[Darry & Leisa Major]

Tip to cutting plexiglass or fibreglass … always start out in reverse so you score the glass first, before going forward to cut. And applying green painters tape where you’re cutting will help reduce the chipping.

Darry

[Darry & Leisa Major]

I’ll reply to this stainless steel “Riveting” subject … before it gets “Rusty” LOL

I’ll take 10 of those SS rivets off your hands at Sydney, our masthead VHF antenna bracket is getting loose … but I was just at the doctor and he says my “gooseneck” is just fine thanks ;- )

Darry

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Never heard of that unit before.

We have a hard wired Raymarine remote for our autopilot … and love it.

We have it installed below deck on our model X, above the galley area. Very convenient when sailing alone making lunch, and the remote reaches through the dodger to the mast so I can sail from the foredeck or go into anchorage and watch for rocks from the deck while steering.

Darry

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Wax the anchor? What a great idea!

Our stainless steel anchor rarely comes to the surface with mud-muck on it because the finish is so slippery compared to a galvanized finish that is more rough to the touch.

I’ve always polished the crap out of our anchor to make it shiny, maybe all this time making it more slippery and muck resistant and didn’t even know it 🙂

Waxing the anchor … what a great idea

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Wax the anchor? What a great idea!

Our stainless steel anchor rarely comes to the surface with mud-muck on it because I think the finish is so slippery compared to a galvanized finish that is more rough to the touch.

I’ve always polished the crap out of our anchor to make it shiny, maybe all this time making it more slippery and muck resistant and didn’t even know it 🙂

Waxing the anchor … what a great idea!

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Great comments Paul,

Obviously lots of good takeaways for all of us to learn from.

One of the points we discuss during both our MYCBC spring and fall MacFoulies during the Dock-Talk is “sail preparedness”.
1) We always preset both main and head sail before leaving the dock, physically unfurl the headsail and raise the main to ensure all running rigging (sheets and halyards) are clear and not fouled.
2) some boats have headsail sock covers. These protect the sail from UV damage and dirt/mold while the boat is at rest, but should never be on the sail while underway for exactly this reason so it’s available for emergency deployment.
3) we also teach during the MacFoulie’s to put a reef in the main sa and take the mainsail cover off (if going out in inclement conditions or anticipating problems) so that the sail is ready to lift and is not over canvassed. (Too much sail out)
4) we also conduct crew over board drills under full sail with the assumption that our engine doesn’t work.

One great thing about a MacGregor is the shallow draft and the ability to pull up rudder(s) and keel so it can be beached, but I would not rely on this as an emergency option as beaches on the West Coast are rarely as soft and flat as Ambleside, a rocky lee shore might do damage to our thin fibreglass hills in short order.

I agree that Sailing out of trouble should’ve been the number one option, then deploying the anchor should’ve been number two – surprised your anchor didn’t catch even at 2 kn especially in mud and sand where you were.

I don’t think anyone truly expects to be in a serious or life-threatening situation, so when it is occurring it may not be recognized or seem as serious as it might become. For most of us, remaining calm and not panicking and processing emergency thinking is usually not a natural reaction, and is something that needs to be thought out ahead of time, so practising safety manoeuvres is the best way to control behaviour and increase positive results if a situation ever does arise – and is a reason our club focusses on some of these issues at the MacFoulies and the Regatta-Safety Sail and all year your long talking together like this.

Darry

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Question: What takes 7 hours over two days, lots of wine, and many F-bombs?
Answer: Putting together a 3-D pirate ship puzzle 🙁

OMG!! Want to frustrate a friend … but them one of these. I got it for Christmas from a a friend, so Leisa and I thought it would make a nice evening together over a glass of wine, wrong!

Second Question:
Q: How much scotch-tape does it take to hold a 3-D pirate ship puzzle together?
A: Buy one and try for yourself 🙂

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[Darry & Leisa Major]

So after much research and discussion, we thank you all for your good advice – we have rebuilt the powerhead on our 2000-DF50/hp.

Lots of things to consider when repowering. One of the main reasons for us rebuilding, besides the money (1/3 the cost of new) is that we are only the second owners of this motor and over the last nine years we have come to know and trust it very well. The engine only has 650 hours on it as we only average about 50 hours per year (aren’t sailboats great) and the damage that caused us to rebuild in the first place was a $25 tension chain bracket and was a fluky failure, but because we needed to pull the power head to replace the part we decided to spend the extra and rebuild.

Complete new powerhead rebuild including; piston rings, main and con-rod bearings, valves and seats lapped + new guides, tappets re-shimmed, oil seals and gaskets, water jackets cleaned, rust painted, hose connectors, etc.

