Please answer a few questions.

walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
Im not sure what boat the OP was interested in.. but I think these old Macs could be expensive and somewhat of waste of $$ if you are the type that likes someone else to do the work on the boat. If you are the DIY type and enjoy working on the boat, and have a place to keep it, they can be very economical.

My yearly costs.. $800 for four months slip rental during the winter, another two weeks of $25 to $40 per night of transient slip rental, liability insurance only (self insure the boat itself) and whatever it costs for all the silly projects I for some reason am compelled to do. Maybe $20 per year for gas (which doesn't include the enormous amount of gas used trailering the boat.. but a light weight water ballast boat still saves significant tow vehicle gas costs). Yearly necessary maintenance where I do the work.. under $100. Boat stay in the shaded side yard on the trailer when not used. Every few bunch of years you have costs like new sails or an outboard...
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
As has been mentioned the 26S is an extremely flexible boat in how it is used. No regrets at all in buying one. Love it. If mods decrease its value mine should be down to about zero now ;). When I'm finally ready to sell I hope to find a person/persons that is a cruiser that might appreciate the mods,

Sumner
==============================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
 
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walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
And.. if you just remove the stock door and install a curtain near the main bulkhead/ mast compression post, it maybe doubles the size of the usable floor area and feels way more open.. then its not that bad. I have some claustrophobia which is partly why I cant use that stock door but I guess some folks have no problem.
 
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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
And.. if you just remove the stock door and install a curtain near the main bulkhead/ mast compression post, it maybe doubles the size of the usable floor area and feels way more open.. then its not that bad. I have some claustrophobia which is partly why I cant use that stock door but I guess some folks have no problem.
I removed the stock door and use a curtain as well. The daggerboard trunk of the 26D allows me to place the curtain another 18" or so aft relieving the claustrophobia even more.
 
Jul 1, 2012
306
MacGregor 26D Kirkland, WA
I would separate into 2 times: launching time and rigging time.
My wife and I can launch in about 15 mins (just step the mast, pin the forestay, attach rudder and throw out fenders and dock lines. Then back er down the ramp)
Everything else (attaching boom, clipping on head sail for the day and rigging it's sheets, rigging outhaul, boom vang and mainsail, putting out cushions, cracking first beer) takes another 15-20mins while we're tied to the dock and the ballast tank is filling.

We day sail off the trailer almost every weekend so lots of practice and we both know what needs to be done. The multi-day trips are nice, though, to enjoy more time sailing and less at the ramp
 
Nov 30, 2015
217
MacGregor 26S Lakehills, Tx
The main way to de-value the boat is to start doing major modifications but on the other hand, losing a little money there on resale might be some of the most fun money you have ever lost.

I cannot completely agree with this. IMO, a Mac is a baseline boat. If you want better performance, some mods are in order, but not badly done mods. That is the reason I bought "Mistress"; she is easily modifiable, unlike a boat that is so expensive that you would think three or four times before drilling a hole.


-James
 
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walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
think three or four times before drilling a hole.
Hmm.. that is probably better than my rule of thinking "three for four seconds" before drilling a hole..
 
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Sep 25, 2008
294
1970 Venture by Macgregor 21 Clayton, NC
What is it like on the highway?
I would like to expand on the use on the highway. Yes semis can have effects on your rig. However any time there is a strong wind, you can have some problems, the degree will depend on the Terrane you are driving through. One of my worst drives was pulling the boat from West Virginia to Indiana. I was going west on I-64 in eastern Kentucky and the wind was strong from the west. As I would go into and come out of the road cuts the wind would hit the van/boat in different location causing the van to go in different direction for which you had to anticipate and constantly had to be prepared for.

I have found that pulling a boat as with any trailer you MUST follow truckers rules. ie giving way when they need space, giving them room to drive, giving way to help them change lanes, etc I find that after traveling on an highway for any distance, you will find the trucker giving your the same courtesies, to help you if you help them.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Coming down the hill into Denver with the Catalina was easily the most uneasy time I've ever spent with a trailer on. Even after literally thousands of miles with the Mac on the back. The warped rotor that we came away with illustrated three things clearly, the hill was as steep as they suggested, the boat is as heavy as it felt, and better brakes were in order. While #5 in Kamloops is steeper, Denver is no slouch. No problem with the mac. Ever.
 
Nov 30, 2015
217
MacGregor 26S Lakehills, Tx
What is it like on the highway?

"Mistress" PO moved the axle rearward 1 inch. That made loads of difference in handling, no trailer sway, and she doesn't tilt rearward when on the trailer when boarding like I've seen a couple other Macs do.
She actually got up to 75 going down Raton Pass.
 
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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
IMO, a Mac is a baseline boat. If you want better performance, some mods are in order, but not badly done mods. That is the reason I bought "Mistress"; she is easily modifiable, unlike a boat that is so expensive that you would think three or four times before drilling a hole.
Mods don't necessarily devalue the boat. If done well they can actually increase the value. We bought Elsker Vann (the boat in my avatar) [Norwegian for "Loves Water"] for $900. We did a lot of mods to her, besides cleaning and some long over-due maintenance. After sailing her for 3 years we sold her for $3500.
 
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Aug 7, 2011
496
MacGregor 26S Lakeland, FL
This was a fantastic thread with a lot of good input. I just want to say that I'm closer to willsnow's methodology, and i could go thru walt's post like a checklist! Great stuff there.
It only takes us about 20-30 mins to have the boat in the water. Once we've launched I remove the mast raising pole, mount the boom (with main still attached), and put the anchor and rode on deck in the tube. All of this can be while we're chugging out thru the canal toward the main channel (admiral pilots, i scramble around rigging stuff). Unwrap the jib sheets and thread them. Turn on vhf (and sometimes stereo!). Mount the depth sounder and put the batteries in the GPS. Grab a cold somethin somethin...and smile at the admiral.

Breaking down and stowing for the trip home takes about an hour. Doing the reverse of the above list on the way in. Then getting the boat on the trailer correctly, which can be a challenge. It just takes longer to secure everything, get stuff out of the boat and into the car. And yes, this is usually after we're tired and it is less fun. But it isn't "bad". It's just what it takes to enjoy a trailerable sailboat. Our goal is as someone else posted, to keep it mast-up in a yard with a ramp.
 
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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
Our goal is as someone else posted, to keep it mast-up in a yard with a ramp.
I've been searching the internet for a place where I can keep the mast up near Leech Lake but have so far been striking out. I may end up renting a slip once I get there but that introduces more issues to deal with.
 

walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
A friend who is thinking about retiring asked me recently how it is to be around the wife all the time now that you are not spending most days at work.. Well.. the sailboat at at the marina is a good thing for the relationship.. In my case its about a 5 mile bike ride each way which I do about half the time. Sometimes to sail, often to just go to the boat and change something that was just fine as it was or to just have a few beers.. Wife is happy to have the house to herself for part of the day.
 
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Feb 20, 2011
7,990
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Sometimes to sail, often to just go to the boat and change something that was just fine as it was or to just have a few beers.. Wife is happy to have the house to herself for part of the day.
A little separateness in your togetherness. :thumbup:
 
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Jul 9, 2017
12
Macgregor Venture Seattle
The Mac 25 is very easy to trailer with just about any vehicle, I pull ours with a six cylinder F150 truck and my wifes Santa Fe has no issue as well. Rigging takes approximately 25 minutes and launch is very easy just make sure you only sink the trailer to the top of the wheels. I launch our myself with my 10 year old while the wife and kids play with ducks. It is a great boat,you just have to be passionate about sailing.