mac gregor 26

[rygobus]

Hi everyone !
I am not yet a Mac Gregor owner but, I plan to be soon. I have met several people that are very negative about anything but a fixed keel boat. I want to have a boat with the mobility of trailer transport. I would be greatful for any input about the pros and cons of the Mac, durability, sailability what ever is of interest.

Thanks for input

[bjmeunier]

Where are you from?

I wasn't sure either and posted for a ride on New England Trailer Sailers(my area) and was immediately picked up and taken out. I, for one, loved the boat. It's been about a year since that first ride and I bought my X last week and will be picking her up on Saturday!!! I can't wait...

Good luck in your search, the big part is to go out and get a ride. I haven't met one of these Mac owners that wouldn't take you out and show off their boat!

[gatorzip02]

Hello and welcome. You've definately come to the right place if you're looking for info on Macs. Since you're posting in this forum I'm assuming you are looking at an M or an X. While there are many differences between the M and X, (you'll have to dig into the forum to figure out which is the boat for you) for the most part, the two are very similar with regards to the basics. Of course please keep in mind that any advice you get on this forum is going to be weighted in favor of the Mac, but I'll do my best to give you an impartial break down.

PROS:
- Biggest by far is the big a$$ (relative to other sailboats) outobard you'll find on the Macs. There are one or two other boats out there that have this feature, but none anywhere near the price point of the Mac. It really does give you the best of both worlds. You can sail the day away, but when the wind dies or you need to get somewhere in a hurry (storm on the horizon) You can crank up the engine and fly by all the other sailboats like they are standing still. It really opens up whole new stomping grounds to go explore that you simply could not reach with a traditional sailboat (unless you were willing to spend countess hours transiting)
- Speaking of new stomping grounds, it really is a very easy sailboat to trailer. With some practice, you will get to where you can get it out of the water and on the road in about 30-45 mins.
- The water ballast system gives you great stability under sail while still having the option to dump the weight for high speed powering or trailering.
- Safety: The boat has enough built in flotation to keep it floating if the cabin is flooded. It also is very durable. Do a search on durability and you will find countless posts from owners who have sailed through some pretty extreme conditions and made it out without any damage to the boat.
- I love the daggerboard/swing keel (depending if you go M or X respectively) It allows you to glide your boat right up onto the shore. Try doing that with a standard sailboat. It makes it easy to explore little private islands or hidden beaches. Just be sure there aren't any rocks!
- The boat is very simple, therefore there is very little that can go wrong. Maintenance is much lighter than with most sailboats.
- ROOMY: Much more below decks space than other sailboats of the same size. A family of four can comfortably spend the weekend aboard without too much drama.
- Comunity: This forum is just the beginning. Mac owners LOVE their boats. There are get togethers all over the country, and you can always find someone here got give you advice or answer a question.
- There are MANY more, but I don't want to be here all day so I'll let the other members chime in with theirs.

CONS:

- You'll notice I really didn't mention sailing in the Pros section. The Macgregor is a great sailboat if all you want to do is go out for a relaxing sail. It is very forgiving and easy to learn on. That being said, do not buy this boat if you even think you might get serious about racing. There are some who manange to race the Mac with some success, but they are definately the exception, not the rule. The Mac makes some compromises in the sailing performance category in order to be such a capable motor sailer. If you race, my advice is to buy the Mac and find a friend with a race boat and ask to join his crew. That way you get the best of both worlds.
- Trailer: the newer Mac M's come with an aluminum trailer that is a definate improvement over the older steel trailers, however it still could benefit from some help. If you trailer long distances, you might want to consider adding a second axle. Plenty of people trailer just fine with the single axle, but there are also some ugly stories about blow outs and other failures. The important lesson: MAINTAIN YOUR TRAILER!
- Hardware: The Mac is cheap for a reason, It comes from the factory pretty stripped. Most refer to it as a "blank canvas". The original equipment will get you out and sailing, but you will need to invest some time and money if you want to make the boat really enjoyable. Especially if you plan on taking it for overnights. I would reccomend buying a well maintained used boat that already has as many upgrades as you can afford. It will save you lots of time and money in the long run. Spend some time searching on the forum and decide what modifications are important to you.

Well, that should be enough to get you started. If you haven't already watched the Macgregor factory video, I HIGHLY reccomend it. Just do a search for Macgregor sailboats on Youtube. The video covers the current production M model, but like I said earlier, the basics also apply to the X. As you are watching it, take all Roger Macgregor's claims about the boat and dial them back about 20%. Remember, it is a sales video so some of the claims made are under ideal conditions with a very experienced crew. No, you will not be water skiing unless you slap a 90hp motor back there, and even then it isn't ideal by any means. For the most part though, it will give you a good idea of what owning the boat is like. Hope this helped, please do some searches. If you have a question that you can't find the answer to with the search function, please feel free to ask. We are more than happy to try and help out.

