Hi,
I am looking to buy a 26M and would appreciate any advise as to what to look for in both troublesome areas and know problems (if any). Which outboards are preferred, 2 stroke or 4 stroke ect. Reading thru some past topics, I see that the original trailer appears to be at its maximum loading, and additional weight inside the boat may cause issues with insurance in the event of an accident. Is it better to upgrade to a tandem trailer with electric brakes?
I would also like to know what optional extras are considered to be "Must Haves".
I am located on the Sunshine Coast Qld and plan to use the boat mainly for cruising areas such as Morton Bay and Gold Coast, Keppels, Whitsunday's, and possibly Sydney harbour.
Thanking you in advance for any help/suggestions given.
Regards
Ian
Buderim
Looking to buy a 26M
-
Tempus
- Chief Steward
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:49 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: Blue Mountains, Australia
Re: Looking to buy a 26M
G'day Ian. We bought a Mac 
in 2012. A beautiful, flexible boat. It's a 2011 model. The trailer is definitely to be looked at closely when buying. Yes, the trailer is at its capacity limit. We put a new trailer under our previous boat and it ain't cheap....you'd be looking at $6K at least I'd think for a higher capacity trailer, so factor that in!
We have an Evinrude ETEC60 and its fuel efficient and reliable. Our boat came with the cruising seats at the stern. These are great and provide some extra cockpit room. The 150% Genoa is a very useful headsail, so I'd recommend that.
We sail Sydney HBD, Pittwater/Hawkesbury, Port Stephens and Botany Bay. We'll be going to the Whitsundays later this year as well.
If you're on Facebook, search for "MacGregor26" or "MacGregor Sailboat" and you'll find some good groups with friendly and helpful people.
Yell out if there's something specific you need to know. Happy hunting!
Graeme
in 2012. A beautiful, flexible boat. It's a 2011 model. The trailer is definitely to be looked at closely when buying. Yes, the trailer is at its capacity limit. We put a new trailer under our previous boat and it ain't cheap....you'd be looking at $6K at least I'd think for a higher capacity trailer, so factor that in!We have an Evinrude ETEC60 and its fuel efficient and reliable. Our boat came with the cruising seats at the stern. These are great and provide some extra cockpit room. The 150% Genoa is a very useful headsail, so I'd recommend that.
We sail Sydney HBD, Pittwater/Hawkesbury, Port Stephens and Botany Bay. We'll be going to the Whitsundays later this year as well.
If you're on Facebook, search for "MacGregor26" or "MacGregor Sailboat" and you'll find some good groups with friendly and helpful people.
Yell out if there's something specific you need to know. Happy hunting!
Graeme
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tehtairing
- Just Enlisted
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:22 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: Central Coast, NSW, Australia. '06 26M DREAM HORIZON
Re: Looking to buy a 26M
Dear Ian,
I have a Mac 26M as well and living in Central Coast, NSW. Love it and it is the boat for my needs as we like to keep the boat at home and trailer it when we have time to go sailing, mainly in Brisbane Water, Broken Bay and Hawkesbury River. It does not cost much to park at home and tow to nice sites. We often met other Macgregor boats and like our instant friendship bonded by our boats. I have Evinrude Etec 50hp for the boat motor and found that it is easier to get in and out through the stern rail than a 4 stroke engine.
I had make extensive improvement on the rigging on my boat including lazy jack, topping lift, single line reefing, up haul and down haul, installed wind direction and speed indicator, 200W solar panel, 80L fridge/freezer (I like ice cream) and many more to make the sailing easier. Macgregor 26M is not an easy boat to sail but if you take it easy (like I always did), you will come to enjoy sailing with a 26M on a nice day with light wind between 5 to 12 knots . I don't run my motor to high speed but I had tried getting to 10+ knots easily with my 50Hp Evinrude ( i had seen some boats use 100HP motor).
I suppose it all come down to what your selection criteria are. For us, Macgregor 26M is the perfect boat to spent some time on the water and it does not cause much to park/moor at home. One additional point is that it is easier to work on the boat while you have it parked at home and make it easier to clean too.
