Ryan, I have a wonderful device called a "SeaSwing" it's a one pot stove that is on a 4 way gimbal. It can be powered by just about any fuel, keroseen, deisel, sterno, alcohol or propane. The best part of it is it hooks to a mount and can be disonnected in one second by pulling a pin and stored away under a settee or some where when not in use. I used to have extra mounts so I had one in the cockpit, real hand for making coffee in the morning or evening. Heating up one pot meals when underway and never had a spill. I also had a mount inside in the galley so I could move it where ever it was needed. Real handy. I think I have an extra one. Unfortunately, they do not make them any more but they great!
I saw your first video when you got the vessel. I thought "this will be interesting, because I don't have money to waste, but I have desires to travel both land and sea (actually, inland waterways.)" Ends up, It is more than interesting, and has become quite impressive. Your humble spirit shines through in every video. Boat builders could learn a lot from you.
This is amazing! I recently found your channel because my wife and I just acquired a McGregor 26D and I'm using your videos to inspire some of my projects on it. Thanks for the great videos!
The new galley rules! I enjoy following your quest to turn a McGregor 26D into a proper mini yacht (If that is possible). I never liked alcohol stoves on boats. The fuel is easy to spill if the stove is full and the boat is healing, unless the stove is gimbaled. And the flame is almost invisible in daytime so it's easy burn yourself, or put out spills that may catch fire. Keep up the good work!
The funny thing is all this footage is back from like March and April but I got too excited about making other videos and it all fell on the back burner (no pun intended there)
lol definitely WAAAAAY overkill for what I'll need, but you never know, we could be doing some longer trips in the future where it will be nice to have that much.
Hey buddy, been watching since the beginning. Your doing great. Looks like a million bucks. Galley looks great. Keep it up. Hope the water system goes in smoothly.
Well I did finish it up, I wouldn’t say it went smoothly, but it went and it is now functional and I’m happy with it. Thanks so much for tuning in this whole time! Can’t believe it’s been over a year! And thanks for leaving a comment!
Thanks Thomas! It wasn’t cheap but well worth it if you ask me. Also got an email over night about your pledge, thank you SO MUCH for that too! You’re really helping turn all these dreams into a reality and I can’t say thank you enough!
I love the look of the Galley! The idea of having propane and alcohol I think is really handy for redundancy. All of the modifications coming along are starting to make this a really nice boat to take some bigger trips on. I wonder how far you are going to go with amenities? I have seen lots of people converting the head into a fully functioning bathroom. Things like sink/shower, and even heated water, and a draining system pump on MacGregors. So many things you can do in smaller spaces now is impressive. I guess really the rigs probably need to suit the needs though, not sure if you are looking to do a weekender or day sailer setup. I have seen people go as far as do these as full time live aboards which is wild. Totally excited to see the next video with new setup!
Yea there is no way I could live on this size, well, not with other people at least, I bet I could if I was alone. I'm aiming for like a weekender set up (possibly a LITTLE longer if we really like it). Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice solution for hanging up the dishes. Storage space on a boat is always in short supply. You prevented the dishes from sliding around when the boat moves and didn't take up a drawer or cabinet to store them.
Fantastic progress!! Giving me some ideas on improving my own 26s. One question what kind of hinges are in the ladder that allows it to fold up. Any info would be great. Thanks for what you do.
Oh those hinges were such a pain in my ass (that’s why there’s no video for them!) I’ll see if I can find a link but long story short they did not fit the way I expected so I had to get creative and now there’s pvc pipe that runs up the ladder and into the hinge and then secured by through bolting them. Should have been as easy as the ladder pipe sliding into the hinge and secured with a set screw, but nope. Also wish I put them a little higher up as it’s still a little uncomfortable wiggling under there to get in the berth. BUT still worth it to have the 2 panels on each side.
Thanks Paul! You can still see some seams and small wrinkles. But I try not to let it bother me. With a little practice you can get it nice and tight and smooth.
Wow Ryan, I hate to admit it (because you will get a big head), but I am impressed!!! I would let you wallpaper my daggerboard (if I had one) any ole day. Galley area is looking really good.
First off Ryan, your camera work is vastly improved from your early efforts, so BRAVO dude! The galley work out pretty darn neat but I wouldn't have bothered with the propane burner. Kind of overkill in my book. What about ventilation above the stove top? Is there any? Loved the water bladder tank. Very clever but why are there two pumps? One for the future head? Anyway sir, you are doing a marvelous job on this little "free" boat of yours and I always look forward to the next fix.
