Newbie questions

[IanTheKiwi]

Hi all

My wife and i are looking at a 1998 SX26. I have done a little sailing on a friends Noelex 22 back in New Zealand, but am really a complete novice. We live in Phoenix close to Lake Pleasant where we'll do our initial sailing.

Is the SX 26 too much boat for a couple of novices?

This one has a Nissan 50 plus a is outboard. Delete claims or has 0 hours after a rebuild. Who has experience with these and what should i be asking them as far as the rebuild?

Any other insight on what to look for as far as gotchas with this boat?

TIA!!

[tuxonpup]

Hi Ian,
My GF and I were pretty much where you are back in October of 2024, looking at a ‘96 26X with a Nissan 50 PLUS two stroke as our first sail boat.
We’ve found the 26x to be a good starter boat for AZ, ours is up on Lake Powell but we plan on bringing it down to Pleasant in the next month or so.
We bought ours in Salt Lake City with a recently serviced engine, but the seller knew nothing about sails, and they were originals which were rotting away. The gamble on our 30 year old Nissan worked out for us, as it’s gotten us up and down Powell’s canyons for our first year;

https://macgregorsailors.com/forum/vie ... 24#p371724

[dlandersson]

"I cam here for the waters (Rick)". "But we're in the desert (Cpt Renaoult". "I was misinformed - Rick" - Casablanca

We live in Phoenix close to Lake Pleasant where we'll do our initial sailing.

[OverEasy]

Hi IanTheKiwi!

Welcome!

Per the “Intertube”:
Lake Pleasant is a large reservoir near Phoenix, Arizona, popular for boating, fishing, camping, and hiking, with over 100 miles of shoreline and extensive park facilities. It's a key part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), storing water from the Colorado River and the Agua Fria River. The park offers amenities like marinas, campgrounds, trails, and a nature center, making it a major recreational hub for the Phoenix metro area


So Lake Pleasant has a reasonably sized amount of water and shoreline to play with in a nice all purpose Mac26X, especially in that region of the country. It’s not too small and it’s not too big… just right to give lots of fun and enjoyment for years! Whether you sail or motor the Mac26X or Mac26M fit that kind of water pretty nicely!

The swing keel on the Mac26X let’s you adapt quickly to changing conditions and the shallow draft allows you to get safely into places other boats can’t ….

We really enjoy our boat and use it regularly so we might be a tad biased

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[leefrankpierce]

The Mac 26X and 26M were intended for beginners.
The motor will be enough to get you home if you mis-read the weather.
It is also enough to go enjoy without ever putting the mast/sails up.
Once you let the ballast water in, you will find it a different boat, more stable, slower.
Under power that equates to feeling very safe.
Then the mast/sails can be played with until you get to feeling it is a sail boat instead of a power boat.
Only recommendations:
Monitor your fuel usage till you get the idea, running out of fuel is not the best idea.
Never put the sails up without the Ballast in.
Use a big enough tow beast.
Use baby stays and a mast raising system, practice on shore at home before trying on an actual trip. That 30' aluminum pole can get out of hand.
Once you get the hang of it, no-problem putting up or down on water, though most do it on the trailer.

[tuxonpup]

Hi IanTheKiwi!

Welcome!

Per the “Intertube”:
Lake Pleasant is a large reservoir near Phoenix, Arizona, popular for boating, fishing, camping, and hiking, with over 100 miles of shoreline and extensive park facilities. It's a key part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), storing water from the Colorado River and the Agua Fria River. The park offers amenities like marinas, campgrounds, trails, and a nature center, making it a major recreational hub for the Phoenix metro area


So Lake Pleasant has a reasonably sized amount of water and shoreline to play with in a nice all purpose Mac26X, especially in that region of the country. It’s not too small and it’s not too big… just right to give lots of fun and enjoyment for years! Whether you sail or motor the Mac26X or Mac26M fit that kind of water pretty nicely!

The swing keel on the Mac26X let’s you adapt quickly to changing conditions and the shallow draft allows you to get safely into places other boats can’t ….

We really enjoy our boat and use it regularly so we might be a tad biased

Best Regards,
Over Easy

It appears that Lake Pleasant description missed it's most important feature, the shallow draft of a Mac allows you to sneak up on the wild burros grazing the shoreline!