TEH
I have a Mac 26M as well and living in Central Coast, NSW. Love it and it is the boat for my needs as we like to keep the boat at home and trailer it when we have time to go sailing, mainly in Brisbane Water, Broken Bay and Hawkesbury River. It does not cost much to park at home and tow to nice sites. We often met other Macgregor boats and like our instant friendship bonded by our boats. I have Evinrude Etec 50hp for the boat motor and found that it is easier to get in and out through the stern rail than a 4 stroke engine.
I had make extensive improvement on the rigging on my boat including lazy jack, topping lift, single line reefing, up haul and down haul, installed wind direction and speed indicator, 200W solar panel, 80L fridge/freezer (I like ice cream) and many more to make the sailing easier. Macgregor 26M is not an easy boat to sail but if you take it easy (like I always did), you will come to enjoy sailing with a 26M on a nice day with light wind between 5 to 12 knots . I don't run my motor to high speed but I had tried getting to 10+ knots easily with my 50Hp Evinrude ( i had seen some boats use 100HP motor).
I suppose it all come down to what your selection criteria are. For us, Macgregor 26M is the perfect boat to spent some time on the water and it does not cause much to park/moor at home. One additional point is that it is easier to work on the boat while you have it parked at home and make it easier to clean too.
TEH
-
sunshinecoasting
- First Officer
- Posts: 402
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 5:00 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia - "Entropy" Nissan 50 CDI Furling Jib
Re: Looking to buy a 26M
Hi Ian,
Mine is an
but your questions still mostly relate. Yes the trailers are a weak point, particularly brakes and bearings, not your standard Holden or Ford ones like most trailers in Aus. I was never concerned about the capacity of the trailer though, they handle the weight ok, your real issue is the towing capacity of the car, you will need two tonne or better to keep it legal. Rust in the drawer bar can be an issue. As for must haves, heres a small list,
Bimini
Large fresh water storage with decent pumps to outlets
Decent toilet although on the your choices are limited, I have a good flushing toilet with holding tank that i just love when its needed, it has its own macerating pump out so i can empty at sea.
Engines are much the same today really, although you cant beat the smell of a two stroke and salt air.
I have a fresh water rinse shower on transom, really good for after swimming.
Fridge and power to run it.
Decent matress
240vac shore power fitout. I love mine when in marina and when running generator if required.
Good dual battery setup.
Marine radio, decent antenna with pirate flag
Tablet with Navionics fitted, especially in shallow waters like Moreton bay, Sandy straits.
Cockpit cushions.
Cheers, Dennis.
Mine is an
but your questions still mostly relate. Yes the trailers are a weak point, particularly brakes and bearings, not your standard Holden or Ford ones like most trailers in Aus. I was never concerned about the capacity of the trailer though, they handle the weight ok, your real issue is the towing capacity of the car, you will need two tonne or better to keep it legal. Rust in the drawer bar can be an issue. As for must haves, heres a small list,Bimini
Large fresh water storage with decent pumps to outlets
Decent toilet although on the
your choices are limited, I have a good flushing toilet with holding tank that i just love when its needed, it has its own macerating pump out so i can empty at sea.Engines are much the same today really, although you cant beat the smell of a two stroke and salt air.
I have a fresh water rinse shower on transom, really good for after swimming.
Fridge and power to run it.
Decent matress
240vac shore power fitout. I love mine when in marina and when running generator if required.
Good dual battery setup.
Marine radio, decent antenna with pirate flag
Tablet with Navionics fitted, especially in shallow waters like Moreton bay, Sandy straits.
Cockpit cushions.
Cheers, Dennis.