I tend to overkill a lot. But that’s what makes me interesting right!? And as for ventilation there is none, other than popping the pop top! 2nd pump is for a future project in the head. It will connect to the raw water through hull that’s right there and pump to a spray hose to rinse off and fill the porta potty.
A tip: before applying any adhesive, pass water with a little soap that the adhesive does not stick, there you position, go taking care that the water will come out and fixing the adhesive.
It looks perfect my friend!......You mentioned it was your dagger board? does the dagger board run down inside of that? I'm not familiar with the layout of the MacGregor 26.
Yes that part is what is called the daggerboard “trunk”. It’s basically a hole that shape that goes through the entire boat that the daggerboard runs up and down in. The forward part of the trunk is heavily enforced with extra fiberglass (where I put that piece of pvc) and also acts as the compression post.
Great job!!! (BTW... if you decide to take your boat over to the Bahamas or Caribbean, alcohol is available everywhere and it's nearly impossible to find propane. Also, alcohol is really safe where propane is very dangerous on a boat.)
I have! I had to make a decision a little while back though because I really needed to do something about the Jib. New roller fuller system was just too far out of my budget so I ended up just getting another hank on. I may try a DYI fuller system for one of my projects though where you can use the hank on style sails for relatively cheap (cheap enough to where I wouldn't cry if it didn't work out at least)
Love your videos! Just bought a Mac 26 and starting the renovation process. Lots of awesome ideas from your channel. What do you think about putting a small wood stove in the Mac?
Typically yes it shouldn’t grow mold, if it’s very humid it might but it should wipe off clean and easy. Links to everything on amazon are in the description!
Great mods! I just bought a Macgregor 26D and have enjoyed your videos! When you're underway, do you store your gas tank in the storage area at the back and just run the fuel line through the hole opening to the motor? Curious, because I'm ready to not have my gas tank sitting on the back of the boat while motoring.
Awesome mods. I've just found a MacGregor "D" near me. Not free, but affordable. I'm thinking seriously about buying it. I'd be interested to see how all your mods impact the sailing characteristics. I'm sure the boat will be heavier, especially with an extra 30 gallons of water ( 249 pounds ) in the bow. Does that improve or hinder sailing?
Great episode Ryan! I think the galley turned out really clean and im jealous how much space you have! our galley area is a mess and im looking to do some organizing and cabinetry for our drygoods. I must have missed the episode but where did you put your batteries?
Thanks Alexander! Do you also have a MacGregor? I only have on battery at the moment and it’s under the starboard side seats. I think if (when) I ad more I’ll balance the weight and put it on the other side.
May I gave u 2 suggestions for next time? Lick your finger before touch the silicone and put some masking tape to keep a sharp edge.. that’s it!! God luck with your project
The gimbal route would have been to expensive plus the whole layout would have had to change, while in later models MacGregor eventually did switch to having the galley running forward/aft as opposed to this way, I don’t think they ever went with a gimbaled stove (they were trying to keep their boats cheap) but on the X and M models that modification would have been much more feasible.
i looked at that pic of your boat(?) in the galley and thought, i wonder if he is fixing up an oldish macgregor? and then a few secs later you mentioned the make of your boat :-)) anyway, enough babbling. loved the remodel of your galley. what yr is your boat? i loved the old(60?) boats with the racked bows.
Oh man, probably more than what I would really want to find out! Lol! with the new daggerboard and Jib included probably around $2000 -$2500??? Lots of little things add up pretty quick!
True, that’s why I like the little bottles. They are easier to manage. I can keep them stored somewhere in the laz. And if it does leak somehow it’s 1/20th of the amount of gas that you have to worry about.
Be very careful of those propane canisters. if you overnight on the boat, they should all be left on deck. Propane is heavier than air and will sink, displacing the breathable air. People have been known to wake up dead, suffocated by leaky propane. I used to think that was a bunch of crap, but in the past few years, I've personally encountered more and more leaky 1lb cylinders. One was so bad, I thought there was a dead animal in my garage- the thing had leaked totally empty. Sorry to be such a Negative Nancy, but forewarned is forearmed.
Good advise Paul. I wonder how much volume of gas one of those little 1 lbers is uncompressed? I do like that they are so small they can easily be moved around when needed/not needed. I planned on keeping them in the lazerette.
Sailing FreeStyle No idea on volume. Remember that the rear laz is connected to the cabin, ventilation-wise. People who store gas in the laz find that out real quick. Some people seal that off with great stuff.
My laz on my 26z is sealed pretty well but as we sleep alot in the rear berth this is one of my major concerns as well. If you plan to seal the Laz keep in mind there are gaps at the top. its much easier to vent at a lower elevation towards the motor well.
