I sold my 26M... :( small cockpit didn't workout for me...

[jasonsjwou]

I sold my 26M today. I am very sad...

I really wanted this boat to work for me & my family, but it just wasn't working out.

Let me say this first - I love for what it is. Last time I went out on the boat last week, I got everything dialed in, and the GPS speed reached 7.5MPH. I was having a blast - Full mainsail up, 150% genoa out all the way, heeling 20 degrees, water splashing and it was gorgeous. This boat is FAST, SAFE, VERSATILE and all that. I can go 19MPH with my 50HP @WOT, water ballast out. MacGregor boat is really what they say it is. For those who says MAC don't sail well... they have no idea what they are talking about. It sails very well. It's no more tender than any other non-keeled sailboat. It's perfect trailer boat. MAC 26M/X are just about the biggest boat you can trailer with normal truck/suv. (yes there are 28ft cruiser that can sit on a triple axle trailer, but they weigh well over 10k lbs and needs F350 Diesel Fatboy!!)

But... The biggest reason for me to sell 26M, is due to the lack of cockpit space. (I know 26X has slightly bigger cockpit but still not big enough) I really wish I can trade the cabin space with cockpit space, and swap the steering pedestal with a tiller.

Little I knew, was that on a sailboat (when you are sailing), you lose half the cockpit space because no one sits at the lower side when heeling. You can't stay inside the cabin, even in fairly calm water. (You'll get sea sickness in minutes - wind blows, wave rises. They go together. Having someone get sea sick is the best way to ruin your boat day) I barely have enough space for my family of 4 in the cockpit. And my family likes to socialize - eg., bring another family or my kid's friends - then I'm totally out of space. in this aspect, a 18ft bowrider has more usable space than this 26ft.

I have to go to 33+ ft sailboat to have a deck spacious enough for 8 people. There is no trailerable sailboat that big. So I'm done...

I really wanted 26M to work out for me. But it's not the right boat for my family at this time.

I wish everyone in this forum safe voyage!

[Ixneigh]

Huh. Well I would buy a sawzall and fix that problem in about an hour.
No really. Cut the cabin right off to the head area and extend the cockpit forward. Or pay someone to do it.
You'd have a wonderful day sailor overnighter. Probably lighten the boat if done correctly.
Ix

[Azzarac]

Good luck in your quest for your perfect boat. I guess everyone's crews are different. I chose the because of the larger cockpit and cabin layout. I feel they are just better for socializing. I agree I would not want to entertain 8 people on board although we have had 6 with no problems. Nobody on our crew feels the need to move about when heeling. At most, they will simply stick their arm over the rail to see if they can reach the water yet! As for being in-cabin causing seasickness, I suppose that is also a personal thing. The Admiral is predisposed to motion sickness but has never experience seasickness. Our 18 year old daughter never leaves the cabin while under sail. She reads or uses her laptop the entire time we are out all the while sitting on the settee or curled up in the V-berth. Be sure to stop by the forums once in a while and when you find the boat that works for you let us know!

[dlandersson]

Here's the "official" I sold my Mac video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXlUS5-ag_g

[dlandersson]

Yeah, usually have 4 kids on the Mac (my two plus friends). Kids area is up at the forward hatch, but they feel free to go everywhere - especially if there are "fishees" on the Humminbird thingy. They are also quite capable of simply drawing in the cabin. 3-4 adults in the cokpit is about the max without crowding.

Good luck in your quest for your perfect boat. I guess everyone's crews are different. I chose the because of the larger cockpit and cabin layout. I feel they are just better for socializing. I agree I would not want to entertain 8 people on board although we have had 6 with no problems. Nobody on our crew feels the need to move about when heeling. At most, they will simply stick their arm over the rail to see if they can reach the water yet! As for being in-cabin causing seasickness, I suppose that is also a personal thing. The Admiral is predisposed to motion sickness but has never experience seasickness. Our 18 year old daughter never leaves the cabin while under sail. She reads or uses her laptop the entire time we are out all the while sitting on the settee or curled up in the V-berth. Be sure to stop by the forums once in a while and when you find the boat that works for you let us know!

[TheSailingRode]

The cockpit is challenging. Works fine up to four people and the optional stern rail seats help, but we do miss the cockpit we had on the Mac 25. Flip that tiller up and had lots of room.

Steve - The Sailing Rode Podcast

[Seapup]

I barely have enough space for my family of 4 in the cockpit. And my family likes to socialize - eg., bring another family or my kid's friends - then I'm totally out of space. in this aspect, a 18ft bowrider has more usable space than this 26ft.