-
Mac26Mpaul
- Admiral
- Posts: 1066
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 2:36 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: Gold Coast, Australia 26M "Little Annie" Etec 50
Re: Looking to buy a 26M
Hi Ian,
Outboards, Everyone talks up their own so just buy what brand you like, all the big names are pretty good I think, provided it isn't too wide as the M has less room in that area to board than the X does. Sometimes I think I'd like to be able to do more than 16 knots, but then 99 percent of the time I'm not going more than 8 so realize I probably just don't need the extra expense or weight. If you plan on wake boarding and all that, I'd be wanting a 90 or up..
Talk to others about essential sail and rigging mods as I've kept mine pretty much stock and that's all I really need.
Essential in QLD, is a Bimini!
I guess a fridge isn't really, but it is pretty dam close to essential if you live in QLD! As is twin batteries and a solar charging setup of at least 80 watts (we have a 120 panel but would probably like a bit more). Some kind of GPS is pretty close to essential in my mind and something nice and easy that is just always there waiting on your pedestal like a fishfinder/chart plotter is perfect in our case.
If you find one with some kind of upgraded storage options, it will be a big bonus, as there is no real out of locker storage on them stock standard which is a real pain. The galley with its twin cuddy areas on one side is purely designed that way to look nice, and is a right royal pain when trying to get pots and pans etc out of one side! To solve that, I cut out the bit between the two cuddy holes and made a second swinging door out of the head door, and put a caddy on each end, which is a massive improvement there.
If you are buying second hand, you should keep searching until you find the one that already has exactly what you want as there is TONS of boat dollars needed to set up a new one and you save a fortune buying second hand! Just my opinion of course as some people just love new stuff I know
If I were buying again now, I would probably be holding out until I found one with a few things. Most importantly, a duel axel Oz made trailer with electric brakes rated to at least 2800kgs (I'd definitely hold out until I found one with that as the trailer is a constant worry if going further than my local ramp 200 metres away!) To have one made will probably cost ya 15K! I'd probably try and find one with an autopilot and chartplotter fitted, definitely a bimini, and the dodger and infill may be nice too although not essential.
Most importantly, I would NEVER buy a black one, and wouldn't buy a blue one either unless I lived in Tassie and wasn't planning on coming North....
Outboards, Everyone talks up their own so just buy what brand you like, all the big names are pretty good I think, provided it isn't too wide as the M has less room in that area to board than the X does. Sometimes I think I'd like to be able to do more than 16 knots, but then 99 percent of the time I'm not going more than 8 so realize I probably just don't need the extra expense or weight. If you plan on wake boarding and all that, I'd be wanting a 90 or up..
Talk to others about essential sail and rigging mods as I've kept mine pretty much stock and that's all I really need.
Essential in QLD, is a Bimini!
I guess a fridge isn't really, but it is pretty dam close to essential if you live in QLD! As is twin batteries and a solar charging setup of at least 80 watts (we have a 120 panel but would probably like a bit more). Some kind of GPS is pretty close to essential in my mind and something nice and easy that is just always there waiting on your pedestal like a fishfinder/chart plotter is perfect in our case.
If you find one with some kind of upgraded storage options, it will be a big bonus, as there is no real out of locker storage on them stock standard which is a real pain. The galley with its twin cuddy areas on one side is purely designed that way to look nice, and is a right royal pain when trying to get pots and pans etc out of one side! To solve that, I cut out the bit between the two cuddy holes and made a second swinging door out of the head door, and put a caddy on each end, which is a massive improvement there.
If you are buying second hand, you should keep searching until you find the one that already has exactly what you want as there is TONS of boat dollars needed to set up a new one and you save a fortune buying second hand! Just my opinion of course as some people just love new stuff I know
If I were buying again now, I would probably be holding out until I found one with a few things. Most importantly, a duel axel Oz made trailer with electric brakes rated to at least 2800kgs (I'd definitely hold out until I found one with that as the trailer is a constant worry if going further than my local ramp 200 metres away!) To have one made will probably cost ya 15K! I'd probably try and find one with an autopilot and chartplotter fitted, definitely a bimini, and the dodger and infill may be nice too although not essential.
Most importantly, I would NEVER buy a black one, and wouldn't buy a blue one either unless I lived in Tassie and wasn't planning on coming North....
