1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 8:28 am
by tuxonpup
Took a couple days off work and made the 6 hour trek up to Lake Powell on Thursday. We picked up a 10' U-haul truck there, pulled the Mac out of storage and towed it up the road to Wahweap Resort before crashing for the night. Loaded her up Friday morning with fresh fuel and water and made the decision to splash her to check out how the motor did over the four months in winter storage. We were going to step the mast to replace the old furler luff, VHF antenna, windvane, etc... but it was hot and there were plenty of jobs to be done out on the water if the motor was good. The luff stayed curled on the bow over the trip and then stretched out along the deck for when we tackle the new sail installs next trip.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 9:25 am
by Russ
Nice!
Yea, that main looks sad. Mostly looks dirty. I wonder how it would clean up.
What is that "Earthlink" dish. Looks like a Starlink dish.
That Nissan cowl looks like a conversation piece.
All in all, looks like a good trip. Any day on the water is better than a day at work. Thanks for sharing.
First time we've unpacked the og main and hoisted it, the tear we saw while it was in the bag was the only one found, so we went ahead and taped it when hoisted to that point. We'll be removing it next time up, can spread it out, wash, dry and then flake it before packing it into the bag the new Rolly Tasker is coming out of.
The 'Earthlink' is indeed a 'mini' I got installed on a PVC post Saturday morning while at the first cove we anchored in, it is blazingly fast;
Found a pic of another 26X for sale with the same vintage Nissan and it has the same discolored cowling;
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 1:25 pm
by Russ
I wonder why those Nissan's discolor. I'm sure you could paint it. It looks like some crazy UV stuff.
It's STARLink. I googled "Earthlink" and it's a thing. Former company was a big dial up provider. I guess they also do some fiber stuff now.
The Starlink "dish" is flat. Some amazing tech using a constellation of satellites.
Earthlink does seem to make some kind of dish, or they once did. But a true DISH must be fixed and not move.
Starlink is a great way to get internet in places you can't get it otherwise. Kind of spendy, but if you need it, it works great.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 2:34 pm
by NiceAft
Nice trip. Thanks for the video.
Our next time in Phoenix (a son lives there), we will see if we can schedule the time to visit Lake Powell.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 9:25 pm
by OverEasy
Congratulations on get out onto the water!
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 12:30 pm
by tuxonpup
Heading up to Sedona this weekend for our nephew's wedding and will make the extra 2 hour hop up to Powell on Monday & Tuesday to finish up the work we didn't get to, as it will be quite a bit cooler than it was last trip. Still on the to do list:
- Step the mast to replace the broken furling luff with the new one currently stretched along the deck
- Install the new Metz VHF whip on top of the mast to revive the old Apelco 8500 installed at the helm
- Add a new Windex on the whip before raising the mast again
- Replace the stock 6.6 gallon gas tank and 5 gallon refill can with two new 9 gallon Scepter tanks being delivered on Friday
- Connect the new 15 gallon water bladder under the V-berth to the hand pump galley sink
- Connect the new 5 gallon water bag to the hand pump head sink, if I can repair it
- Install new water pump in the stern bilge area as a lake water fed washdown hose/hot water stern shower supply
We'll be pretty well set up for an extended trip at that point, 18 gallons of gas split between the lockers plus 12 gallons in the spare cans, 20 gallons of freshwater between the two bladders. We identified the transducer installed on the transom as an Airmar P32 Triducer, a depth, water speed & temp instrument. There's an 8-pin connection run to the binnacle plus 2-pin power there already, which would plug right into a Garmin Echomap UHD2 64SV's connections with the supplied 12-pin to 8-pin cable. Leaning that way for the next restoration investment, may replace the Coleman cooler with a 12V cooler for longer range after some testing with the increased electronics load.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 6:16 am
by Russ
Wow, you have quite the todo list.
I think I have the same Garmin Chartplotter. Be careful about matching transducers. The wrong match could damage the chartplotter.
Mine came with a transducer for "wide" angle view. I hate drilling holes so I mounted it in the bilge in a bed of putty (silicone caulk works too). No holes and it works great there.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 11:50 am
by tuxonpup
tuxonpup wrote: ↑Tue Apr 22, 2025 12:30 pm
Heading up to Sedona this weekend for our nephew's wedding and will make the extra 2 hour hop up to Powell on Monday & Tuesday to finish up the work we didn't get to, as it will be quite a bit cooler than it was last trip. Still on the to do list:
- Step the mast to replace the broken furling luff with the new one currently stretched along the deck
- Install the new Metz VHF whip on top of the mast to revive the old Apelco 8500 installed at the helm
- Add a new Windex on the whip before raising the mast again
- Replace the stock 6.6 gallon gas tank and 5 gallon refill can with two new 9 gallon Scepter tanks being delivered on Friday
- Connect the new 15 gallon water bladder under the V-berth to the hand pump galley sink
- Connect the new 5 gallon water bag to the hand pump head sink, if I can repair it
- Install new water pump in the stern bilge area as a lake water fed washdown hose/hot water stern shower supply
We'll be pretty well set up for an extended trip at that point, 18 gallons of gas split between the lockers plus 12 gallons in the spare cans, 20 gallons of freshwater between the two bladders. We identified the transducer installed on the transom as an Airmar P32 Triducer, a depth, water speed & temp instrument. There's an 8-pin connection run to the binnacle plus 2-pin power there already, which would plug right into a Garmin Echomap UHD2 64SV's connections with the supplied 12-pin to 8-pin cable. Leaning that way for the next restoration investment, may replace the Coleman cooler with a 12V cooler for longer range after some testing with the increased electronics load.
