Top annoying MacFeatures

[drams_1999]

For me it would definitely be the trailer winch and winch line geometry. The last 9 inches or so you are basically pulling down the bow instead of forward, it just doesn't feel right and I am afraid each time that I will break the winch, which I have already done twice in two years, and upgraded twice, right now I have something like a 3000 or 3500 lbs winch and it still doesn't feel right. I don't feel comfortable sinking the rear tires of the tow vehicle (which would be unsafe for anyone) or doing that Macbump to solve the problem, so there you are.

Otherwise, no complaints about the boat itself. I have no problem working around any other minor quircks.

Fair winds!

[bubba]

Were looking at a bigger boat ( maybe a catamaran 36 ft ) and I signed up on that boat's forum and they have a lot of the same little qurks that the MacGregor's do. Like : leaks, hatches, ventolation, stearing and sutch, so that info makes our Mac look better and better or we just trade to a different boat with simular problems and start solving them.

[Kelly Hanson East]

.....and don't forget this is after spending 2x the cash...

[Rick Westlake]

Were looking at a bigger boat ( maybe a catamaran 36 ft ) and I signed up on that boat's forum and they have a lot of the same little qurks that the MacGregor's do. Like : leaks, hatches, ventolation, stearing and sutch, so that info makes our Mac look better and better or we just trade to a different boat with simular problems and start solving them.

There is one thing that will persuade me to trade up from Bossa Nova, and it's not any "annoying MacFeatures." It will be the point at which Bossa Nova is no longer enough boat for my needs.

Roger MacG designed these boats to a price-point, sells them in volume, and got a heck of a lot of people out sailing. They're very simple boats, without a lot of "niceties" built in to them; but that makes it easier for MacGregor to build them, cheaper for us to buy them, and easier for us to take care of them. (Ask that guy who spends more time varnishing his Teak Goddess than sailing it!) As for their "lacks," check out Mac Mods and you'll probably see several different ways that someone has solved every "lack" that's bothering you - save for those that are constrained by the size and structure of the boat.

I've added proper hatchboards, an autopilot, opening portlights, a solar panel, and big sturdy stainless-steel cleats. I'm working on installing shelves in the galley cabinet, and I'll make a snap-on cover like those I've seen in Mac Mods. I'm considering a built-in stove to replace the Kenyon portable that came with Bossa Nova; I'm also considering pump-out plumbing for the Dometic potty in the head. Doyle Chesapeake (Annapolis) is making up a Cradle Cover for my mainsail, and I have a little Sunbird jib that's going to get a Spectra luff-rope so I can try it as a staysail this summer. I have Froli springs under the port quarter-berth cushion, where I sleep aboard; and I spent almost two weeks' worth of nights "on the hook" last summer and fall. Next year, I plan to do even more, including multi-day excursions around the Chesapeake Bay.

I'm probably getting more use out of Bossa Nova than most of the boat owners on my part of the Bay get out of their boats. I'm enjoying myself, I'm learning how to handle the cruising lifestyle, and I'm doing it for a lot less expense than I'd need with - let's say - a Catalina 30, which is the boat I was considering before I realized the Mac 26X would be enough boat for my plans. And the price-point? That makes up for a whole lot of "annoyances" in my book!

[FLembo18]

stop crying and enjoy your Mac or you could just sell it. Besides most Mac owners really get into MOD's which is half the fun for them, ie: Highlander

Frank L.

[nedmiller]

I've got an X and I spend way more time doing mods than I do sailing. I just love working on this boat! One thing I can't change though is the really odd way they put they head in....the forward wall cuts the window in half--It looks like the head wasn't DESIGNED in place...but an after-thought... Like it was some amateurs mod! What's That About?
SILK

[Buell_S1W]

I agree with rfrye94760. Does anyone here actually work in the Macfactory & take some of these genuine complaints to heart /management for future action?

As an Automotive Electrician I found the way the wiring falls down from behind the inner lining for all to see an embarrassement. Easily fixed at the factory with any number of simple & cheap solutions. In the video, Roger brags about the accuracy of the computer cut storage panels (weak items if ever there were) yet can't get the daggerboard trunk size anywhere near concentric from top to bottom which results in an unnecessarily undersized & therefore poor fitting daggerboard made to "fit"

Don't get me wrong, I love my Mac but low price doesn't have to mean low quality. Fit & finish could be improved 100 times over without spending big $. Pride of workmanship (or lack of) comes down to a lot of the hidden faults I've found so far with mine.....

