Plant Shuttered, Doors Closed.

[Divecoz]

No Way!!! How Could Anyone miss what that was?
I guess maybe I should go back and follow all this .. Has she made appologies for all the bad press SHE Caused?

Ends up the person on the FB group hired a Architect and it was a leaking transducer mount lol

[Divecoz]

After reading much of what was posted by that poster I see the real issue...

[Russ]

No Way!!! How Could Anyone miss what that was?
I guess maybe I should go back and follow all this .. Has she made appologies for all the bad press SHE Caused?

First time boat owner who was basing her post on a local shipwright inspection. Good case for the need for a second opinion, which is what she did.
Glad to see it was a simple problem. She also reported the true issue to the group and acknowledged the quality of the Mac was not the problem.

[Gypsy Life]

What plant is shutting down ?? Is MacGregor going out of business ??

[Russ]

What plant is shutting down ?? Is MacGregor going out of business ??

You have to read the thread from the beginning.

Short answer:
Yes, Roger MacGregor retired, closed the factory. BWY in Seattle is handling parts and accessories. His daughter took the molds and started a new boat company in Florida called Tattoo yachts. Should be rolling one off the line soon. Looks like the same boat with a few slight changes.

[BOAT]

Stop it Russ, as long as the world thinks there are no more MacGregor boats being made my boat keeps going up in value.

[Phil M]

Well, technically there are no more Macgregors being made.

[BOAT]

There you go Phil! That's the story I tell everyone

[dlandersson]

That's a good (and technically correct) way to look at it.

Stop it Russ, as long as the world thinks there are no more MacGregor boats being made my boat keeps going up in value.

[Gypsy Life]

Usually , an extinct boat goes down in value . People worry about getting parts and accessories for them .

Any idea as to why the daughter didn't keep the MacGregor name ?

MacGregors are like VW beetles were in the 60s and 70s one on every corner. Although having said that , we haven't seen that many on this cruise .

We met up with a young man in Panama City Fl , who livesaboard . He sailed his all the way down the Mississippi from Bath Illinois .

[BOAT]

The reason the MacGregor will go up in value is because there is no other viable replacement. What are you gonna buy that will do the same thing?

There ain't nothin out there to buy that can.

If you want a MAC you will need to buy one from a MAC owner.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Agree with BOAT. If Tattoo's pricing is indeed $5K higher than a comperable then I'd say our resale prices just got a nice bump up.

Bob

[dlandersson]

The new company is legally distinct from the old one - she HAD to have a new name.

Usually , an extinct boat goes down in value . People worry about getting parts and accessories for them .

Any idea as to why the daughter didn't keep the MacGregor name ?

MacGregors are like VW beetles were in the 60s and 70s one on every corner. Although having said that , we haven't seen that many on this cruise .

We met up with a young man in Panama City Fl , who livesaboard . He sailed his all the way down the Mississippi from Bath Illinois .

[Russ]

The reason the MacGregor will go up in value is because there is no other viable replacement. What are you gonna buy that will do the same thing?

There ain't nothin out there to buy that can.

If you want a MAC you will need to buy one from a MAC owner.

Well, actually you can buy a 26' Tattoo which is made from the same mold as the Mac. It is essentially the same exact boat with few very minor design changes.
The only major change might be in the price, but who knows if Roger wouldn't have had to increase price if he kept production.
Either way, the Mac or Tattoo, it's a boat that is extremely affordable. That makes resale high because you have a larger buyer market.

I didn't buy my new Mac for an investment. As with a new car, when you drive over the curb, you lose + 10% of the value.

--Russ

[BOAT]

I was answering his question about why a MAC would not be the same as other boats when they go "extinct"

As you say, the MAC is not going "extinct" - what I am saying is that if it DID go "extinct" right now (at this time) there is no alternative.

If Tattoo does not get production going or something happens where they decide it's not possible, then indeed - at that time the MAC is really "extinct". Everyone that has tried to compete with Roger has ended up creating a much heavier, and far more expensive boat that can NOT do the same things that a MAC can do.

If Tattoo can't do what Roger did, then no one else will be able to do it either. If this becomes a 36 thousand dollar boat like the Hunter Edge then the MAC truly will be extinct.

It's my gut that tells me that Tattoo will not preserve the MAC in it's affordable configuration that we know now. I say that because of the change in the market and the demographics of the boat buyers. There is a much smaller middle class now than in the 70's and 80's. Young people want a boat that is fast on the water with a motor - sailing will be SECONDARY to their needs (thus the smaller boat in the works). They also just don't have the time to sail. They are not going to be on the water for a weeks at a time like you folks. The population in the whole world is dividing more into a "Rich or Poor" with not much of a middle class left by the time we all die. That means you will have RICH boat buyers and POOR boat buyers.

Very few of the RICH boat buyers will buy a MAC. The POOR people would, but I believe an affordable MAC is going away. (My gut tells me this). The liability in such a litigious world as we live in now makes it hard to sustain. A LOT more money will need to be poured into the new boat just for insurance alone (Roger is not going to be there to pay the bills anymore when a boat breaks!)

The small boat is a good indication where they are really going - and look at the market in Florida! Those folks in the keys don't need a 26 foot slug the size of a bus - not where there is a dock and a restaurant every 5 miles. They want something fast.

Heck, I would have probably bought the 22 footer if it was available at the time I bought 'boat' - so that is a good indication of the needs of the current market. As a recent buyer in the market I have a little insight into what buyers are trying to find out there - and I thing Roger and family do too - thus the smaller boat design.

Only my 'gut' talking, but I think the MAC as we know it is in the process of going away unless something dramatic happens in the demographics.