26x owners in Oakville/Toronto/west GTA?

[romandesign]

Hi, I hope to buy a 26X next season. From what I learned it really does well what I'm looking for: decent sailboat, easy trailering (I want to explore great Ontario lakes and nature and not be tied up at one place), good under motor when needed, affordable used, etc. The problem is I've never actually seen one in person, and never sailed in one. This is a bit awkward to ask, but maybe there is someone around west GTA, or anywhere around Toronto/Oakville/Burlington area with a Mac 26X who wouldn't mind having a crew member for a sail? I would truly appreciate it. I don't know how else to really check it out...

Also, I have a few questions that someone might be able to answer:

1. I'd probably buy and import 26x from the states, anybody knows the procedure and possible problems?
2. How much might a reasonably local parking space cost to store it? Maybe you know locations?
3. Is insurance necessary and if so how much would it be? Would I need any sailing course certificates to get better rates?
4. Is it possible to sail alone in a pinch (normally I'd have my wife aboard, but just in case)?
5. What kind of expenses/maintenance am I looking for? I've never owned a boat, so I don't really know what to expect.

Thanks and I appreciate your help!

[kasmith21]

Hi, good luck in your search for a boat
Purchasing from the US is not a bad idea as there tends to be more supply and with the strength of the Canadian dollar you will get better value.
I purchased my 26M last year from the US and the process is pretty painless.
Visit this website and they go into detail on the whole process. Because the boat is US made you do not have to pay any duties (just the HST) when you cross the border. The trailer will be taxed when you register it with the MTO.
http://boating.ncf.ca/buy-usa.html

Last year I stored by boat on trailer with mast up at The Hamilton Port Authority Fisherman's Warf. It was $600 for the season and you could store with the mast up as the Launch was only 100 yards away (parking and unlimited launches were included). It was a good deal, but I opted for a slip this year at Bronte (aprox. $1400 per year) as it was closer and less hassle that launching and relaunching every time out.

As far as insurance it is up to you. I have insurance on my boat and consider it cheap peace of mind. It is not mandatory like car insurance in our province.

I still consider myself a newbie so I dont generally sail alone.

With respect to expenses it is all relative to the condition of the used boat you buy. With these boats be especially aware of the trailer condition when purchasing. The older Macgregor steel trailers are notoriously known for being underbuilt. I have an aftermarket dual axle steel trailer and it handles the boat beutifully. This website is a great resource for questions about what to look for in buying a used mac...do some searching and I am sure you will find lots of information.
Cheers

[romandesign]

Thanks for the info! Just out of curiosity, how much did you 26M cost in US and what year is it?

[chrisv]

Hi,
I live just outside of Freelton (very close to burlington) and bought a Mac 26x in June of this year. I'm far from an expert sailor (still learning) but you are welcome to come take a look at my boat. I bought it out of the States and could give you some advice on that as well,
Chris

[Diver70]

Hi
I live in Oakville.
I purchased my last year and i keep at her slip in Bronte. You are welcome to come take a look at my boat .

[enufsed]

Hi romandesign.

I will PM you with my phone number and suggest you call me to discuss your interests. I own a 1998 MacGregor X that's in the water in the west end of Toronto. Today I'm returning from 10 days on the Toronto islands and would be very happy to take you out for a sail and show you every aspect of the boat.

In the meantime, a few quick answers to your questions.

A Mac is a great boat to do what you say you intend, as it's easy to trailer around the Great Lakes and explore things like the Thousand Islands and the Trent-Severn waterway. You don't have to waste days of your time off just getting there. And if foul weather approaches or wind conditions aren't favorable for finding shelter, you can just throw on the engine and get to shore fast.

1. You can look into buying in the USA but i don't know why you'd go to the trouble when there are local boats for sale.

2. My boat used to be in Collingwood and I stored it over the winter on its trailer for about $400, and paid a couple of hundred dollars to keep the trailer handy over the summer. You can find "storage" places in your area for about that or less; you will generally pay more to store in an actual marina or yacht club, but why bother? An advantage of a trailerable boat is being able to haul it to cheaper non-marina storage.

3. The secret to boat insurance is to just tack it onto your homeowners policy! My broker asked for copies of my ownership and registration documents, and full replacement and other kinds of coverage is a trivial amount. I think it's something like $70 extra per year (give or take). I also pay a very tiny premium to CAA for trailering coverage, so if I have any kind of problem on the road, they will come help me and trailer the boat if necessary. This is very important because tow companies and marine salvage companies can charge you up the ying yang when you're stranded by the side of the road.

4. Single-handing is something you need to study up on, especially as a newbie. There are specific risks in sailing alone and you want to take all the precautions. But a Mac is probably one of the easier boats to single-hand. I find I don’t sail my boat without a second person as it’s just so much easier and enjoyable. However, I think nothing of moving the boat around in powerboat mode, for getting to different places in the marina or short trips to the Toronto Islands and so on.

5. The basic boat is very low-cost to maintain. These are high production craft that are well built. In the past three years or so that I’ve had mine, my main repair expenses have included paying a sailmaker to repair the edges of my jib that got damaged in a wind storm when the boat was in the marina. It was my fault as I didn’t secure the furler securely enough (and now put a bungee cord around it as extra insurance); this cost about $300 that I could have avoided. Another time the boat and trailer moved violently on land in a wind storm and my prop scratched a nearby boat. (My insurance paid the other boat owner $500 and he made the cosmetic repairs; I think I paid a $200 deductible.) There was no damage to my boat and, again, I could have avoided this had I known to weigh down the front of the boat by placing a tub of rocks inside the front, which I now do every winter. My main ongoing expense is to have professional marine mechanics set up my engine in the spring (check the spark plugs, clean the carbs and overall fine tune) and also fog it in the fall. Even if I knew how to do all that myself, I like having someone who works on engines every day do this, as the engine represents a significant part of the value of the boat. I have a four-stroke Mercury Mariner 50 hp that’s in showroom condition underneath the hood and intend to keep it that way. I suggest you do the same.

[romandesign]

Wow, I'm amazed in such response in only one day. Thank you all guys, I'm sure I can learn things and follow some advice from all of you. I truly appreciate your help! This forum looks like a very friendly and lively community.

[enufsed]

romandesign, becoming a member of this online community was the thing that "tipped" me into actually buying a boat. I would have felt very intimidated owning a boat, even a MacGregor, without all the great help that's on offer here. It's a big circle of friends from all over the world who have seen and experienced everything before.

Speaking of which, I forgot to mention in my list of repairs over the years my snapped steering cable. Fixing that cost me only the price (a few hundred dollars) of the new (and much better) steering system -- the new ones have more robust planetary gears. The cable snapped when my boat and trailer jumped in a wind gust, as I mentioned before.

I would have been really intimidated replacing the steering system except the folks here guided me every step of the way, including one person posting a link to high resolution photos and text explaining every single step of the replacement job.

In the end, the repair was easy-peasy compared to what I'd thought, mostly because of the support on this website. before you buy a Mac, spend time reading old posts here and you'll get a realistic impression of what it's like to actually own and operate one of these boats compared to the sales brochure and video. In general though, things like raising the mast and putting the boat on the trailer are pretty easy, just like the video.