MacGregorSailors.com

Hi All,

I am new to the MacGregors and am interested in purchasing one soon. I noticed that in some models the head is at the rear end of the cabin and in others it is near the queen birth at the bow. I think I would prefer a head that is towards the back of the cabin and not right next to the birth I would be sleeping in. Do you know if this is a difference in design models (26X vs. 26M or something like that)? Or is this a modification? Thanks!!

Ras

The X has the head at the rear starboard side (right when you step down into the cabin), the M has the head just forward of midships on the starboard side.

After looking at both I decided the X configuration suited me better.

However the boats evolved over time and they moved the ballast air bleeder from under the cabin step in front of the rear berth to under the berth at the front in the later X's making it much easier to get in the rear berth.

If you like the layout of the X later model would be preferred as they had this change, mine is a 1995 and has the rear air bleeder making getting in and out of the rear berth just a bit more difficult , Im working out a mod to cut the step down and putting a flip up ladder in its place

sailboatmike wrote:I'm working out a mod to cut the step down and putting a flip up ladder in its place

I'd be interested to see what you come up with. My air vent is in the vee berth, but the original step is still there, just without the vent. The step is removable, of course, but that bump-out of the stern berth floor remains - which is ok, especially if I take the metal hardware off, so it's smooth.

But sourcing a ladder that works for that space is the tricky part. I'll be watching. And waiting . . .

I want to get mine out of the cabin altogether and into the cockpit. Current solution is just to set the portapotty outside. I'm working on a more elegant solution, like hidden under a hatch in one of the benches.

Stevenhigbee wrote:I want to get mine out of the cabin altogether and into the cockpit. Current solution is just to set the portapotty outside. I'm working on a more elegant solution, like hidden under a hatch in one of the benches.

Personal opinion but remove the private head and the resale value of your boat would seriously dive, one of the big features the ladies love about the Macs is the private head, a real selling feature in a trailer boat.

A lot of the time our partners have the final say in approving the boat $$ we spend if she dont like it then its not going to happen

sailboatmike said
"A lot of the time our partners have the final say in approving the boat $$ we spend if she dont like it then its not going to happen"


I'll second what sailboatmike said. If the Admirals pooper place isn't proper we have a problem. First major modification was the head. Her decision.

That's why we put our D up for sale, and purchased an X

Our other trailer sailer was chosen as it has a head behind a partition and curtain (US=drape)- admiral took one look at a 26X head compartment and was sold....... "It's so nice inside"

The head in my is the storage location for tools, lines, life preservers, a rubber bucket filled with cleaning supplies, the basin holds sunscreen and skeeter repellent, and some other stuff I can't recall. I don't think I've ever actually used it as a head.

Unless the admiral is onboard. Then it's mostly emptied of most of that stuff, and it becomes a head again. But for day sailing with the ladies aboard, it's ok to just pile that stuff in the vee berth - it's just not as tidy looking as I prefer.

So even the head in my is dual-purpose, just like the whole rest of the boat (power and sail, trailer and dock, and so on).

Nauti Nell wrote:sailboatmike said
"A lot of the time our partners have the final say in approving the boat $$ we spend if she dont like it then its not going to happen"


I'll second what sailboatmike said. If the Admirals pooper place isn't proper we have a problem. First major modification was the head. Her decision.

That's funny, because it relates to how I scored my boat on Ebay buy-it-now for $3000. There was another interested party who kept posting questions related to the more feminine-minded aspects, like if it had the original portapotty and stove. Meanwhile, I was researching the sailor-minded characteristics of the Mac in general, and whether my truck could tow it. Once convinced that it was the largest boat I could tow, I hit the buy-it-now button. The other party was furious, and begged the seller to convince me to let them have it. Sorry, too late. It's mine!

I realize that the Mac was targeted to first-time buyers with admirals in mind. The curtains, the head, the flotation foam, are features intended solely to overcome objections from the wife.
I don't care about resale value.

If you managed to pick up a decent 26X in good condition for $3000 you just about got the deal of the century.

I would hardly call a 26 boat a first timers boat, given that many first timers bought one but its a whole lot of boat to handle if the conditions are a bit ordinary given her high windage

I look forward to hearing about your mods, if I could buy one for $3000 I think I would be stripping her down and making her a racer

It's a 26-S, 1990. Everything in great condition. It was a good deal, no question about it. Happily, I didn't need approval from an admiral to commit to the purchase. I wasn't familiar with Macs when it came up on Ebay--I was just following trailerable sailboats within a days drive.

Stevenhigbee wrote:... I wasn't familiar with Macs when it came up on Ebay--I was just following trailerable sailboats within a days drive.

If that's your game, then two words... Royal Enfield!

sailboatmike wrote:If you managed to pick up a decent 26X in good condition for $3000 you just about got the deal of the century.

His is an S model, not an X. But my 2000 X only cost me $9,000 about 5 years ago. And it was in excellent shape. It still is.