Benefits of the 25 Vs. the 26 (S,D) Classic

[Catigale]

With a real sailboat, you have to know half way through when the day is over, and with little kids, that's not easy.

That wraps family sailing in one sentence so well, its a nugget of Mac-wisdom.

[dlandersson]

Classic

With a real sailboat, you have to know half way through when the day is over, and with little kids, that's not easy.

[Catigale]

Classic

With a real sailboat, you have to know half way through when the day is over, and with little kids, that's not easy.

As is often the case, this nugget came from mastreb, to correctly attribute.

[mastreb]

Life on earth is amazing these days, to get connected so quickly to someone as knowledgeable as you! The Oceanis is a great boat! Is yours an older, or newer model?

I love your support of the M. Is it like the X? Budget is also an issue for me. Mine is ten grand, total, mooring, outboard, VHF, Eprib. And, I think the M is likely to be more doe. If I spent more doe, I might go for a flicka, Pacific Seacraft, or some stronger heavier model. But then, just as with the Catalina 25, I'd have to get a bigger truck. I'm looking at a more long-term thing, and I won't use it all the time. So, I don't want to spend more on a big gas guzzler just for the off times I'll be boating. The S and D seem to be a bigger boat, at a low price, that is easily trailerable.

With that said, there are not a lot of boats available on Maui, or in Hawaii. There is a 25 for sale down the street I could pick up right now. Guy is not cheap. He wants 5k, two horse motor, and another fifteen hundred for the trailer. If it was a steel of a deal, I might grab it. But, I think that is kind of high. And, it doesn't seem to be my ideal. I'd rather wait for a 26. My baby is seventeen months, so I'm in a hurry.

Plus, I want to get the right boat. Like you, I might buy another blue water boat and some point, and sail more of the South Pacific. But, I'd plan on just keeping the trailer sailer for the long haul, for my Maui cruiser.

The X and the M are so close in terms of performance that you should choose which one you like based on personal preference for the look and space feel. Personally I like the layout and cockpit of the X better, but I was buying new and they'd been out of production for nearly a decade when I bought my M. Squeezing an X into $10,000 is not likely to happen in HI--you might find a "garage queen" in the midwest somewhere for that price in an estate sale, but you'd be lucky. $5K is somewhat high for a 25 in my opinion, but if its clean, sound, and the trailer is in good shape, it's worth it. Be sure the swing keel is in perfect working order: It's bad keels that kill these boats, because they're usually not worth repairing once the keel goes. I think you said this keel had been replaced; that's actually a good sign as long as everything with the replacement is sound.

My other boat is an Oceanis 38, Hull #3. There's a discussion thread on Cruisers Forum on them that I participate in if you want to talk about it over there.

[Maraquita]

Hello,
I owned a '77 MacGregor 25 back in the late '80's. We sailed the boat for 7 years on reservoir lakes in AZ in light winds. Now empty nesters, my wife and I have an opportunity to purchase either an '81 Mac 25 or a 1989 26D. We have never sailed a water ballasted boat. We will be sailing primarily in lighter winds, once again in a reservoir lake. My wife would like to know how much more TENDER the 26D will be than the 25? (She is a nervous sailor) We intend to anchor out for the occasional over night stay as well. Also, is the dagger board easily raised, and how does it compare to a swing keel, as far as durability, etc? If any of you would care to compare and contrast the MAC 25 to the 26D, it would enlighten our shopping trip two days from now.

[My Mistress]

Prior to purchasing "Mistress", my 26S, the Mrs and I tried on both the Mac25 and Mac26 models. We weren't very enthused about the interior layout of the Mac25. It seemed too cramped for us, and without the rear berth, it was missing a lot of interior space. We tend to prefer the rear berth for sleeping, and the forward berth for stowage of the sail suite. I have always been a fan of the water ballast system simply because it lowers the towing weight.
We are both totally happy with the Mac26S model.

[133bhp]

.

My other boat is an Oceanis 38, Hull #3. There's a discussion thread on Cruisers Forum on them that I participate in if you want to talk about it over there.[/quote]

Been toying with a move to a keelboat - have you actually needed it to make passages you could not in the mac? there are hundreds of great boats around here, but a tiny few out in any weather and most stay local. Would you do it again basicaally?