MacGregor 25--who is sailing one?

[lee-nwm]

We are just starting out with our "new to us" MacGregor 25. We bought it during the winter and while it was on a trailer. We have launched it on a local lake and are starting to have some fun. After dusting off our old sailing experiences in some smaller boats and reading up some novice books, we still have some questions about the boat--like where is the bilge pump located? Just would like to touch base with someone else that knows these boats--Lee

[Mac-25]

We have been sailing our Mac 25 for a couple of months. We have found that there is no bilge pump and since the water collects in several places we havent found the best place to put one. We have just dipped the little bit of water we accumulate. We have changed lots of things such as the mainsheet "strangler" the boat comes with, and have plans to change/add other items. There are lots of good ideas on the net for these boats. Some of the ideas for the 26 will work on our boats. Good luck with your boat I hope you have as much fun with it as we are ours.

[wizardscocoon]

Hello Lee,
We have a Mac25, for 2 years now. But haven''t had much changes to get it out and learn how to sail it :-) We have great fun so far. Spent a week last around Kelleys Island, South Bass and Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie last summer. Hope to return for a week or so this year.
Our bilge pump is located along the next to the center of the boat, you get to it via the battery compartment opening. Same area where the keel bolt comes through.

Gerry

[MadMacMod]

Sailnet has a MacGregor mailing list if you want to really learn more about the boats.

[1bearinwoods]

Originally Posted by lee-nwm

We are just starting out with our "new to us" MacGregor 25. We bought it during the winter and while it was on a trailer. We have launched it on a local lake and are starting to have some fun. After dusting off our old sailing experiences in some smaller boats and reading up some novice books, we still have some questions about the boat--like where is the bilge pump located? Just would like to touch base with someone else that knows these boats--Lee

hello; i too just bought a 25. i dont know much about it. i spent last weekend motorin in it . i love it but would love to sauil it. am scared.where is bilge pump located. myn is 1985.

[lsusailing]

In addition to MadMac comments re Sailnet's boat owners section, see the link below. I looks interesting and appears to have a lot of resources to help you.





Parts and accessories for MacGregor sailboats

[uspirate]

Originally Posted by 1bearinwoods

hello; i too just bought a 25. i dont know much about it. i spent last weekend motorin in it . i love it but would love to sauil it. am scared.where is bilge pump located. myn is 1985.

I think lee-nwm is now in an asylum as he went insane not being able to find the bilge pump after six years. well, truth is they dont have one unless the previous owner installed one and they should be equipped with positive flotation (lots of styrofoam stuffed under the v-berth and aft). dont be scared, have you used the motor yet? motor around for awhile until you get a feel for the boat. then on a breezy day try using only the mainsail on your first time. get ready to heel over. macs heel fast and you'll probably be ready to jump off, but dont. rule of thumb regarding the mainsheet "when in doubt, let it out". enjoy your boat the mac 25's sail very well. have fun!

[lsusailing]

Auh crap USPirate, did not see the original 2002 date on the first post, too funny, hope at least we can help 1BearingWoods.

If I would have been drinking I would have caught this......................

[CHENDA]

please tell me how to handle steering with the outboard motor. we are about one hour away from open sea before we can consider sailing and the tiller doesn't do it. help!
I BOUGHT THIS 1983 MAC25 IN MARCH AND STILL DIDN'T GOT TO SAIL IT, NOT FOR LACK OF TRYING. THIS IS MY FIRST SAILBOAT AND EVERYTHING IS A TRIAL AND ERROR:
1) I BOUGHT ALL COAST GUARD REQUIRED EQUIPMENT. FIRST TIME WE MADE IT 30 FT PAST THE SLIP AND THE ENGINE'S PROP STOPPED TURNING WHILE THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING FINE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A BROKEN VERTICAL SHAFT AND REPAIR ESTIMATE WAS HIGHER THAN MOTOR VALUE (IT'S IN MY GARAGE AND I GOT ANOTHER ONE)
2) SECOND TIME WE FOUND THE HARD WAY THAT SHE WILL NOT GO UNDER A 28 FT BRIDGE SPECIALLY WITHOUT A GOOD VHF RADIO. STEERING WITH THE TILLER WHILE MOTORING DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK AND STEERING WITH THE OUTBOARD HANDLE IS A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, SO I TOOK SOMEONES ADVISE AND ATTACHED A PIECE OF PVC PIPE TO THE HANDLE AND THINGS GOT BETTER, OR SO WE THOUGHT
3)WE ARE ON SOUTH FLORIDA INTER-COASTAL WATERWAY, ABOUT ONE HOUR TO THE OPEN SEA.
10 DAYS AGO WE HAD TWO DAYS OS SUB-TROPICAL RAIN AND LAST SUNDAY FOUND HARD WAY THAT THERE IS NO BILGE PUMP AND ONE WOULD BE USELESS UNLESS IT WAS PORTABLE AS WATER COLLECTS IN SEVERAL PLACES NOT CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER. I SCOOPED 50 GAL. OF RAIN WATER, TOOK OUT WET CUSHIONS AND WE WENT "SAILING"
4) ABOUT 3/4 WAY TO THE OPEN SEA THE OUTBOARD MOTOR'S HANDLE BROKE UNDER THE STRAIN OF STEERING WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PVC PIPE AND WE WERE IN DEEP POOP ONCE AGAIN. AFTER ONE HOUR OF STRUGGLING, CURSING AND AND 2 MAN STEERING I FLAGGED DOWN A VERY HAPPY MOTOR BOAT OWNER WHO AGREED TO GIVE AS A TOW UNDER THE RAISED BRIDGE AN EVEN WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO TOW US ALL THE WAY HOME, SAVING US ATLEAST 4 HOURS OF SWEAT, TEARS AND CURSING