Re: Looking to buy a 26M
On the trailer side - it is not the axle weight that the car needs to be designed for ie 1961kg but the tow ball weight. The 26M is a USA spec boat and thus there is 10% on the tow ball. Last weigh bridge I measured on put this at 180kg. So that is harder for a lot of cars to meet than just pulling 2000kg. ie most Euro cars are designed for 5% of the towing capacity on the tow ball so watch out for this one.
I have hummed and hahhed for a long time over trailer upgrades. I love the single axle and the rubber suspension it makes it easier to manoeuvre the trailer. So in this respect I have looked at replacing the complete axles with an ALCO or Duratorque system. But I am a ways off exceeding the axle rate at this stage so have not made the move. The advantage of doing this also is that I get to Aussie spec bearing, seals et al. Although importation from the USA is so easy these days I would not make this a primary reason as long as I always have spares at hand (and I do baring a catastrophic axle bearing seize and axle destruction scenario).
Check the tyre ratings on trailers you see. Especially a single axle trailer. You need a load rating of 108 for each tyre - 107 is close but is under the axles capacity.
http://www.bobjane.com.au/info/load-index-speed-symbol/
I run slightly over sized tyres with 116 rating (1250kg rating) and this means I can run under maximum tyre pressure making the ride a bit softer.
I have also removed the stupid factory safety cables (replaced with chains closer to the car) and use the holes that are now freed up to dose the inside of the steel tube with lanolin spray once a year.
http://www.trojanparts.com.au/index.asp ... 2145829328
http://www.alko.com.au/vehicle-technolo ... nsion-irs/
Off the subject of trailers. The single biggest thing you must have is a Johnson lever on the forestay. This is allows much (and I mean much) easier rigging and allows correct shroud tension to be achieved.
With respect to outboards, the ETEC fuel economy was measured by a member of this forum. It is very interesting. Very very economical.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... on#p273578
One thing I have noticed is that the two stroke fumes seems to backdraft under the rear seat into the cockpit. A simple test is to block this gap with a towel (sit on it to hold it in position). What a difference. I intend to do something permanent in this respect. But then the fuming is supposed to stop when the motor is over 100hours. I have a ways to go yet.
I have hummed and hahhed for a long time over trailer upgrades. I love the single axle and the rubber suspension it makes it easier to manoeuvre the trailer. So in this respect I have looked at replacing the complete axles with an ALCO or Duratorque system. But I am a ways off exceeding the axle rate at this stage so have not made the move. The advantage of doing this also is that I get to Aussie spec bearing, seals et al. Although importation from the USA is so easy these days I would not make this a primary reason as long as I always have spares at hand (and I do baring a catastrophic axle bearing seize and axle destruction scenario).
Check the tyre ratings on trailers you see. Especially a single axle trailer. You need a load rating of 108 for each tyre - 107 is close but is under the axles capacity.
http://www.bobjane.com.au/info/load-index-speed-symbol/
I run slightly over sized tyres with 116 rating (1250kg rating) and this means I can run under maximum tyre pressure making the ride a bit softer.
I have also removed the stupid factory safety cables (replaced with chains closer to the car) and use the holes that are now freed up to dose the inside of the steel tube with lanolin spray once a year.
http://www.trojanparts.com.au/index.asp ... 2145829328
http://www.alko.com.au/vehicle-technolo ... nsion-irs/
Off the subject of trailers. The single biggest thing you must have is a Johnson lever on the forestay. This is allows much (and I mean much) easier rigging and allows correct shroud tension to be achieved.
With respect to outboards, the ETEC fuel economy was measured by a member of this forum. It is very interesting. Very very economical.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... on#p273578
One thing I have noticed is that the two stroke fumes seems to backdraft under the rear seat into the cockpit. A simple test is to block this gap with a towel (sit on it to hold it in position). What a difference. I intend to do something permanent in this respect. But then the fuming is supposed to stop when the motor is over 100hours. I have a ways to go yet.