[The Mutt]

I must be conditioned to accept annoying MacFeatures, owning Pommy 4WD's has that effect, the tally on the Rangie so far, Engine/gearbox/transfer case swapped, suspension swapped, added a turbo, added intercooler, redo the interior, electrics fixup, etc, etc.

trailer guide post guide wheel, about to fit second set of guide posts, LED trailer lights, rust proof trailer, redo boat electrics, Buell_S1W I'm looking for some white rubber to cut into small wedges to hold the wires in place, other mods have also been done.

Needless to say any MacProblems get a MacModed.

Glenn

[restless]

I absolutely love our mac, and find the challenges great fun. There are just so many things to get stuck into, for an artist/engineer like me its brilliant. Macannoyances is about the top mods that folk have applied and would really not want to live without again.. from a BBQ to aft vent whatever. It's a real pain to do an involved mod, only to find it has already been done in a better way already and it's great to plan others
Personally I'd like to compile a list that could be useful for newbies, as well as prioritising my own list of 38 jobs...
some great comments, and some good areas to focus on
I'm hatching a plan to have a 90 deg.centerboard in the centerboard mod at the moment... that's #39...
and I'm still thinking about some elegant shoal rudder plan...

Needless to say any MacProblems get a MacModed

couldn't have put it better! Beaut

[Buell_S1W]

Glenn, you're obviously a glutton for punishment owning a Rangie! No need to make life unnessarily difficult for yourself though, that's why I tow my Mac with a 3.1 Diesel Isuzu 4WD, gives me more time to do my MacMods

[Dell Anne]

only one - cramped cockpit. Everything else can be fixed with time and/or money.

[Dell Anne]

only one - cramped cockpit. Everything else can be fixed with time and/or money.

[The Mutt]

Glenn, you're obviously a glutton for punishment owning a Rangie! No need to make life unnessarily difficult for yourself though, that's why I tow my Mac with a 3.1 Diesel Isuzu 4WD, gives me more time to do my MacMods

Buell, you might be interested in the motor that now resides in our Rangie's engine bay, it's a 4BD1 (Isuzu 3.9 litre) running a modified turbo (15psi) and high capacity intercooler. Sounds like a more grunt for towing than the V8 it replaced.

Glenn

[Laika 26X]

I absolutely love our mac, and find the challenges great fun.

I absolutely love my too, no other boat fits my requirements and recreational boating needs so well. That's the key...my needs.

"To each his own." said the Farmer as he kissed the pig.
In general, and not really with respect to this thread, I never really pay attention to anyone, or discussion group on other sites that has nothing positive to say about the Mac. Obviously, something about our boat does not fit their needs, period. Regardless of my personal opinion about someone’s boat, I don't have the right, nor do I care to, voice a negative opinion about someone’s boat. Because it's their boat, and true sailors respect another person’s vessel and give credit to the simple fact that someone is making an attempt to sail, even if it's a frakking log with a pole and a sheet. IMHO, the yachtsmen who does nothing but sit there and judge another person vessel is merely inflating his/her ego, or justifying his own purchase, or has some limited vision dismissing that everyone has different needs. Proof: I’m out on the water enjoying my Mac, not at the dock pointing out flaws of another owners vessel.

Believe me I agree there are annoying features about my Mac and also concur with those listed so far, but everything/everyone I know has at least one annoying feature, like my wife, kids, family, friends, boss, and especially me as evidenced by this rant!! It’s not a perfect universe. It would be a boring world if we had nothing to improve on. Imagine if we all owned nothing but the same style boat…yuk.

LAIKA, like her owner, has numerous flaws, so it's a match made in heaven.

"Sub" Ed

[Jeff]

Let me start by stating that I absolutely love my '06 Mac M. But since this is a request for little annoyances, I'll give my top two: First, I don't like the screw and knob on the forward hatch. Last summer the knob stripped right off the screw when I was trying to open the forward hatch. So I had to repair that. The second thing that bugs me is putting up and taking down the dining table. We camp on our Mac fairly often so a mod that I'll be making this winter is a quick disconnect setup for the table leg. Other than that I love the boat and these are really minor annoyances that I can fix easily. Now if only warm weather would hurry up and get here.