Well, we got to the first four things on the list, the new Porta Pottie was delivered in Tucson after we'd already left for Sedona, so we'll circle back to the plumbing jobs on the next trip when we take the new throne with us. Here's a short vid of the weekend and getting the jobs completed:
The new Metz antenna whip got the old VHF receiving from the new Icom HH, but it wouldn't transmit or squelch properly, so it's going on the electronics replacement list. Following your advice here, I investigated the existing Airmar P32 Triducer's compatibility and it looks like it's pretty much outdated as well, so another replacement candidate. We're looking at chartplotter/depth transducer packages that integrate with VHF/AIS units over NMEA2000, in other words, Break Out Another Thousand!
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 3:47 pm
by NiceAft
I must say, you’ve got the right attitud.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 5:32 pm
by Russ
Wow, the beginning of that video was so calming. Where was that? In Arizona? I need to go there.
Nice crunchy new jib. I can smell the newness of it. Is the Sunbrella sail cover white? Most that I've seen are dark color. I really really like how you wrapped the jib sheets a few wraps around the fuller. A pet peeve of mine is sailors who leave the tail out to catch wind in a storm (I've seen bad things).
Nice job installing those gas tanks. I fear that's on my todo list.
New VHF shouldn't be pricey. No need to BOAT. If you are on Lake Powell, I don't see the need for AIS. It's cool, but who else is going to see you?
I think you have the same Chartplotter as me. Didn't it come with a transducer? Again, my transducer is meant for a fishing boat. SIDEWAYS scanning. I don't need that. I bedded my transducer in some putty INSIDE the hull where it is safe from harm. Sticking that big thing off the transom didn't seem right. It's long and stick out. I don't want that. My original transducer was small and I feared it snapping off if I backed into a beach. Bedding the transducer in putty has worked great. So far I have measured depths over 200' No problems.
I have a mounted VHF down below with full 25w power to the mast. It works well. It's my EMERGENCY VHF.
But I also keep a handheld VHF in the cockpit for most stuff. On our lake it's dead quiet. Occasionally, I'll hear someone make a call.
Handheld VHF is what I would use for everyday stuff. Also it's portable so you can use it in a ditch bag or if you go ashore in a dinghy.
So how did the sail perform? You need to post more videos. These are really fun to watch.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:57 pm
by tuxonpup
Russ wrote: ↑Wed Apr 30, 2025 5:32 pm
Wow, the beginning of that video was so calming. Where was that? In Arizona? I need to go there.
Nice crunchy new jib. I can smell the newness of it. Is the Sunbrella sail cover white? Most that I've seen are dark color. I really really like how you wrapped the jib sheets a few wraps around the fuller. A pet peeve of mine is sailors who leave the tail out to catch wind in a storm (I've seen bad things).
Nice job installing those gas tanks. I fear that's on my todo list.
New VHF shouldn't be pricey. No need to BOAT. If you are on Lake Powell, I don't see the need for AIS. It's cool, but who else is going to see you?
I think you have the same Chartplotter as me. Didn't it come with a transducer? Again, my transducer is meant for a fishing boat. SIDEWAYS scanning. I don't need that. I bedded my transducer in some putty INSIDE the hull where it is safe from harm. Sticking that big thing off the transom didn't seem right. It's long and stick out. I don't want that. My original transducer was small and I feared it snapping off if I backed into a beach. Bedding the transducer in putty has worked great. So far I have measured depths over 200' No problems.
I have a mounted VHF down below with full 25w power to the mast. It works well. It's my EMERGENCY VHF.
But I also keep a handheld VHF in the cockpit for most stuff. On our lake it's dead quiet. Occasionally, I'll hear someone make a call.
Handheld VHF is what I would use for everyday stuff. Also it's portable so you can use it in a ditch bag or if you go ashore in a dinghy.
So how did the sail perform? You need to post more videos. These are really fun to watch.
You should definitely check out Northern AZ, the first section of the video was shot in Oak Creek Canyon, just upstream from Slide Rock State Park, check out some Slide Rock videos on youtube. We went from the red desert plateaus in Sedona to a cool, creek side cabin in Oak Creek, then through a snow filled pass in Flagstaff and into the painted desert on the Navajo reservation, all in a three hour drive.
The genoa with Sunbrella from BWY comes stock in white, and the instructions to wrap the sheet 2-3 times when furled, all credit to them.
We don't have a chart plotter yet, just a disconnected Airmar transducer, been using an iPad with GPS to try out the different mapping apps. The Icom handheld VHF we have has AIS receiving built-in, though we don't expect to use that on Lake Powell. Would've been handy on some of our sea kayak adventures in San Diego, Seattle or the Mediterranean, so we're shopping with those situations in mind, caught out after dark or in a surprise fog bank. Not gonna be needed on the lake, but we'll end up towing other places and 'buy once, cry once.'
Thanks for the encouragement, we didn't get on the water this time, just a quick over night refit trip since we were halfway there for a wedding. I'm calling this trip part of my BIY series - Break It Yourself.
Re: 1st splash, sail and beaching on Lake Powell this season
Posted: Thu May 01, 2025 6:54 am
by Arqueiro
Funny i found your videos a few weeks ago. Nice too see other mac on YouTube.
