Who is your favorite MacGregor Parts Dealer?

[kmclemore]

OK, I know this is probably a loaded question and subject to much debate... however I'm new to the Mac world and I have to buy some factory bits for mine. Not knowing the 'good' from the 'bad' guys, I thought I'd post this and see what you all think.

Who do you buy your MacBits from and why? Who has the best price, best service, etc.?

Thanks to all!

Cheers,
Kevin McLemore
(near Philadelphia, PA)

[jmdefino]

Kevin, I'm in the Poconos not to far from Philly.

I've ordered my parts from Blue Water Yachts. The PBO originally bought the boat there. That was an interesting story. The PBO lived in Florida and was visiting a friend in Seattle. They went to BWY and took a test sail on a 26X. The boat and the dealer made an impression on him so he bought the boat there and they shipped it to Florida.

Anyway, the folks out there have been really nice. The've spent quite a bit of time on the phone with me explaining things when necessary. Last time I ordered parts they sent them out and then asked me to send a check.

If you have the Nissan / Tohatsu, they have a special shop for them there.

[dclark]

I think it depends a lot on what you want. I honestly can't think of a whole lot that needs to come from a "MacGregor Parts" place. I don't think MacGregor actually manufactures much other then the hull. I think most if not all the hardware is either bought from a third party (lights, steering, etc.) or contracted out. So if you need a mast or spreaders or something like that, it's probably best to contact MacGregor directly. If the boat is an M then you have it made since that is the current production boat. If it's an older boat, you may have more trouble.

BWY has alway had a good reputation. Havencraft used to until the were sold and the parts department split. They have had an awful reputation since then. I would avoid them like the plague.

Most of what I buy comes from a third part and is not specific to the Mac. Sailnet.com was my favorite but thet have taken a major turn for the worst and I now refuse to try and buy anything from there. Othere places such as defender.com and go2marine.com have done me well although I've online bout a few thngs from them. onlinemarine.com seems to have unbeatable prices. They have taken a bit of a beating for poor customer service. I've bought a couple things from them without a problem. They are weak in customer service but everything I bought arrived on time in perfect condition. If you can find what you want at surplusunlimited.com then you will find a good price and good service. Selections are limited but that is the place to go for a new steering system should you need one.

Some good stuff can be had on ebay. Check the seller first. You will find surplusunlimited lists a lot of stuff. If you want anything Plastimo, try an ebay seller by the name of "marisafe". There used to (and maybe still is) a seller by the name of "harkenman". If he has a block you want or can use, you won't get a better price.

Those are a few thoughts that might help. There are many others, but not much that are spefically "MacGregor".

[Dan B]

I have used the Power Sailing Center (powersailing.com) in Burton, Ohio and have been very satisfied.

[Frank C]

I concur with Dave, nearly anything I'd want for my boat is generic "boating" stuff.

Otherwise, I'd most likely try the factory first. They don't markup stuff, they're very helpful ... but you must pay in advance with a check ... no big deal. Things I'd get direct from the factory would include all custom fabs or fittings, like gooseneck casting, the rudder bracket, pulpits or stanchions, rudders or centerboard, etc.

[dclark]

I bought a pedestal cover from powersailing.com and am happy with it. It probably was a lot cheaper then going somewhere and having it made. However I have heard some negetive things about their dodgers and enclosures.

Frank gave excellent examples of the things you'd go to MacGregor for. I said they contract out for a lot of that stuff. I don't know that for a fact. The factory doesn't appear to be big from the front, but if you drive around the block, you realize it's pretty good size. The finished boats come out near the entrance so a visit and a look around (while waiting for parts) and a breif conversation or two leads me to believe that. But they could have a whole steel fabrication area back there for all I really know. One thing a drive around the block will show you is that there are no RR tracks. For that matter there are no RR tracks to speak of in Costa Mesa and never have been. Didn't they say something about RR cars of resin unloading at the factory to save costs? Not possible.

[mike]

One thing a drive around the block will show you is that there are no RR tracks. For that matter there are no RR tracks to speak of in Costa Mesa and never have been. Didn't they say something about RR cars of resin unloading at the factory to save costs? Not possible.

I think the line was "most manufacturers buy resin by the drum... we buy it by the railroad car" or something like that.

--Mike

[kmclemore]

That's just the sort of info I was looking for! I got my 26 about a month ago and I'm doing a lot of things on it. In particular I need to get one of the mast-raising kits, so I figure the real Mac bits are probably the way to go with at least that item. Thoughts?

Cheers,
Kevin

[dclark]

That's just the sort of info I was looking for! I got my 26 about a month ago and I'm doing a lot of things on it. In particular I need to get one of the mast-raising kits, so I figure the real Mac bits are probably the way to go with at least that item. Thoughts?

Cheers,
Kevin

Okay, I suppose your right on that one. But on the other hand it wouldn't take much to make your own there would be a coulple things that would be difficult. So for that I'd probably call a dealer. If not locally, calll BWY.

