MacGregorSailors.com

Hey all:-)

Well, things have progressed quite quickly for us....we are both very excited about the purchase of a new to us 2001 26X!
(my previous post and intro is here: http://macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewt ... =9&t=19863)
Again, a huge thank you to everyone who responded....so appreciated:-)

I'm not the one to waste time so I kinda went nuts (ok a bit insane) and ordered/arranged some stuff, ha ha!

-I've got a marine survey lined up (at first sign of mild weather)....

-New custom cushions from Bottom Siders being made....

-A bimini full enclosure by Genco being made....

-I'm picking out fabric to redo the all the seats and v berth and aft....Genco is going to reupholster....

-I have lined up someone to paint (etc) the bottom of the boat....the same man also does private sailing lessons which we are likely going for....



So that's what's being worked on now....


Besides that, hubby is freaking out a bit at my list of things to do. LOL! I just tell him he knew what he was getting into when he married me!

He is pretty handy and proved this quite well when we gutted and redid our 1997 moho. He enjoys projects....but some of them not so much....

So yeaaaah....I have gone through 100+ pages of mods on this site. Wow, y'all are so talented and creative! So many ideas....
For sure going to do the fresh water system thing....a drain the the bathroom for a shower....a new countertop for the galley and a stainless steel sink. Oh the list goes on and on it seems. Question though, does the Mac come with a bilge pump? I read something about people putting in more than one, so I wasn't sure. Any thoughts on this?

Also, I have a whole bunch of gift certificates for Amazon.com (from our wedding, etc)....wow holy smokes, they have lots of fun boating related stuff! I was thinking maybe I would get my GPS/Sounder on there. I was looking at a Garmin, one of the 10 inch monsters. What would you suggest would be good add ons for our boat when it comes to electronics (especially the things you can add on the Garmin)? What else would you recommend? We are going to start off boating/sailing in the Toronto Harbour, and then doing the Trent Severn in Ontario. We are toying with the idea of going around the Florida Keys (not too far out from shore!) next winter....



So....one more question.... I know nothing about sails, or sailing for that matter. I am sure we'll know a thing or two after we get back to Toronto and on the water! I've been told the sails are in good condition. What that means, I don't know. Subject to interpretation!
Here is the equipment list....just the 'sailing' related stuff:

Boom Vang & Topping Lift
Main Sail Cover
Pelican Hooks
Single Handed Package
135 Genoa w/ roller furling
Standard Jib and Main

Is there anything you think we would need or anything that I should ask about?

Ok, it's back to accessory shopping and research for me. They were not kidding when they said a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into. Wowza! We have our 5th wheel RV up for sale, hopefully it sells this spring or I'm in deep deep trouble!!

Cheers!

Well as far as anything you "need" goes...you will learn as you go along, and a lot of it is personal choice and convenience. But navigation equipment is a must have for unfamiliar areas, spare parts, tools, *shrugs* just depends on how much you use it and how long you plan to be on it.
I wish you both the best in this sickness and have fun with it!

Congrats on your new boat! I just bought mine last season and got some great advice from this board. First tangentair took me out on his M in 08 so I could get a feel for the Macs. Divecoz invited me to look at his M and answer any questions i had. After I purchased my , gyroplanes met me at Hammond marina to make sure everything was right before my first sail. Then he came out with us on the first sail. I had a big list of things I wanted to do but was advised to sail a few times to get a feel for what "we" wanted. Then scour the wealth of information here and adapt it for your needs. There are some things that were no-brainers for me such as the bimini and a way to instantly tell the level of the water ballast. The creature comfort things will come as you figure out how you use your boat. If there is another mac owner near you, they would be a great help with all the things you might not think of during rigging, sailing or de-rigging. My wife is not as enthusiastic as you are but she has enjoyed sailing every time we go out.

A good chart for the TO area is all you need for nav right now. Don't get sucked into expensive electronics for the first season at least. If you are Ipadded, the Navionics app is about 20 Bucks and will be fine.

No bilge pump on the Mac from factory, but often owners will have put one on. Good to check it out.

You will find a fair amount out there on the net regarding bilge pump selection and installation. Here is one of the sites I used.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/bilge_pumps.htm


Marc

Random comments:

Navigation - you have a bulkhead compass already. Make sure it doesn't have a big air bubble in it (fixable if it does), and get charts for your local sailing area(s). Learn how to locate yourself on that chart, and learn how to get from point A to point B without the aid of electronics. Get a feel for where you are on the water without having to think about it. No harm in having chart plotters and such, but you don't want to find that you're helpless if/when you lose power. Even if all you can do is tell the Coast Guard where you are (5 miles north of ____), you'll be far better off than someone who's totally dependent on electronics. Getting fog-bound without electronics isn't fun, either - know where the shore is, all the time.

Safety - meet or exceed mandated equipment requirements. Life jackets (I like the auto-inflatables, but have standard type IIIs onboard, too), throwable buoy (ring, horseshoe, seat cushion), horn, fire extinguisher, navigation lights, etc. This stuff costs money and sits around doing nothing UNTIL you need them, and then it can be life or death.

Radio - I don't know about Canada, but I don't believe you're required to even have a VHF radio onboard in the US. I won't go out without one (Lake Ontario is big), and I keep a handheld onboard. If I'm single-handing, the handheld is strapped to my belt, and I'm wearing my auto-inflatable.

Sails - if you're motivated, take them to a sail loft and have them gone over. Cleaned, too, if you're so inclined. See if the main has reef points. Mine has just one, but two would have been better. Any loft can add another reef point, for little money. Winter is the time for this, before everyone else starts looking at their sails and thinking about having work done. At least get your sails in the queue. Spring will be here before you know it.