I have to go to 33+ ft sailboat to have a deck spacious enough for 8 people. There is no trailerable sailboat that big. So I'm done...

I really wanted 26M to work out for me. But it's not the right boat for my family at this time.

Everything is a compromise. Bowrider is basically all cockpit lounge, so much more space for socializing. Pontoon boats are nice and safe for kids to run around on with lots of room. Combo of family boat and small dinghy sailor for dad and to teach the kids on may be the ticket.

We were just at the sailboat show and I didn't really see any monos there regardless of LOA with cockpit space for 8 people. Race boats are open, but kids would roll right out.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I sympathize with the small cockpit issues with the . First thing I did was add the stern rail seats. I do like the cockpit much better but like the interior. All in all I was very happy with my decision to buy the . When it came time to scale up I did opt for an aft cockpit vs center cockpit boat based on my experience with the . I really wanted a walk around center queen for the aft stateroom but wasn't willing to give up the cockpit space for that layout. We eventually found the Catalina 380 with an centerline queen aft stateroom that met our needs with a large aft cockpit. We can easily fit 8 people in the cockpit of our Catalina 380 if I wanted to... but I don't really want to.

[dthiesmeyer]

Jason,

Sorry to hear that the 26M did not work out for you and you family. You are always welcome to join us when we go out next year.

Dave

[bobbob]

I find the cockpit to be large enough but I sure wish we had the lollypop steering pedestal as well. Agreed that in a strong wind no-one really wants to be down below.

Whenever I have more than a couple of people on the boat, I'm either motoring or gentle (non-heeled) sailing.

[RobertB]

We made two changes that make the cockpit more usable: First, i covered up the foot well in front of the pedestal (keep a third fuel tank underneath. Now we have a large platform one side to the other. The second is adding the stern rail seats.

[Ixneigh]

Did anyone ever come to a conclusion about steer by wire? Linked to your phone. Completely open cockpit with an emergency tiller that connected to the outboard cowling some how. From that system it's a short hop to an iPhone autopilot. Right? Which would head up if the boat heeled too much. Maybe mount the phone on the cabin or cabin entry washboard. It would give speed heading vmg xt error etc
A Bluetooth enabled servo motor on the steering bar would be easy to mount down there.
Ix

[bobbob]

http://www.madmanmarine.com

But I wouldn't trust that while under power at planing speeds

[mastreb]

Did anyone ever come to a conclusion about steer by wire? Linked to your phone. Completely open cockpit with an emergency tiller that connected to the outboard cowling some how. From that system it's a short hop to an iPhone autopilot. Right? Which would head up if the boat heeled too much. Maybe mount the phone on the cabin or cabin entry washboard. It would give speed heading vmg xt error etc
A Bluetooth enabled servo motor on the steering bar would be easy to mount down there.
Ix

I have the ability to steer by wire with my phone. It's not fantastic. Phones are just not a very good user interface for critical systems. They shut off, go idle, and you have to look at them to see what you're doing. I have the madman unit, which works well with its wireless fob, but I wouldn't rely on a fob that can be lost (or wireless anything).

What I would strongly consider, however, is a steer-by-wire system that used hardwired rotary controllers. For example, the RayMarine EV-1 tiller autopilot mounted ala BOAT, with port-and-starboard P70r control heads, would work just fine. The P70r is a small 4" instrument that has a rotary wheel which works in "Power Steer" mode: turning the nob directly turns the rudders.

You could mount these port/starboard control heads where-ever you like. I'd put them on the cockpit forward bulkhead beside the companionway. To helm, you'd sit either port or starboard (the windward side) and just use the control head to either directly power-steer or set heading.

Then remove both the toothbrush helm and steering cable completely along with the helm seat, put those aside in a box for the next owner. Cover the cockpit and engine well with a nice teak deck cover, and put an emergency tiller mount atop the outboard engine.

All done, low cost standard components, easily installed.

[Seapup]

If you don't want a pedestal how about a stick steer Could probably even mount a tillerpilot to it.

I find the cockpit to be large enough but I sure wish we had the lollypop steering pedestal as well

You can purchase the M pedestal from BWY I believe...

I did a mod where I cut down the side panels on the X pedestal and squeezed it 6" smaller to make it have a smaller footprint.

Together with a cutout seat, deck, and double mainsheet to keep lines clear the cockpit can really be opened up.