[Steve K]

Walmart, for a lot of things
My boat came from H&S Yachts in Newport Beach California. They are only a couple blocks from the factory. So, I will either get them to get me a spare that only MacGregor makes, or I will drive out to the factory myself. Either way, I usually get the same price and factory direct is sometimes cheaper than the other parts distributers. The only problem with getting parts from the factory is (if things haven't changed) is you have to call, get the price and send them a cashier's check, before they will ship the part.
This is why I sometimes call Barry Wood at H&S. He will send me a part, if I don't have time to drive out to the beach. He would likely tell you to contact your local dealer though.

Call and talk to Bill @ MacGregor.

SK

[dclark]

One thing I expect to change is the availability of X parts. I went to the factory a few months ago for a couple things. They weren't sure until they checked whether they had any left around.

[Steve K]

One thing I expect to change is the availability of X parts. I went to the factory a few months ago for a couple things. They weren't sure until they checked whether they had any left around.

Dave couldn't agree more.
One thing about MacGregor is there is little replacement parts support from the factory for their designs. This was kind of strange to me, when I first got my MacX, having owned a 20 year old Catalina 22 and being able to call the factory and get any part I needed. Why they (Catalina) even had part numbers and everything. Catalina would even build you (not cheap though) replacement panels for the boat. A friend of mine had an area where the nonskid had gone bad. He got a panel from the factory.

Luckly, as someone already mentioned, very few of the 26X parts are picular to the 26X (speaking of hardware anyway). I think the rudder brackets, connecting bar and perhaps those little metal tabs at the bottom of the baby stays is about all that is not a standard marine hardware part.
One of the owners of Garhauer Marine told me they made some of these parts, during a phone conversation once. Don't know about later years, but my 1997 boat's hardware was just about exclusively provided by Garhauer. Although my boarding ladder has a name and PH# "The Rail Shop" maybe? that is not Garhauer.

So, if you can't get it at MacGregor or BWY, you may find that Garhauer actually carries it (particularly any replacement blocks etc). After that, a lot of the metal tabs and hounds are starndard and can be found at RigRite
http://www.rigrite.com
I bet also you could get a reasonable replacement spar from RigRite.
Then there are places like Minney's. I could spend days at Minney's, scrounging through all the little treasures.
http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/
and Defender Outlet, where I just got some $50 rope clutches for $10 each, brand new.
http://www.defender-outlet.com/clearance_web/index.htm

And really, I wasn't kidding in my first post. There is some stuff you can always use at Walmart, like the rubber plug for the air vent.
SK

[Frank C]

One thing I expect to change is the availability of X parts. I went to the factory a few months ago for a couple things.

... Luckly, as someone already mentioned, very few of the 26X parts are picular to the 26X (speaking of hardware anyway). I think the rudder brackets, connecting bar and perhaps those little metal tabs at the bottom of the baby stays is about all that is not a standard marine hardware part.
One of the owners of Garhauer Marine told me they made some of these parts,
... Although my boarding ladder has a name and PH# "The Rail Shop" maybe? that is not Garhauer.

Steve,
Just another coupla yen on the points you and Dave made:
... it is a minor problem that the few custom parts have gone out of production, but nothing is terribly complicated to fabricate. Rudder hardware might be a little costly, but still straightforward, and the same with pulpits, etc. If they're still available, it might be a good idea to grab a spare rudder and centerboard. An aggressive parts guy might try to get the molds before they're tossed.

Garhauer is remarkable for "non-marine" prices. I bet they actually price their stuff based on "cost" ... Imagine that! However, they're not in the pipe business.

Railmakers is a small California fabricator, specializing in railings of course. One Railmaker's shop remains in SoCal, and another in Northern CA, Alameda. I heard that the SoCal shop created the pulpits and pushpits under contract. They could surely re-fab any of our parts, but guessing that the costs would be pretty high.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I called railmakers several months ago when looking for a cockpit table. They would provide it at about the same price that Havencraft used to...although I ended up going with the Dowsar.

How about the CB bracket/pin, is that something that can be found in places other than the factory? I know that the last time I looked at mine, the pin was corroding. So, I figure I better buy a couple of them, one for now, and one for later. I hate stocking up with too many extra parts too far in advance though...because I find that I have usually lost them after a few years.

[Scott]

One thing a drive around the block will show you is that there are no RR tracks. For that matter there are no RR tracks to speak of in Costa Mesa and never have been. Didn't they say something about RR cars of resin unloading at the factory to save costs? Not possible.

I apologize if I am mis-speaking, but I am a bulk liquid transporter and it is a common thing for manufacturers to buy a rail car full of product, spot it at a yard and have a transporter transload and deliver it. Also bulk containers are another option for delivering resyn over the rail. We haul it all the time.[/img]