Dissapointing 2005 26M

[tangentair]

Like I said, mine doesn't leak (yet)
and this is just my opinion, if you are worried about a little water leaking on a new boat, your expectations/concerns might need refocused, I would look at roller v hank on, 50 hp v 70 hp, gas tanks, batteries, and carpet/and plastic v wood/paint and then electronics and canvas - probably the biggest thing is to realize that the cost of outfiting any new boat can be almost as much as the boat itself. and you might want to build that into your budget, a more expensive boat with less options or less of a boat but more things - the mac cost around 20K now, another 6K or more for the motor, 3k for a full enclosure, 1K and on up for electronics and other toys, 1K for (good)PDFs, anchors, lines, etc but you get the picture

[Catigale]

Bringing this boat to the marketplace at a 20k pricepoint is a masterful piece of business execution that no one can even come close to in the boating world. The boat design is fundamentally sound, and put together correctly it is seaworthy and does not leak. Until I have built 5000-10000 boats and kept the lights on, any advice I can offer Roger on how to manage his business costs would hopefully be ignored..

[beene]

New SHOULD mean perfect

Sorry, I don't agree with that analogy.

Ever buy a "Brand New" car? I have never bought one that was "Perfect" and IMHO that's what the warranty if for. I just expect it to not have anything "Major" wrong with it, or back it goes.

I have a leak or leaks, I still can't figure out where it's coming from, but oh well, whatever..... it's hardly anything much at all. I love my M and wouldn't trade her for all the tea in China.

.02 again...

G

[piratetom]

Ever buy a "Brand New" car? I have never bought one that was "Perfect" and IMHO that's what the warranty if for.

Yes, I have bought a brand new car, for the very reasons I would consider buying and new boat, and when I pick it up I don't expect there to be leaks around the windshield or other glass, or for the tires to leak air, or the engine to leak oil. If these show up, back it goes until the problem is fixed. And the car isn't costing me close to 30K, either. You're right, that is what the warantee is for. Even cheap cars (like mine) have a warantee on things like paint, which is guaranteed to get scratched or discolored, for upwards of a year. Take it in, they fix it. No problem. Doesn't seem to be the case here, if I'm hearing things correctly.

I also understand that complaints get much more attention on a list like this than not. Most people are not going to write to say, "hey, just got my boat and it's perfect." But I don't hear anybody say that. I just can't wrap my head around the attitude that I just laid out over half of my yearly income for a product which is EXPECTED to not live up to the manufacturer's claims, and that's to be accepted. I realize this boat is the lowest price point for this type of craft. I don't expect it to be a Bennetau, just as I don't expect a Chevy Cavalier to be a Lexus, but I do expect the things which are supposed to be sealed to actually be sealed.

[baldbaby2000]

I'm amazed at how poor the quality of all boats is compared to cars. My boss in the past couple years has owned 2 motor cruisers; the first one was brand new and very expensive. Lots of problems. Some options not even wired up properly. We were joking, but it may be true that the problem is that the Japanese haven't heavily gotten into the boat market. We're still dealing with quality that was typical of cars in the 70's!

Daniel

[Frank C]

.02 again...

. . . and worth about a penny & a half~!

piratetom,
I'm feeling compelled to repeat my earlier advice.
You do not want to buy a Macgregor ... get over it.
In fact, agreeing w/Daniel, you do not want to buy any new boat.

Do yourself a favor, Matey.
Boats are not analogous with cars ... zero correlation.
You are destined for disappointment, dude. Truly~!!

[They Theirs]

A previous poster made valid claims of doubling the cost of the base price with a large engine and accessories, include another $5000 for quality loft sails and many thousands more for upgraded rigging, not to mention the heavy cost of a weighted daggerboard, aftermarket performance rudders. Electronics, including VHF radios, Mapping GPS, Depth Sounder, and DVD with Liquid Crystal Display and marine stereo system. You can sink 45-50 thousand, and easily more.

Leaks can be expected from the “M” flimsy front hatch and screw lock, warped and misfit, we changed our gasket and it still leaked. Common leaks at the chain plates, windows, pedestal, etc. Mac’s just leak, and require constant inspection. The factory foam cushion materials are cheap and the vinyl covers quickly deteriorate…very basic, inexpensive stuff. The plastic paddle water pump on the sink is a joke along with the very cheap plastic windows, which color burn in the sun and become crazed quickly. Polycarbonate windows would certainly be a valuable improvement along with upgrading the cheap, quickly faded see through exterior gel-coat, with durable LP paint…. good for 10 years of colorfast hard-wearing shine.

The Factory leads us to believe these Mac’s float mast-up and vertical, but…. have you wondered why the sink-test is secured to a dock without the weight of a heavy engine? Makes me wonder if the ballast tank is full of water, instead of air, with 5 small individuals, (pictured) balanced atop the “M” secured at the dock. Those of you with the “M” video might note how careful two of the test individuals nervously jump to the dock, so as not to upset the unloaded and supposedly water filled “M’s” balance, might turn the bottom side up, add a large engine and load it down with options and accessories, you’ll be lucky to see the bow pointing straight up.





