2000 Mac 26X Restoration

[DHK79]

Hello everyone, my name's Doug and I am an old salt that's been sailing for 40 some years. Last year I joined this forum as a lurker to make up my mind about what I wanted for my next boat. I was pretty sure even at the time that I wanted a Mac or Tattoo with the water ballast, but which one. Several factors guided the final selection. I sail mostly on a river with sudden shallows and uncharted obstacles, making a swing keel preferable. I also liked the head arrangement on the X better than the M or Tattoo (those were cramped & too much like my old Cal 25). Lastly, I didn't want a Mac that predated the rack & pinion steering. So those factors limited my selection to a 26X built between 1997 and 2003.

Now the hunt began. I hit the local shipyards first and only found a 1996 X, but it already had a prospective buyer and was gone before I could convince myself to get it even without the steering. Regional classifieds were next but they did not uncover anything. So I went to the national listings. Here I found three relatively close possible selections. Of course they were still spread out so far that it would be difficult to visit them all. Of those on the East coast one was in NY, one in CN, and one in FL. I contacted the POs and got some additional info and close-up pics of key spots. I made up my mind to go for the one in FL, as it looked to be mostly stock and had reasonable wear. I made an offer and hit the road in November with the intent to bring it back if the hull was in good shape and the engine ran, figuring I could fix just about anything else.

I did buy that boat and dragged her up from West Palm Beach to Alexandria Virginia and this will be her story of restoration. Even though most of the major work has been completed as I write this, I envision this thread to be pretty long with a lot of pictures. Feel free to jump in with comments and suggestions, as better ideas are always welcome and there is still some work to go.

Yours,
Doug (DHK79)

[DHK79]

Here was my "new" boat as I found her in West Palm Beach. Those with a seaman's eye will note the mooring job sucks (er... is very poor), allowing the boat to rub against the outer pilings with inadequate bumpers. The outboard looks to have been beat on, but it did start at once and ran smoothly so I figured it’d do for a while.


Hauling the boat out of the water, the first item you should note is that there is no safety chain on the trailer.

[DHK79]

Pretty much the first stop was at Lowes to get a safety chain and tie down. I always feel it is better to actually keep the boat on the trailer as a semi flies by.


About 70 miles north of Jacksonville FL, I had a trailer tire blow. The spare's valve stem was also defective and wouldn't hold air. So my trip home was delayed a couple hours as I got all new tires for the trailer.

[DHK79]

The unscheduled stop at the tire shop delayed my arrival home, but we made it in one piece and so now the fun can begin. Note I didn't realize it at the time, but the bend in the furled head sail for trailering is a bad idea. It has proven to be a pain to straighten the plastic bar. More on a better way to store this will be mentioned later.


The boat was very musty, had mildew over everything inside, and had standing water in the bilges. So first order of business was to clean everything and dry out the inside.

[DHK79]

Everything inside had to be removed for cleaning and/or disposal.


I tried cleaning the cushions, but soon gave it up as a lost cause. Much of the foam had mold/mildew embedded and I couldn't get rid of the smell. I got replacement covers for the interior cushions from SofTopper and cut new foam. I made tracings for the cockpit cushions, but haven’t done anything to replace them yet.

[DHK79]

Attending to deficiencies on the trailer, I replaced the skanky winch and found a spot to mount the spare. That last was harder than I thought it would be. I couldn't find any other spot where it would fit.

[Mac26Mpaul]

Hi Doug,

Great boat, well done. Looking forward to watching your restoration project unfold

[DHK79]

Taking a close look at the sails, I found the genoa to be serviceable at least for a season or two but I wouldn’t use the main as a bed sheet for my dog. I ordered a new one from fxSails before the boat ever hit the water. It was a nice replacement and not too costly.

[Tomfoolery]

I tried cleaning the cushions, but soon gave it up as a lost cause.

I don't usually even use mine. I sit on one or even two throwable cushions (Type IV PFDs) for better visibility, or just stand. But if someone complains about the hard seats, then the cushions come out.

Keep 'em coming. I like these Sing Along With Mitch threads. Like Sumner's ongoing travels.

[DHK79]

Hi Doug,

Great boat, well done. Looking forward to watching your restoration project unfold

Thanks. It's been fun and after getting on the water with it, I can say it's been worth it. I love this boat and the way it handles. I was out last week and had 6-8 mph winds, yet was able to get up to 5.6 mph under sail and she'll tack on a dime.

Doug (DHK79)

[DHK79]

I tried cleaning the cushions, but soon gave it up as a lost cause.

I don't usually even use mine. I sit on one or even two throwable cushions (Type IV PFDs) for better visibility, or just stand. But if someone complains about the hard seats, then the cushions come out.

Keep 'em coming. I like these Sing Along With Mitch threads. Like Sumner's ongoing travels.

I need two... And if anyone complains, they can go below

Doug (DHK79)

[DHK79]

I replaced all of the running rigging with new lines. They are now all color coded in deference to the admiral, who refuses to actually learn their names. I used some bungee hooks to create a line locker behind the jump seat. These were attached with a dab of silicone and a couple of short SS screws, just going through the liner.

The only line yet to be replaced is the lift for the center board. That one is next and with the help of this forum, I've found a way to do it on the trailer. I thought I was going to have to go over the side and do it in the water.

[DHK79]

I noted that the boat had a lot of water in the bilges. Well one of the main reasons was that the PO had no drip loops in any of the cables penetrating the sides and the clamshells horizontal at best and inverted at worse. Correcting these little things greatly reduced the amount of water getting inside. I don't seem to have taken a picture of it, but the worst offender was the chart plotter mounted on top of the pedestal. Cables here went through holes drilled in the TOP of the pedestal with only a little silicone as a water barrier. Water here would flow right down the cables, through the cable passthrough in the deck, and puddle in the berth and bilges below. These holes had to be filled with resin and new holes put on the front of the pedestal with cable drip loops and clamshells.

[DHK79]

From the first picture on this thread, you can see that this boat had been kept in the water at least part of the time and I noted that the inside of which was a moist, humid, and smelly environment. A big contributor to this was the fact that the boat did not have any ventilation in addition the multiple sources for water intrusion.

I added two Neco vents, one here over the head (multiple reasons for this location ) and the other in the bow on the forward hatch.


In the cockpit over the stern berth, I added two louvered vent ports.


The vent ports actually replaced two speakers that the PO had mounted without any water seals (another water source) and the wooden spacers that were between the upper hull and the liner which had been installed with wood glue

[DHK79]

The last area of major water intrusion was the rub rail. Refer back to my first picture noting the PO’s superb mooring job. Well the rail had been worn through in a couple spots to the point the hull joint was damaged. The hull lip was repaired, resealed, all 100 some odd nuts tightened, and a new rub rail installed. While the rail was off, the upper stripe and rail area was also buffed to avoid burning the new rail later.