Good luck with your purchase,

-Joel

[bubba]

Most folks around here finish there INFORMATION on location as to let others in your neighborhood know to take you out sailing or not. Where are you located in the world.

[keith]

You can see a video for the on youtube and there's a video for the at http://www.always-online.com/hardtlefam ... efault.htm
You'll read alot of negative stuff on some other sites but there the sort of fellas that knocked the bloke who invented the wheel.
Seach the forums,checkout the mods and the sailing links its all good.
I liked the swinging centreboard instead of the dagger(lots of shallow water use intended) and being my first sailboat i'm not worried about whats faster or slower,good or bad i'll findout in good time but till then i got a smile as wide as the grand canyon coz there's a in the backyard

[Rick Westlake]

DEFINITELY let us know where you are! One of us may live close enough to take you out for an afternoon sailing.

PM me if you're within day-tripping distance of Annapolis, MD.

I think the Mac is a great traveling boat, and I chose a 26X for two reasons: (1) I like the belowdecks layout better than that of the 26M - just my personal taste; and (2) they are a little older and thus I got mine for a little better price.

All boats are compromises, and I'm sure you know that. Water ballast and a light centerboard (swing or dagger) does not make as "stiff" and "sea-kindly" a boat as does a fixed, heavy lead keel. I believe it's safe to say that the 26 motorsailers, (X and M) were designed to be comfortable to "live aboard" belowdecks, to sail pretty well, to "haul a$$" with a big outboard, and to "haul out" on a trailer so you could keep it in your driveway. And yes, to match an economical price point. They do all of this pretty well, IMHO.

You'll read here about a lot of modifications people have made to their boats, a lot of added equipment, a lot of "better ways to do it" that we've come up with over the years. The out-of-the-box Mac is very "plain vanilla," and it's simple enough in structure and construction that we can customize them ourselves ... within reason. (You'll see a few of us, like a fellow who calls himself "Highlander," who have taken customization as their mission. One of these days, I hope I'm lucky enough to lay my own eyeballs on his 26M! Wow, what he's done!)

If I have any "mission" for the way I use Bossa Nova, it's to see if I'm really suited to live-aboard cruising. I've done a few overnight cruises on the Chesapeake Bay this summer, and I intend to do more in September/October. I'm also planning to take Bossa Nova around the USA, using her as a "funny-shaped travel trailer" when I'm enroute to some distant sailing waters (like Penobscot Bay, or the Florida Keys, or other cruising venues around our fair country). The Mac 26, X or M, is perfectly suited to this - with decent little living quarters, travel-trailer rudimentary plumbing and cooking facilities, and room at least to be comfortable hiding from a rainy day belowdecks. Combined with an easy-to-raise, easy-to-lower mast, a retractable "dinghy-style" centerboard, and a boat light enough to live on a trailer between sailing days. Imagine trying to haul a "proper" keelboat (say a Catalina 27) cross-country, and set her up for a weekend in some lake!

There are a few other boats that can do this well. We, of course, champion ours; but few of us do so to the point of intolerance. We'd rather show you how much fun we're having on our boats and how much we're doing with them.

Welcome aboard, have fun, and I hope you'll get a chance to go sailing on one (or more) of our "magic carpets"!

Hi everyone !
I am not yet a Mac Gregor owner but, I plan to be soon. I have met several people that are very negative about anything but a fixed keel boat. I want to have a boat with the mobility of trailer transport. I would be greatful for any input about the pros and cons of the Mac, durability, sailability what ever is of interest.

Thanks for input

[Gerry the fish]

I learnt to sail on 25 -30 foot fixed keel boats from some salty dogs that were very critical of the Mac. My wife and I took a look at a boat show and I was VERY reluctant but my wife liked the safety of a big motor when you need it.

2 years later I LOVE LOVE the Mac for all the reasons listed above.
Additionally:

• I keep it moored during the summer and save some money by putting it on its trailor for the winter.

• We love the San Juan islands north of Seattle - but winds can be light and current is strong (4+knots). We can plan a long days sail - and know we will get to the destination no matter what the wind does.

• I sail often by myself - and cellphone coverage in the San Juans is spotty - I can tell wifey I will be back at 8pm - and guarrantee I will be back at the dock on time (if Im running late just fire up the motor) - no worries for my wife means more sailing for me

• Dont try and race a "true" sailboat - but I have done over 6knots over ground (4 thru water) in about 12 knots wind - and enjoy adjusting and tweaking to get best sailing performance.

• THe boat is made simply and relatively cheaply- is this a Pro or a Con: If something breaks its easy to upgrade or replace with same - so far I have had no breakages.