Fantasize about standing on top of a partially submerged Mac like photos of Mac19, X, and M, docked, allegedly filled with water, loaded with options and a heavy engine on the stern. Can you imagine a Mac submerged with 500 lbs of engine and another 1000 lbs of crew and accessories, that’s a ton of weight, trying to pull the boat to the bottom?

The Bonafidies….
This X model was lucky to be rescued with a next day salvage of boat. The engine was said to be a light weight 2-stroke, (See Photo) and note the air-bag used to bring the mast upright, indicating this Mac X rolled over….”Bottom’s UP”…. There are several air bags used to float this X the day after sinking, and drag the salvaged boat to shore for pumping out.

Don’t count on the Factory Brochure and a “Sales-Pitch” to Keep Your Loaded Up Mac Afloat!
From New England Trailer Sailors
and
another Mac in trouble

[Catigale]

I think you could be happy with an if you

- Choose a dealer who is high service as opposed to price driven

- Dont gouge the said dealer on the deal

As ive told my customers often price,performance, service - pick any two.

Anyone from Ohio area comment on a dealer in the area who fits the bill??

[Moe]

Boats are not analogous with cars ... zero correlation.
You are destined for disappointment, dude. Truly~!!

Indeed. The same is true for the RV industry. Compared to "quality" in the automobile industry, both boat and RV industries are WAY behind, and "rework" is the norm, with much of it let go to the dealerships. Even buyers of the most expensive boats and RVs have quality problems. Despite being widely recognized as the "bottom of the line," most MacGregor problems are relatively minor.

Boat and RV dealers have MUCH smaller staffs and parts inventories than automobile dealerships. A lot of their work (outboards, fiberglass, etc) is farmed out to other small shops. Warranty work that would take a day or so with an automobile can take weeks with a boat or RV. That's especially true of leaks, which can be very time-consuming to troubleshoot. For those of us with short sailing seasons, that's mighty precious time!

Many, if not most MacGregor buyers, at least here on this forum, are do-it-yourselfers. It's just less hassle and MUCH faster to handle minor issues DIY right, especially leaks, which can show up only underway and not under "simulated" conditions.

The MacGregor dealer in Cincinnati is also a Catalina, Hunter, Precision, and Beneteau (and several other brands) dealer. VERY small shop and service there of the more expensive models is likely to be not much better than that of MacGregors purchased there. Yes, quality of the other boats is much better, but they aren't PERFECT either, and you're not likely to be satisfied with service on them, if you expect it to be like an automobile.

--
Moe

[beene]

.02 again...

. . . and worth about a penny & a half~!

You realize of course the current state of things is entirely due to that shot


G

[bastonjock]

apart from condensation in the morning my mac is bone dry,mind you i did buy the ex demo boat from Macgregor UK

i went to find her a home today,i had to speak to the harbourmaster,i was expecting to have to tell him about the mac but when i said "its a macGregor 26" he said good choice for this harbour,we have at least 5 others here

so off i went to have a nosey at their rigging

[waltpm]

I may as well get my two cents in. I bought my 97 Macx in 99, so it is now approx. 10 years old. I don't have, and have never had any leaks. There were never any defects or problems, other than those I caused, with the exception of bottom blisters, which I do think Roger should have fixed by now since the cause has been well known for 10 years. This is my fourth Macgregor, (30 years of sailing them) and bottom blisters is the only real fault I can find.

Also I accidentally pulled the hose off the wire for the 600 lb. keel on my Mac 25. It filled up to the cockpit floor but floated just fine. Two of us got in with an electric pump and had it dry in about 20 minutes.

Incidentally, my boats all stay outdoors in Buffalo, NY, uncovered with no apparent bad effects.

And lastly, to "They Theirs" if you have a 500 lb engine on the back you are obviously talking about some other boat.

[albion]

I'm amazed at how poor the quality of all boats is compared to cars. My boss in the past couple years has owned 2 motor cruisers; the first one was brand new and very expensive. Lots of problems. Some options not even wired up properly. We were joking, but it may be true that the problem is that the Japanese haven't heavily gotten into the boat market. We're still dealing with quality that was typical of cars in the 70's!
Daniel

So you remember all those rust boxes from Japan as well as I do Eh Baldbaby?

[They Theirs]

Waltpm…??? Hmmm…. Back when....

From your model generation: “I had to make a lot of modifications to the boat to make it suitable for the type of sailing I wanted to do, and to fix some of the problems. “

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Mac’s just leak, and require constant inspection.

This is pretty much true of any sailboat I think I would be safe to say. As others have posted, I have had no significant manufacturing problems with my mac (except for the delaminating helm seat like most do - Not too big of a problem). I had a tiny bit of water through the chainplates when I first got the boat, but after sealing them, the boat has been bone dry for almost 4 years.

I used to have a lot more leak problems with my Oday 272 LE sailboat which I had before the Mac.