The list is endless, of course, but those things come to mind right away.

Get the trailer serviced, the outboard serviced, the sails cleaned and inspected.

Get a checklist for what safety equipment the authorities require and meet (and exceed) it.

Start with a $10 hand bilge pump - you can upgrade later.

Discuss and think thru safety. Will you use a safety line in addition to PFD? If a MOB, never take your eyes off the person while throwing them a cushion/ring buoy (my personal fav) with a long line attached.

Hey Cat. Congrats to you and hubby on boat purchase. Take deep breaths regarding being overwhelmed. The peeps here have already given great advice. Am still hoping to meet up with you guys on 2/18.

Relax and enjoy the experience ... of spending alot of money

Suggestion #1: DON'T GO CRAZY buying stuff before you use the boat. Get familiar with how you really use the boat and what you actually need. Case in point? We put $1000 into a freshwater system that we've never really used. Not saying it's not a good idea or not worth it, it's just not a part of how we use the boat because we don't really live aboard, we just camp.

The best thing to do is get really familiar with what's out there and what can be done, and then start using the boat and letting that use guide your requirements. You'll save a ton of money doing this.

Consider a boomkicker instead of a topping lift. Works a lot better for me and maintains a better sailshape IMHO. Others have different opinions, but we trailer all the time and the boomkicker is easier to deal with.

DON'T go throwing a ton of money into electronics right off the bat. I put $600 into a solid state anemometer, and while I love it, none of the "easy" locations for it have worked out and I'm still hacking around trying to figure out how to put it atop my rotating mast such that it does not rotate and remains convenient to trailer.

Catigale's suggestion to use an iPad as a first chartplotter is a great idea if you already have a 3G iPad. Make sure it's a 3G so it has a GPS and compass built in, the WiFi-only models do not.

I personally suggest getting a Garmin 421s or similar for your area because I think a souder/fathometer is the one and only sensor you MUST have to sail safely (beyond a compass of course). I've hooked mine to the engine EMM so I get all kinds of engine stats with it as well. The small Garmins are inexpensive and gets you 100% of the functionality at half to a third the price. Yes the screen is smaller but it also fits well on the helm pedestal and you'd be surprised how little screen real-estate you actually need. I've been perfectly happy with mine.

VHF: I recommend a handheld Standard Horizon HX851 along with an antenna attachment that goes up the mast so you can get distance with it when you need to.

Dinghy: WestMarine/Zodiac RU-260 is my recommendation. It rolls up and fits in the forward V-berth, or upside-down on the bow, and can be inflated in the cockpit rapidly with the included footpump. For two people it's plenty, it rows easily, and you can put a small outboard or a trolling electric motor on the back. If you go with a trolling motor, get a 12v motorcycle battery with a handle that you charge with your main O/B to drive the trolling motor. An RU-260, trolling motor, and battery setup this way is $1000 complete. It's trivially easy to board by snugging its bow up to the starboard transom with the motor flopped over to port using the painter.

I recommend changing out the cabin and navigation lights for LEDs. Far less battery draw.

Beyond VHF and a chartplotter, I don't recommend spending on any additional electronics until you know exactly what you need.

Once you learn to sail well, your priorities regarding what you think you need are going to change A LOT so again, don't go too crazy in advance...

I agree with what has been said:
My suggestions list in order of importance:
1. Get all the best safety equipment as required by the coast guard
2. Change all your lights to LED, and get curtains
3. Get a Barb Q
4. Get all lines to the wheel set up
5. Bimini and Dodger
6. vhs radio, stereo that plugs in to your iPod, pedestal mounted gps, and I really enjoy this one...Auto Pilot
7. See through hatch
8. Solar fan
9. electric water
10.dinghy
11. Hard liquor, beer and wine.
12. 5 day cooler for the beer, white wine and champagne

I enjoy interior decorating , so I gave the interior of Le Zephyr a look I liked.



I have had it said to me that my boat must be worth at least 100K

Q1

Feeling overwhelmed yet?

Hey there,

I just got an M so I'm in the same boat as you. (Sorry bad pun.) So far the only "mod" I've figured out is how to put a tarp over her using PVC pipes. Keep posting what you do. I'll be interested.

Quebec, I like the safety first suggestions.

Catigale, you got a good deal on the Navionics app. It's now $35 for the iPad version and $10 for the iPhone version. http://www.navionics.com/MobileMarineFe ... eType=iPad

I might have paid that much, but that's still a great deal compared to alternatives I think.

FWIW, I've been using Offshore Navigator on a laptop for the last bunch of years, and couldn't be happier. I already had the computer (an old one, that I'm using right now, in fact), the antenna was $30, and the software I started with was the free stuff the Power Squadron gave away with one of their boating courses. Since that software was restricted to planning and such, and had the real-time navigation disabled, I upgraded for $100 to the full version some years ago, and couldn't be happier.

Charts are free from NOAA, and are exactly the same as the printed charts. Good stuff, especially when you don't want to spend a pile of money on a chartplotter, and especially on the charts, which seem to cost more than the electronics.

http://www.maptechnavigation.com/water/ ... ?infopg=sr

http://www.usglobalsat.com/p-62-bu-353- ... rge/62.jpg

Of course, I still think learing how to navigate the old-school way should be a top priority, but then I'm a Luddite from way back.

Edit: I should add that if I had an iphone or something like it, I'd almost certainly get an app for navigation, as you can't have enough belts and suspenders when thing turn to crap out there.

Some of the best advice has already been said - use the boat a season before spending the big money. After using our boat some, one of the biggest things was working on adding ways to easily stow all the stuff we put in the boat. You can outfit this boat with a whole lotta stuff - gets cluttered real fast when you start using it.