MacGregorSailors.com

Worst part about getting a different boat is winding up with no reasonable forum.

...and what is your new boat again?

K9Kampers wrote:...and what is your new boat again?

It's a Beneteau Oceanis 38. A beautiful, basically self-sailing, awesome, and frankly rather boring boat. It sails no matter what you do. Any idiot can sail it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the boat, but the Beneteau and the MacGregor have taught me a serious life lesson.

We love the things we have to take care of. I would argue that love IS taking care of. We love the things that we have to care for. We love the things we have to learn about.

We don't love babies because they take care of themselves. In fact, as our children get older, and more self-sufficient, we emotionally detach from them. We don't love our Quartz watches--they require nothing from us. But show me a used quartz that sells for more than $100. We love mechanical watches--they sell used for tens of thousands. Nobody loves their cell-phone camera, but we love SLRs and film cameras that require learning, effort, and hassle to use. We keep them. Even when we can't spend the time.

I love my telescopes. They're a SERIOUS pain in the ass. they're big, heavy, hard to use. and the combination of moon, sky, and weather conditions means I can only really use them three or four times a year.

I LOVE my MacGregor. I think my Beneteau is awesome, but it doesn't need me. All my sailing skills are to waste on this thing--anybody can get it to hull speed on day one. Pull out the sails, it goes. No years of frustration. No "why the f--- aren't we moving???" No thrill of "Holy Roger I'm doing 3 knots in a 4 knot wind!" No 300 hours of learning to sail it.

The damn thing even pulls into its slip without a bump on the first try, as long and wide as it is, unlike the many hours I spent learning how to pull up to a dock and look like I knew what I was doing in the MacGregor.

I don't sail with the mainsheet in my hand. I haven't had to change anything about the stock rigging. I haven't spent YEARS trying to figure out how to make the mainsail easy--it just rolls into the mast.

The beneteau requires nothing of me. it's like a beautiful girlfriend that can't understand why I'm still friends with my needy ex.

And keeps asking me why I haven't sold it yet...

I bet the bene came with a sharp looking badge though not the plastic decal on plexiglass that the macs came with
Ix

That was a fantastic description Matt...

Ok, I am never selling my MacGregor!!!! I will make it a tender of my new yacht!

Have you checked out the bene forum on sailboatowners dot com?
Some of our members are also members on that site's mac forum.

Does the mainsail roll up into the mast with an electric motor, or do you at least get to pull on a rope? Do you get to do any fun stuff anymore like pull on ropes and lines and stuff? Is there a dagger-board to play with? There must be some sort of fun toys on board: a bow vent bowl? (I always like watching the water slosh around in the bow vent bowl when I'm sitting on the head). I guess on a benny it's probably more high class than that - you guys probably have magazines in the head.

Yup, your living the life.

I don't think benny owners are much looking for a place to get tips on how to maintain their boats or find mods - they usually pay other people to do that stuff. That boat you got there is made by a French company that has been building boats since the early 1800's. And unlike Hunter and Jensen and 99% of all the other boat builders in the world over the past 250 years, Beneteau has NOT gone out of business, gone bankrupt, or been sold. They pretty much know how to build a boat better than anyone else in the world. It's unlikely your going to find a community of salty do it yourselfers running around posting on blogs asking for mods.

BOAT wrote:Does the mainsail roll up into the mast with an electric motor, or do you at least get to pull on a rope? Do you get to do any fun stuff anymore like pull on ropes and lines and stuff? Is there a dagger-board to play with? There must be some sort of fun toys on board: a bow vent bowl? (I always like watching the water slosh around in the bow vent bowl when I'm sitting on the head). I guess on a benny it's probably more high class than that - you guys probably have magazines in the head.

You do get to pull on plenty of ropes. I didn't get electric winches or a self-tacking jib so there'd still be something to do. For the mast furling, you pull the mainsail outhaul to unfurl, and the furling line to furl. They're on clutches on each side of the companionway. All lines are nicely led aft, so the entire boat can be operated from the cockpit stock. There's also a genny car on a track with lines led aft to control the genny tack position.

Speaking of which, we're sailing from San Diego to Oceanside tomorrow and staying for a few days in your marina ... You should stop by and I'll show you the ropes.

Matt

Sorta like simultaneously owning two cars ..... one's a Beemer, and the other one's a VDub. Hard choice.

BOAT wrote: do you at least get to pull on a rope?

Ropes? On a boat?

Yep, when they're in a locker, or unattached, they are ropes. When they are doing something, or attached to something, they are lines, or sheets, or halyards, or rode, etc.

~Rich

RussMT wrote:Ropes? On a boat?

mastreb wrote:Worst part about getting a different boat is winding up with no reasonable forum.

I'm sorry, but I feel absolutely 100% no sympathy for you and your two awesome boats

Are you going to be at the guest dock in front of the Harbor Masters office? Will you be there all day and night tomorrow?

yukonbob wrote:

mastreb wrote:Worst part about getting a different boat is winding up with no reasonable forum.

I'm sorry, but I feel absolutely 100% no sympathy for you and your two awesome boats

I think that is one of the funniest responses I have ever seen...