MacGregorSailors.com

Hi everyone. It’s been a little while since I posted.
Last year I got rid of the head compartment on my M model. I turned it into more forward bunk. That worked really well for me. I have sit up headroom and room to move around. Wished I’d done it right away. I have two opening ports where the skylight plexiglass was. Easy to reach with no contortions.
In terms of the structural bulkhead, I installed some smalller supports to replace it.
Now. The bathroom is gone. I have a bucket head and bags,but it’s not the greatest. But I never used the head anyway because it’s a cramped area even removing the door. Has anyone thought of relocating the head to the aft starboard corner of the cabin? My initial idea was to (brace for crazy) cut away part of the end of the cabin so it would extend three feet back from the factory seat back rest roughly. The part of the cabin cut away and raised would follow the deckline. It’s a bit of glasswork but I’ve done stuff like this in the past.
The back bunk would become a single, for and aft berth. (I never use it anyway it’s just a dog hangout)
The ladder would probably be changed but it’s support would be replaced with a short for and aft bulkhead probably stronger. The head door might be a bit of a squeeze as it would be angled, and have a high step over (the corner of the existing seat and battery box.
The loss of cockpit seating means little. The cockpit on this boat is horrid, and the only comfortable seats are by the wheel. I would miss my main sheet traveler more, since most likely I’d have to revert to a more archaic mainsheeting system.
It is possible I could leave the molded combing intact and fiberglass the addition on to it so there would be no change in visual profile. I would like a full shower in there as well with plumbing for both salt and fresh water. I’m about over bathing in the cockpit. Lastly. Resale value is not a concern now. The boat owes me nothing.

Ix

Hi Ixneigh!

Loved

Lastly. Resale value is not a concern now. The boat owes me nothing.

That’s a lotta modification thought going on there!
Would be an interesting project to accomplish on an M.
Combining the layout features of a Mac26X with those of a Mac26M combined with a significant upgrade of a functional shower system.

Would love to see your progress!

Best Regards
Over Easy

Boat comes with its own free entertainment system.

Obviously, it all depends on how you use your boat. I think one of the main issues is whether one is usually single handed or whether you have crew. If usually single-handed and you don't care about resale value, you can minimize the cabin seating area to just one comfortable seat and one folding jump seat adjacent to a table and then allocate the space created thereby to berth, galley and head.

The enclosed head in the 26x is just a fiberglass box attached to the aft dinette seat and companionway. I plumbed sea water and freshwater, hot and cold, to the 26x head, galley and cockpit. I also have the shower water drain to a sump box under the floor of the head. As I remember, you're in warm weather, Miami, the Keys, while I'm in colder weather in the Pacific Northwest USA. Showering in the cockpit is really not an option most of the year. But crew and I have used the shower hundreds of times, it proved to be a great modification.

It always seems to me the best other alternative for showering on a Macgregor is to put soft hooks or velcro around the frame of the companionway hatch to hang a shower curtain 360 degrees. You could then use a collapsible tub to catch the shower water. If necessary, one could use a handheld 12v fuel transfer pump to drain the tub into the cockpit.

one had done exactely your idea in an
But I don't remember who it was...

Inquisitor took on a modification to his head like you are describing. He as documenting it here https://macgregorsailors.com/forum/view ... hilit=head. The thread ends without knowing how it came out

Jeff

Sounds very interesting. However, I have no ability to visualize.

Can you post some pictures? Would love to see it.

Ok so I started the mock up of this protect so that I can test the ergonomics and get an idea of what’s involved this summer, should I choose to do it.






It’s very thoughtful of Roger to include easy to cut panels with the yacht in case one suddenly gets the urge to visualize a large project. The green X is the part that will be pushed aft to the forward end of the cockpick locker. It becomes additional cabin space. I’ll finish the mockup this week and take some more pictures. I want to be sure the entry into this small space is easy and comfortable. The red throwable PFD represents the porta potty. ( there’s a compost style toilet I saw on Amazon that will fit well)
The compartment will have a fiberglass pan the comes up 12 inches on all sides and I will add glass to the top of Ty’s ballast tank and a few other areas. The vertical blue board represents a support that will be glassed into the hull and liner and is just there to hang the door from if I can work out how that all goes together.

Ix

Ixneigh,
Very interesting project. I've imagined putting a traditionally located head there for many years along with reclaiming the current head space for the forward berth the way you have. I've built up my fiberglass skills over the years as well. I don't know if I"m ready for something as complicated as that, but will be very interested to see how it comes out, as well as the process you use to get after it.
My two big questions are, can it be high enough to stand upright in, and will it be big enough to have a useful combo shower/sink function?

dustoff

Wow, that is ambitious. Looks like you are turning your M into an X cabin. I've always thought the head on the X makes more sense.

Hi, maybe you want to know how I have realized a shower and toilet in the head.

It's far away to be perfect, but it works nicely.
I do not use it too often, but when I do it works perfectly.

Here the link of description:
https://macgregorsailors.com/forum/view ... lit=shower

Hi Kurz
I no longer have the original M model hard compartment. It has been changed to a larger sleeping accommodation.



Seen here modeled by one of my dogs. This change was been excellent for my use.
The replacement requires a comfortable place to bathe, a shower pan to soak my feet and possibly a heater. It must be completely waterproof and not have to be put up and taken down.
It’s a high ask and the space is tight. I’ll make mockups of both the cabin add on, and the inside bulkheads and door before I buy fresh sawzall blades
The other option requires using the dinette table space but I use that more than I use the back berth area. I will still have a single berth like a standard quarter berth there.

Ix

I have decided to locate this project more midship. It’s better ergonomically.





Here is a mockup. Seems to work well. Several toilette options can fit in the molded seat with little modification.
Don’t know if there’s enough room for a sink. Seems redundant with galley sink

Here is an installation of a made to fit dry toilet using a store bought seat. The other components fit nicely inside the locker and are secured in place by using construction foam temporarily.
Now that the space is completely functional I can see how the door needs to set up, plan shelving that won’t interfere with use, ventilation options etc.
so far I feel that this location is much more usable than the original factory location, but not quite as usable as the factory location but with the door removed and a curtain across the cabin. The main disadvantage which I have solved is the lack of headroom in the factory location.




Ix