Ryan, I have a wonderful device called a "SeaSwing" it's a one pot stove that is on a 4 way gimbal. It can be powered by just about any fuel, keroseen, deisel, sterno, alcohol or propane. The best part of it is it hooks to a mount and can be disonnected in one second by pulling a pin and stored away under a settee or some where when not in use. I used to have extra mounts so I had one in the cockpit, real hand for making coffee in the morning or evening. Heating up one pot meals when underway and never had a spill. I also had a mount inside in the galley so I could move it where ever it was needed. Real handy. I think I have an extra one. Unfortunately, they do not make them any more but they great!
Oh man that sounds amazing! I wonder if I can find one on eBay.
You and that Dremel are a match made in heaven. Good job!
I do love my Dremel! One of the best little machines invented if you ask me.
Hey Ryan, very clever use of space, the look and usefulness of the galley just went way up. Completely awesome dude.
Thanks a bunch Harvey G!
Pretty impressive really. I appreciate your resourcefulness and creativity.
Thanks David!
Awesome job ! Glad to see you working again in the dining room workshop !
Lol this was actually all old footage I never got around to making a video for. So the "it's too cold to be in the garage" excuse was still valid!
I remember when you first got that old neglected boat looking sad and moldie, But now it is looking in good shape inside and out. good job
Thanks Shaun! She sure has come a long way!
I saw your first video when you got the vessel. I thought "this will be interesting, because I don't have money to waste, but I have desires to travel both land and sea (actually, inland waterways.)"
Ends up, It is more than interesting, and has become quite impressive.
Your humble spirit shines through in every video. Boat builders could learn a lot from you.
Thanks for the comments KJ!
This is amazing! I recently found your channel because my wife and I just acquired a McGregor 26D and I'm using your videos to inspire some of my projects on it. Thanks for the great videos!
Congrats on the "D"! It's a nice little sail boat right??
Sailing FreeStyle hell yeah
You are awesome at editing!! The boat is looking great!!
Thanks Lucas!
Super cool. Looks awesome. Wife even said, wow. Working on getting her on board w the boat idea.
Thanks Someone and Someone's wife!
Dude I'm so proud of you!!! You did a great job!!! You have a great eye for design.
Thanks Dave I really appreciate that! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice work Ry!
Hey thanks Reid!!
Another great job! Love the ideas and use of space!
Thanks Ferdinand!
The new galley rules! I enjoy following your quest to turn a McGregor 26D into a proper mini yacht (If that is possible).
I never liked alcohol stoves on boats. The fuel is easy to spill if the stove is full and the boat is healing, unless the stove is gimbaled. And the flame is almost invisible in daytime so it's easy burn yourself, or put out spills that may catch fire. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Uncle Bob!
Loved the mods, especially the propane stove mod. nice!
Thanks Chase!
Good work, innovative galley setup
Very, very nice ... been wondering when you would get to that !!
The funny thing is all this footage is back from like March and April but I got too excited about making other videos and it all fell on the back burner (no pun intended there)
Lots of good jobs....you will tackle anything...good.
Thanks Dave!
Great stuff love your golly mods!
Thanks I appreciate that!!!
Now will that blue water bag hold enough water for your trans-Atlantic trip? Love watching you bringing your ideas to reality!
lol definitely WAAAAAY overkill for what I'll need, but you never know, we could be doing some longer trips in the future where it will be nice to have that much.
You're awesome! Thanks for documenting and sharing all this!
Doing fine mate. You’re getting there.
Like your video.....thanks....I have a variation of your boat. It's a hunter 26 trailerable..........great boat as yours is.
Loving the wonderful changes that you're making😊😀👍👍👍
All love, and best wishes to you all, Claire, Berlin 😘 😘 ✌ 👍 👍
Thanks Claire!
Hey buddy, been watching since the beginning. Your doing great. Looks like a million bucks. Galley looks great. Keep it up. Hope the water system goes in smoothly.
Well I did finish it up, I wouldn’t say it went smoothly, but it went and it is now functional and I’m happy with it. Thanks so much for tuning in this whole time! Can’t believe it’s been over a year! And thanks for leaving a comment!
The water tank is smart ... you can take it out to clean too ... NICE !!!
Thanks Thomas! It wasn’t cheap but well worth it if you ask me. Also got an email over night about your pledge, thank you SO MUCH for that too! You’re really helping turn all these dreams into a reality and I can’t say thank you enough!
very nicely done
Thanks Ken!
