Right the M (and X) were pricepoint boats. If the mac did not exist, I would not own a boat. Thank goodness they make it. Even with the edge, I still would not own a boat if the mac didnt exist - too heavy for most cars and small trucks to pull, and frankly too expensive for my blood.DAVEWVU86 wrote:Looks like they fixed a lot of the stuff I hated on my Mac M.
It was a pain to get into the rear birth having to move the galley or seat back. Theirs is far more open. The V birth was too confined with the head being right next to it and the huge bump out for floatation. Hunter moved the head to allow easier access.
The head on the Mac was too short...couldn't close the doors while in use...their is parallel to the hull making it longer.
The MacM was frankly a PITA to board from the rear. Having to lift up the seat, trying not to break the hinge while dodging the bimini was a huge pain. You also had to slip by the narrow opening by the motor. Oh, and if you wanted a ladder on the side you had a 5' freeboard. Hunter opened the stern right up.
Oh and speaking of freeboard, you have to wonder if the Hunter will have the problem of swinging at anchor with it's lower freeboard.
One of you made a comment to infer that the interior is shorter because they don't maximize the rear 2'...well this is boat is longer by 2.5'
Why hate on this design so much?
The deck is laid out better, you don't worry about slipping and busting your a$$ if you accidentally step on a slick painted on window/stripe. Also the front of the deck is of a more gradual, singular angle allowing for room for the admiral to lay out.
Oh, and they don't have those flimsy windows that you can step on and fall through on the deck just forward of the mast.
Macs hit a price point. That's about all they do well. They don't sail well. They don't track in a following sea for crap - maybe the hunter doesn't either...
But my Mac also had fiberglass thinner tissue paper on the interior that couldn't even hold a screw in most places. Hunter is known for building a solid boat. I honestly doubt they'd have this problem.
Also, you can't complain about an increase in weight because this boat is wider and longer.
Let's also talk about the joke of a trailer that Roger sells with the Mac...after 2 years I had more rust spots (and yes I rinsed it with fresh water after every use) than I could count. Oh and the single axel on a 26' boat? Come on now, Mac is the only manufacturer I've ever seen that did that. Does any other boat come with such a flimsy trailer? The Macs don't even fit the factory trailer. The "mac bump" ring a bell? The design made it next to impossible to seat the boat all the way on the trailer... And how many of you have a gouge in the bow from the poor bow stop on the factory trailer?
I mean, bottom line the MacM is the Kia of sailboats. Hunter is more like a Lexus.
I loved my Mac while I had it but it truely was a budget boat. If I was in the market for another boat, Mac would be the first one crossed off the list.
I like the layout of the M (at least the 04 version) and have 0 complaints about it. Head is fine. rear berth is fine. galley is fine. Sure boarding could be easier from the stern.
The width of the edge trailer I believe you may need permits in some states.
Still given MY choice, I would go with the M for the same reasons I got it at the start.
sell...fly to California buy another boat and sail to Hawaii 
. Of course thats after having spent 5 or 6 years in Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba and the Saint Lawrence seaway on my compromise sloop. 
, and I thought it was very comfortable, and not bad at all for the pricepoint. Perhaps Macs are the Kia, but saying a Hunter is the Lexus, I just about fell over laughing when I read that. As production sailboat builders go, I'd rank Hunter slightly ahead of MacGregor, and a little behind Catalina. As far as trailerable sailboats go, gimme a Precision any day of the week. 