We looked at going with a new-ish engine, but were not comfortable risking buying someone else’s problem.

We looked it going near new, specifically with Mercury from Bridgeview but the total after taxes installation, prop, control cables, and gauge is just over $8000 for a 75hp.

We looked at buying brand-new but just didn’t want to spend upwards towards $10,000 right now.

Yes, going faster would be nice, but we are happy and confident with our choice to rebuild an engine that we know and trust.

Ps, I am proud to say that the water jackets in this 15 year old engine were almost completed clean and open. Almost no salt build up clogging the water system. I attribute this to not only vigilant maintenance fresh water flushes after almost every use, but also to flushing with a product called “Salt Away” several times a year. I swear by it, and the result are now proof positive for me by seeing the inside of our engine.

Thanks again for everyone’s thoughts, we learned a lot through this process, and by going public we hope others did too.

Darry & Leisa
s/v “happy” Windchime 🙂

[Darry & Leisa Major]

So it turns out the 2007 Mercury (Verado) 75 hp cowling (engine cover) is way TOO BIG! I saw one on a model X and the owner had to cut-out some of the back of the seat kust to get the engine to go into the up position.:(

We have an option of a 2001 Honda 75 HP.

Does anyone have this engine on a model X? Will it fit?
Any problems with the carbs versus electronic fuel injection?

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Tattoo announces: No more 26 foot boats to be built and no 22 footers to be built until they find a new location.

Re: Tattoo 26 Production Suspended, factory relocating
Postby LMSharp » Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:53 am

I know there is a lot of curiosity about our plans for Tattoo Yachts.

As many of you know, we continued the family legacy of building trailerable boats, once Mary Lou and Roger MacGregor retired from production boat building.

Because California is no longer a viable place to build boats we looked farther afield. As the perfect location was hard to find we settled temporarily in Stuart, Florida in a building we planned to move on from in a year or so. Our short-term goal was to keep our dealers stocked with boats. Over two years later we had still not found an appropriate site, and at that point the molds for the Tattoo 26 were nearing the end of their useful life.

We faced two decisions- should we carry on in a building that was not adequate for our needs, and should we build a new set of molds or stop production of the Tattoo 26.

We decided not to build a new set of molds, as the current 26 has been in production for quite a long time now and every model eventually runs its course. We haven’t made a big announcement about it as that seems unfair to loyal dealers who have boats in stock.

We also made the decision not to carry on in the interim building. Starting a new production line from scratch, as we did with the Tattoo 26 in Florida, is an enormous undertaking, and it didn’t make sense to do it twice if we planned on moving soon.

As someone said a while back on the forum the process of relocating and setting up production is complicated, and may take a while. We don’t want to have to move twice.

And nope, we are not trying to build boats in a UPS store- the Palm Beach Gardens address is for mail only during the transition. Once we are back up and running we’ll use our physical address again and welcome visitors.

So here we are! Still actively looking for the right building to start the Tattoo 22, still supporting our current and prospective owners and dealers, but out of production for the near future.

Enjoy your boats!
Laura Sharpe (Roger MacGregor’s daughter)

[Darry & Leisa Major]

I installed new LED trailer lights and wiring this past weekend.

Not a glamorous mod, but a necessary one. Cost us about $80 for the lights and wire harness package at Can-Tire, and about 3 hours to tear off the old ones and install the new ones (end to end).

I had to drill new holes in the trailer to mount the light cases because the brackets I had before on the guide poles were just not working the way I had hoped, along with a short in the wiring somewhere needing a “shake and a wiggle” to get them going half the time for the past while. (but don’t tell Leisa … or the cops 😮

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Darry & Leisa Major.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Darry & Leisa Major.

[Darry & Leisa Major]

One for the young crew !
(click on photo to enlarge)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by Darry & Leisa Major.

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[Darry & Leisa Major]

Guest-Crew Instructions

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[Darry & Leisa Major]

We have the older Raymarine wheel version on our 2000X, (love the auto-tack option)

There is also a certain sound that you need to get used to, especially while under sail.

Kind of like having to get used to those dam seagulls squawking, or that annoying sound of the waves slapping against the side of the hull, or a flogging mainsail over the sound of the skipper snoring at the helm – you know, just the regular sounds on s boat 🙂

[Darry & Leisa Major]

Our 2000-X weighs 4500 pound.

Includes trailer and boat loaded for cruising, full fuel, water, wine & rum, etc. plus luggage and flip-flops for two weeks.

We have a truck scale near our house 🙂

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