I love the look of the Galley! The idea of having propane and alcohol I think is really handy for redundancy. All of the modifications coming along are starting to make this a really nice boat to take some bigger trips on. I wonder how far you are going to go with amenities? I have seen lots of people converting the head into a fully functioning bathroom. Things like sink/shower, and even heated water, and a draining system pump on MacGregors. So many things you can do in smaller spaces now is impressive. I guess really the rigs probably need to suit the needs though, not sure if you are looking to do a weekender or day sailer setup. I have seen people go as far as do these as full time live aboards which is wild. Totally excited to see the next video with new setup!
Yea there is no way I could live on this size, well, not with other people at least, I bet I could if I was alone. I'm aiming for like a weekender set up (possibly a LITTLE longer if we really like it). Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice solution for hanging up the dishes. Storage space on a boat is always in short supply. You prevented the dishes from sliding around when the boat moves and didn't take up a drawer or cabinet to store them.
Thanks for always tuning into the the channel and commenting!
Nice setup! Way to go!
As soon as you spilled your coffee, I hit subscribe! LOL
lol thats awesome
Just bought 1991 26S, love what you have done. Did you do a video on electrical rewiring and how did you repair crack in bilge. Tks, Jim
very productive in this vid, i love it. I'm hoping you get to cruise to the caribbean soon!
What can I say about the video? .......... WICKED AWESOME!
Haha thanks Larry. I’m actually out here in the eastern part of the state right now on vacation, not to far from Mr and Mrs Wicked’s home town.
mate that looks great 😎
boat is prolly worth 12,000 dollhairs already. Beatiful
Lol I wish that was the case!
Fantastic progress!! Giving me some ideas on improving my own 26s. One question what kind of hinges are in the ladder that allows it to fold up. Any info would be great. Thanks for what you do.
Oh those hinges were such a pain in my ass (that’s why there’s no video for them!) I’ll see if I can find a link but long story short they did not fit the way I expected so I had to get creative and now there’s pvc pipe that runs up the ladder and into the hinge and then secured by through bolting them. Should have been as easy as the ladder pipe sliding into the hinge and secured with a set screw, but nope. Also wish I put them a little higher up as it’s still a little uncomfortable wiggling under there to get in the berth. BUT still worth it to have the 2 panels on each side.
Great Job
Thanks DJ!
I gotta say, that vinyl wrap looks acceptable. This might be just what I need.
Thanks Paul! You can still see some seams and small wrinkles. But I try not to let it bother me. With a little practice you can get it nice and tight and smooth.
Wow Ryan, I hate to admit it (because you will get a big head), but I am impressed!!! I would let you wallpaper my daggerboard (if I had one) any ole day. Galley area is looking really good.
Lol it's ok my wife says I have a big head already! Thanks as always Orville!
First off Ryan, your camera work is vastly improved from your early efforts, so BRAVO dude! The galley work out pretty darn neat but I wouldn't have bothered with the propane burner. Kind of overkill in my book. What about ventilation above the stove top? Is there any? Loved the water bladder tank. Very clever but why are there two pumps? One for the future head? Anyway sir, you are doing a marvelous job on this little "free" boat of yours and I always look forward to the next fix.
I tend to overkill a lot. But that’s what makes me interesting right!? And as for ventilation there is none, other than popping the pop top! 2nd pump is for a future project in the head. It will connect to the raw water through hull that’s right there and pump to a spray hose to rinse off and fill the porta potty.
A tip: before applying any adhesive, pass water with a little soap that the adhesive does not stick, there you position, go taking care that the water will come out and fixing the adhesive.
Great tip! Thank you very much for sharing!
Looks great man
Great job, I'm looking into getting a M36, not sure if to get a S,D or X … but I am liking the videos, thanks
It looks perfect my friend!......You mentioned it was your dagger board? does the dagger board run down inside of that? I'm not familiar with the layout of the MacGregor 26.
Yes that part is what is called the daggerboard “trunk”. It’s basically a hole that shape that goes through the entire boat that the daggerboard runs up and down in. The forward part of the trunk is heavily enforced with extra fiberglass (where I put that piece of pvc) and also acts as the compression post.
Great job!!! (BTW... if you decide to take your boat over to the Bahamas or Caribbean, alcohol is available everywhere and it's nearly impossible to find propane. Also, alcohol is really safe where propane is very dangerous on a boat.)
