MacGregorSailors.com

I've just stumbled upon a Mac 19.

http://www.dougpile.com/mac19/2.html

I've narrowed my sailboat preferences down to a Mac 26 PowerBoat because I want the room to overnight but the versatility to haul it out whenever I want. The 26' is perfect but more than my budget.

I know it's shorter but it seems to be similar in beam and height. And it'll be much lighter on the hitch - a big concern for me.

What does anyone think about this 19? Anything I should beware of?

There a few of us out here with the "fast" mac I'm into my second season refurbishing my '93. It's a great compromise boat that does everything ok; motors well pulling kids on towables, sails well with the right amount of wind and trailers great. The biggest problem you'll have is finding one. They do not come up for sale very often as those of us with one tend to keep them. It is a good boat for 2 adults and 1-2 small children to overnight, anything more and you need an X or M boat. Mine lives in the Potomac near DC but trailers to the Adirondacks in Northern New York for summer vacation camping/boating/sailing in places that never see a sailboat.

Its not as spacious/complicated as an X or M but is doesn't come with their price tag either. Parts are readily available from the great folks at BWY. There are several folks here who have made significant modifications to improve sailing performance and livability (limited only by your imagination and your wallet). I would definitely buy again if I had the chance. There is an active Yahoo Group located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/macgregor ... s/messages. Hope this helps.

They are a great boat I have had mine about 5yrs now & now own a 26m also so the is for sale but you can make all kinds of improvements to make them sail faster & power faster check out my photobucket site

4 head sails
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/m ... 010070.jpg

great day sailing

http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/m ... EW_NEW.flv

powering

http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/m ... 0026-1.flv

at her slip
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/m ... CN1406.jpg

cheers J
PS note that this is a very specialized most likely the only one of its kind in the world

Highlander wrote:They are a great boat I have had mine about 5yrs now & now own a 26m also so the is for sale

Cool. How would you compare the roominess between the 19 and 26? Obviously lopping off 7 feet makes a diff. Is it as wide and as deep? Is the 19 still roomy enough to camp for several nights? Is there any way of cramming 4 people in there?

Been in both as we shopped and compared... more than 2 adults and the is to small for overnighting on a weekend. Great boat but not a cruiser by any means for a large family you need an X or M boat.

There is nothing wrong with a 19 but they are very small when comparing it to a 26 foot mac.

A retired Cardiologist has his Mac 19 next door to my Marina, and we've "boat talked" and visited several times. He can obviously afford whatever sized boat, but he likes the Mac 19 for obvious reasons -- towing, small crew day sailing, safety, and easy set up. He purchased it New, and the trailer is original. He has towed it all over -- Texas to Florida, Texas to California, with no problems. He and his matie sail and motor this 19 regularly, and are totally happy with the boat. It has the original 40 HP...also.
It has less storage and "on board" space than a Mac 26, but surprisingly, it has nice "day" sailing accomodations for 1 - 4 folks (in my opinion).

I was traveling with a for 5 years. In my opinion this boat has many advantages, it´s easy to be trailered, light weight, can be towed by a smaller car. Raising the mast can be done by one person (he should be strong ) without a mast raising system. It Is quite fast when motoring, is easy to be handled under engine and at medium wind condition and the cockpit area is very spacy.
I encountered two major problems with my The space iof the cabin is remarkable for a boat of this size however it is very low. When You are inside the cabin You are forced to move on Your knees. This started to build up depressions on me .
On the other hand I had the impression that the iwas extremly unstable in keeping the direction in low wind conditions.
My conclusion: a nice boat for two + 1, cabin for sleeping only, spacy cockpit alowing up to 4 people for daytrips only, motoring exelent, sailing at low winds poor.

Rainer

I have a 26 Mac Classic. I see then for around 5 to 8 thousand. I love the pop-top on the cabin. the extra room and the stability of the boat in Lake Mich. Been caught in some high winds, 40kts, and felt stable in 6ft waves. I can't attest to towing under power, only has a 8hp Johnson, but love to tow a inflatable raft under sail. weights about 1800lbs. completely loaded. I can single hand the boat and can carry 4 people. As they say;... Sails 6..... Eats 4.... and can... sleep 2 . I feel the boat is too big for my needs, but it is the easiest boat I've ever sailed and set up. I have 2 other smaller sailboats, but still enjoy this one the best. Check them out. Pat

We've had our for about 1 1/2 years and love it. We are cruising it for relatively short periods ( 2-5 days) in preparation for some extended cruising on the Tennessee River when we retire next year.

As with all boats, compromise is the order of the day - the is fine for a couple but would be quite small for more than that. It is inexpensive to own and operate and single hands well. I looked for one for 3 years before finding what I wanted. Cruising the is more like living in a pup tent than a motor home but once you get yourself adjusted to it, it can be comfortable enough.

The has considerably more "Living space" below decks than my Catalina 22 (not as much storage though). With some added built-ins and management of on-board "Stuff" the storage is adequate for us.

Sailing:
A Stevenson Weekender
A Catalina 22
A Mac 19 - I need a few more boats.

Rich

I started sailing with a Mac 19 - and I appreciated her, enjoyed her, and learned a lot from her. Kept her in a marina five minutes from my office, and stayed over a couple dozen times during those two summers to avoid a long commute home. But when I was about to retire, I decided the 19 was too small to spend more than overnight aboard. I was (and am still) planning to use the boat as a "funny-shaped camper" on cross-country trips, and I wanted stand-up headroom and a place where I felt safe about putting a butane stove ... in short, I succumbed to seven-foot-itis when I bought my present 26X.

I would unhesitatingly recommend the Mac 19 to a single person or a couple who were into day-sailing, but wanted the option of a comfy place to snooze. The cabin has no more than sit-up headroom. I'd compare it to a "conversion van" while the 26X/26M is more like a "Winnebago". If it's not going to be your "home away from home" for extended periods, it's a great little boat for just pottering around.