SO NOW WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE STEERING ISSUE BEFORE WE TRY AGAIN. CAN ANYONE HELP WITH A SIMPLE AND NON-EXPENSIVE SOLUTION???

[skkeith]

Sorry to hear you are having so many problems, I have a 1983 25" Macgregor with none of these problems. I am not sure why you do, I'll try and comment though I am not expert.

#1 - steering while using my 6hp outboard is not problem whatsoever. I just use the tiller and keep the motor straight. Are you sure your motor is straight? Get it aligned by taking your hands off the tiller and moving the outboard handle until the boat starts going straight, then you know you have the motor straight. Lock it down at that angle if you can, or tie it down if you must. Now steer with the tiller. My boat handles great like this.

#2 - Bilge pump. What I did was to drill holes in all the separate compartments so all the water collects more or less in one spot ( I don't know if this is a good idea or not ). I connected the bilge pump hose via a T junction to just below the cockpit drain, to avoid more thru hull holes. I use 2 stopcocks on the hose, one at the cockpit drain end and one at the bilge pump end so water in the cockpit stays out and water in the bilge hose stays in. Still will not get the boat anything like dry, to do that I put it on the trailer and tilt the whole thing back until the nose is up in the air. All the water drains to the very aft, and I take it out with a manual bilge pump ( which you should have anyway ).

#3 - The mast. I rigged mine so I can put the mast up and down by myself even with a torn rotator cuff. I used a 6 foot aluminum slider track from a closet door. On one end is a carabiner, the other end has a block. The carabiner attaches to an eye in the side of the mast about 2 feet up. I lead a line from the gib foot through the block and back to a block at the jib foot, then back through the main halyard cleats ( tie a stopper knot. ). Also I have two short lines attached to the block on the end of the aluminimum track. These two short lines have carbines at the other end, which attach into the base of the shrouds ( the short ones for supporthing lowering the mast ). It took me some experimentation to get the length right but I got it eventually. Now attach the shot lines to the base of the shrouds by the deck, and attach the gib halyard to the end of the aluminum track ( where the two short lines attach ). Hall like hell on the other end of the gib halyard until the track rises up and is approximately perpendicular to the mast. Get this as tight as you can. Should be a "mini boom" but in the other direction ( toward the front of the boat ). The two short lines should be taught. If your 'mini boom' is not perpendicular to the mast take it down and change the length of the two short lines. Do it again until it is perpendicular. You just need to get this right once... When you do, make sure to cleat off the gib halyard well! Now go aft where you lead the line through the main halyard cleat, and tied a stopper on it, right? Haul on this line hard until your forestay slackes enough to undo. Take off the forestay. Now go aft and slowly slacken the line in the main halyard cleat until the mast comes down. Presto. You can stop it at any angle by re-cleeting the line. Mast goes up the same way it comes down. The only tricky part is getting the mast up ( or down ) past the first (comming up ) or last ( going down ) 15 degrees or so. With my setup the 'mini boom' goes over to the side at this critical angle. I just hold it up past this angle, with the help of the line and cleat, and it works fine even w/ a torn rotator cuff. Don't forget to put on the thingy to catch the mast if you are taking it all the way down... But hell, make the VHF work anyway.

#4 - Other things I recommend if you value your life:
a) boom vang. Mine didn't have one. You will want one in the wind.
b) a reefing setup. I have a single line reefing setup that went in easily and is worth it.
c) On my boat the end of the boom is attached to the main sheet with 1 small aluminum pop rivet. I first noticed this while under a full press of sail, and nearly wet myself. I drilled out the whole thing and replaced it with a large stainless tang attached with a thick stainless eye bolt running into the boom, with the eye inside the boom, and a perpendicular stainless bolt with an aluminum compression tube running through the eye.
d) My shrouds were attached to the deck with clevis pins and cotter pins, and no swivels or turnbuckles. The first time I got it out in the ocean, pop, clang, suddenly no clevis pins and no shrouds. I fixed this by using bigger bolts w/ "airplane nuts", and I have not had any further problem with the shrouds. Probably turnbuckles and swivels would be better.

Hope this helps.