Have you thought about putting a roller reefing system to you boat
I have! I had to make a decision a little while back though because I really needed to do something about the Jib. New roller fuller system was just too far out of my budget so I ended up just getting another hank on. I may try a DYI fuller system for one of my projects though where you can use the hank on style sails for relatively cheap (cheap enough to where I wouldn't cry if it didn't work out at least)
Sailing FreeStyle I know what you mean especially about free boats I got a free boat and it’s cost me atlest 2000 to do the nesserly work
Any suggestions on where to put extra fuel tanks, inflatable etc
Love your videos! Just bought a Mac 26 and starting the renovation process. Lots of awesome ideas from your channel. What do you think about putting a small wood stove in the Mac?
Good job , i like it!!
Thanks!!
is that vinyl mold resistant? where to get it? i really could use that stuff
Typically yes it shouldn’t grow mold, if it’s very humid it might but it should wipe off clean and easy. Links to everything on amazon are in the description!
What type of paint are you using for inside for the nice white finish
Great mods! I just bought a Macgregor 26D and have enjoyed your videos! When you're underway, do you store your gas tank in the storage area at the back and just run the fuel line through the hole opening to the motor? Curious, because I'm ready to not have my gas tank sitting on the back of the boat while motoring.
Awesome mods. I've just found a MacGregor "D" near me. Not free, but affordable. I'm thinking seriously about buying it. I'd be interested to see how all your mods impact the sailing characteristics. I'm sure the boat will be heavier, especially with an extra 30 gallons of water ( 249 pounds ) in the bow. Does that improve or hinder sailing?
Great episode Ryan! I think the galley turned out really clean and im jealous how much space you have! our galley area is a mess and im looking to do some organizing and cabinetry for our drygoods. I must have missed the episode but where did you put your batteries?
Thanks Alexander! Do you also have a MacGregor? I only have on battery at the moment and it’s under the starboard side seats. I think if (when) I ad more I’ll balance the weight and put it on the other side.
I love it
May I gave u 2 suggestions for next time? Lick your finger before touch the silicone and put some masking tape to keep a sharp edge.. that’s it!! God luck with your project
I will take both of those suggestions Alessandro as they are good ones!
Cosider a stove on gimbals, or at least with a clamp to lock the pot in place. It won't always be horizontal!
The gimbal route would have been to expensive plus the whole layout would have had to change, while in later models MacGregor eventually did switch to having the galley running forward/aft as opposed to this way, I don’t think they ever went with a gimbaled stove (they were trying to keep their boats cheap) but on the X and M models that modification would have been much more feasible.
why two water pumps in your fresh water system.
You will find out in a future episode I promise!
i looked at that pic of your boat(?) in the galley and thought, i wonder if he is fixing up an oldish macgregor? and then a few secs later you mentioned the make of your boat :-))
anyway, enough babbling. loved the remodel of your galley.
what yr is your boat? i loved the old(60?) boats with the racked bows.
Thanks! It’s a 1989 26”D”
Ryan,
Hey bud, so how much do you have invested so far? You’ve done an amazing job thus far dude.
Oh man, probably more than what I would really want to find out! Lol! with the new daggerboard and Jib included probably around $2000 -$2500??? Lots of little things add up pretty quick!
Sailing FreeStyle,
That’s not bad at all bud, not bad at all. You’ve done a great job Ryan👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Nice
Alcohol stove is safer then the propane stove. Propane is heavy gas and is hard to get out of your cabin.
True, that’s why I like the little bottles. They are easier to manage. I can keep them stored somewhere in the laz. And if it does leak somehow it’s 1/20th of the amount of gas that you have to worry about.
Be very careful of those propane canisters. if you overnight on the boat, they should all be left on deck. Propane is heavier than air and will sink, displacing the breathable air. People have been known to wake up dead, suffocated by leaky propane.
I used to think that was a bunch of crap, but in the past few years, I've personally encountered more and more leaky 1lb cylinders. One was so bad, I thought there was a dead animal in my garage- the thing had leaked totally empty.
Sorry to be such a Negative Nancy, but forewarned is forearmed.
Good advise Paul. I wonder how much volume of gas one of those little 1 lbers is uncompressed? I do like that they are so small they can easily be moved around when needed/not needed. I planned on keeping them in the lazerette.
Sailing FreeStyle No idea on volume. Remember that the rear laz is connected to the cabin, ventilation-wise. People who store gas in the laz find that out real quick. Some people seal that off with great stuff.
My laz on my 26z is sealed pretty well but as we sleep alot in the rear berth this is one of my major concerns as well. If you plan to seal the Laz keep in mind there are gaps at the top. its much easier to vent at a lower elevation towards the motor well.
Fiberglass dust ages you 1 year per minute of sanding.
Looks great! But you need to get get some safety done with your saws. Made me roll my toes when i saw the way you cut your wood..