kevin has a beautiful set of car restorations that is remarkable that he shared photos of. He is quite a multifaceted and skilled individual. Jen has numerous accomplishments to her credit!

The time flew by and before you knew it it was already 6 PM and we had to part company due to the earlier sunset this time of year.

Our return trip was MUCH calmer! The waters had calmed down considerably and the wind was now at our backs. Laura piloted us home following our prior GPS track. The sunset was spectacular, beautiful and unique in that it was a fluorescent Pink! Something I don’t recall having seen before!



















Sunset was right on schedule for a little after 7:15 pm and darkness quickly descended upon the Lake. Laura did an excellent job navigating and piloting us back through the Malletts Bay Cut and right up to our marina!

We landed in our slip at about 9:15 pm.
MacGregor (our puppy) surprised us by jumping up through the hatch just as we latched on to the pier davits!!! Quite the surprise to say the least!!!





Thank you Kevin and Jen for the invitation to meet with you both on your remarkable Lake Champlain! What a great cruise!

Roughly 60 miles and a bit over 6 hours on the water. A chance to meet and make new friends, a spectacular sunset and a pop-up surprise ending! It was a great opportunity to practice our night time navigating and GPS capabilities.

One of the aspects this trip brought out was our need to improve our night time forward visibility capability. The very nice rechargeable Q-Beam that K9Kampers provide us with Over Easy has been greatly appreciated on multiple occasions this past year! What we have found though is that using a hand held lamp causes a lot of cockpit glare and reflection. We’d like to add a set of new bow high capacity lights below the railing port/starboard/center with selector switches on the pedestal in both white and red filter. Another bullet point added to this winter’s to-do list.

Best Regards to All & Especially to Kevin and Jen!
Over Easy

[kmclemore]

Jan and I had a wonderful time meeting up with you and Laura... and Macgregor, too! Thanks for making the trip! You guys are amazing.

Sorry about the lunch - it seems that they closed because there just isn't enough help available to keep resort places open anymore. We've seen this earlier this year when we toured Colorado in the spring. It's a real problem nationwide.

Your Mac was super - love the quickie curtains and the electrical work - that's the most comprehensive electrical system I've seen on a Mac. (BTW, I forgot to mention on Monday, but K9Kampers met us with that same boat back in 2015. )

Here are a few more photos from our meet-up...





And yes, the sunsets on Champlain are truly legendary.

Here's one I took on the way back from our meet-up:



And here's a panorama I took last night...


(No, I didn't fiddle the colours... that's REALLY the color of the sky up here!)

Thanks again for taking the long trip up to see us. I hope this will be the first of many meet-ups on Lake Champlain!