Headroom

[Bugzy]

Hello all.
I am looking at purchasing a Mac 26 in the near future, and one came up for sale here that sounds decent, but is an 89 model.
The owner informed me that there is not a lot of space on this boat, with 5 feet of headroom below, which is fine for the kids, but adults may have some trouble.
I understand the later models have some extra headroom, but I am having a hard time finding somewhere that outlines these distances. Would anyone happen to know?
I hope to see this boat soon, perhaps this weekend, and will be sure to get inside to see for myself how cramped it is.
I am 5'10" myself, so maybe this will not be a huge issue? Thoughts?

 

[Justin_NSA]

Look at the stickie that compares the different 26 models. An '89 is probably a dagger board design. I had a slightly newer 26S with the swing keel. If you want to be able to stand up, you'll be needing an M model, but now you're into the powersailer boats.
If you get an older 26 "classic", forget about standing up. Everywhere will be a crouch position unless you open the pop-top.
The Macs are great trailer-sailors by design. They are not roomy for a 26' boat. Consider a Hunter 26 or 260 also.

 

[Tsatzsue]

You can stand with the pop top up.?

 

[Justin_NSA]

You can stand with the pop top up.?

You are limited to the space directly beneath it. Some folks have sailed with it up but I would not. You lose the use of the vang for one reason.

 

[Sumner]

You can stand with the pop top up.?

Like Justine said you can stand up in the area just under it, which is basically the whole cabin area. V-Berth ahead of there and aft berth behind that is not standing room. We put the pop-top up every night. No place really to walk to but getting in and out of cloths it is a good deal and being able to stand and stretch you legs while below is also good.

We prepare meals sitting down with the stove at the sink area and with the ....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-19.html
portable table between us. It works great as you can move it to where it is needed and it folds up and stores in the aft berth area which we use for storage on a trip. A lot of people actually sleep in the aft berth which is huge. Larger than the v-berth on our 37 foot Endeavour. You can see the port side 2/3's of it above. The other 1/3 is taken up by our fridge and storage.

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-5.html
We enlarged the v-berth on the Mac so that is our sleeping area. Love the Mac,

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

 

[Tsatzsue]

Plenty of headroom in mine with the top up too. I meant it as more of a question of why you can't stand with top up. There should be plenty of room.

 

[Jim26m]

The first 26 that has 6 ft of standing headroom is the M model, if I recall correctly, and it's still right under the hatch in a limited area. The model you are looking at is likely the D. As stated, you have standing headroom under the open pop top. You will likely not spend much time in the cabin unless you plan to do a lot of overnighting. We only go in ours to use the head or get food and/or drinks. Nobody stands in the cabin while underway for long periods. I don't have standing headroom forward of the dinette anyway - head & v-berth areas.

If you decide you need standing headroom in a 26 ft sailboat, that will impact your boat search. Maybe getting on the D will help you figure that out. Just try to imagine how much you would be standing below decks in other than the area below the pop top.

 

[Bugzy]

I am hoping to impress the rest of the family really. We have two kids that have no sailing experience, and I am not sure how they will take to it, but I think if they are uncomfortable, they will be only too happy to get off the boat at the end of the day, and that complicates things. They may never want to sleep on it if it is too cramped.
While sailing, I suppose everyone will be mainly outside the cabin though as suggested, and in that instance perhaps the smaller cabin is ok. I think that head is completely useless since you would need to crawl into it, and be a contortionist to use it. Maybe that whole thing can be removed to make the front beds a little longer? Use a bucket instead or something. lol.

 

[Jim26m]

The younger you start them, and the more fun you make it, are probably bigger issues than boat comfort, after a baseline level is met. It ain't the Hilton.

How old are your kids? I had three kids and we had good times in a 19ft motor home which had about the same sleeping accommodations as the boat you're thinking about. Headroom was another matter.

The head vs bucket issue is a first mate call. Your kids may not care (mine do - head necessary). Wife would shoot me if the head didn't have a closing door also.

If your family can tent camp, the boat is an upgrade (my opinion). Also, nothing beats being on the water in a boat - unless you have motion sickness issues.

Although my boat sails fairly well, the boats, like you're considering, reportedly sail better. Part of that is the reduced headroom (windage)... Tradeoffs are an inconvenient truth.

 

[Jim26m]

A family of three kids in a D...

 

[tjar]

I think that head is completely useless since you would need to crawl into it, and be a contortionist to use it.

Sumner's advice is spot on, but he has heavily modified his boat to meet his needs. As a former 26D owner, I found that camping with the pop top open was very doable. We usually cooked on a portable butane stove that could be placed in the cabin, cockpit, or ashore. We also had a small roll-up table that could be placed on the dock if there wasn't a picnic table available.
With the pop-up opened and the cover attached, there was plenty of room for two people to get ready for bed, although it sometimes involved some interesting gymnastics. Our grand kids had no issues since they were short enough at the time to standup completely.
The head does require a contortionist to use it, but we found that I could use the porta-potty while on my knees and the admiral had to roll out of the compartment to get dressed again. We hung a curtain on a spring rod for privacy.

 

[Tsatzsue]

I have three girls and a dog and have gone for days at a time in my V25. Pop top is great. I sometimes sail with it open if the weather is right. We are big campers and hikers so having the boat with a cooler, toilet and stove is living large. The launch costs $10 at the most and the rest of the weekend is free. Anchoring where no one else can is the best. We have seen osprey hunting and cows swimming. Seals and ever ykind of fish and ocean animal. Having an inflatable ads another layer of fun. The kids take it for a cruise around the harbor or we motor in for an ice cream or dinner. They all have learned how to sail and navigate. It is the best family investment we have ever made.

 

[Bugzy]

That really does sound great. Maybe we can get used to the small cabin if it is that much fun. Would be nice to have something a little bigger though. The 26M looks huge in the pictures. If I go for a 26M though, then I need another vehicle to pull it, where I can get away with our current Van for a slightly lighter boat. Ugh.. so much to think about.

 

[Jim26m]

Chevy trailblazer with a straight 6 2008, towed my M adequately. I towed it once with an awd Equinox 2007 v6, and it really was pushing the limit. I have a 2016 Silverado 1500 lt that tows it just fine now. If you can keep it stick up on the hard, you won't need to upgrade your tow vehicle to go sailing. If you plan on sailing in other waters, that may be a different story. On the right ramp, with empty ballast tank, the boat goes on and off the trailer and up the ramp quite easily.

 

[tjar]

The 26M is an attempt to make a boat that can be both a sail boat and a power boat. Neither of which it does exceptionally well, but at least adequately. Not my taste, but I tend to be a purist. If your intention is to have a boat with more room inside that you can motor up to a secluded camping beach and do so occasional sailing, then this may be the boat for you.

 

[JRT]

I would ask a question of what you are trying to accomplish. Family fun is what drove me to my O'Day 25, the requirements were clean, neat in good condition and affordable since this was an experiment and didn't want to be out a ton of money if it was a no go. The O'Day 25 is probably similar in nature to limited headroom and like a lot of small 70s-80s keel boats. It was a great starter and the first several months there were all smiles. Experiment was a success and didn't plan to change until we found a deal on our 310. Try not to over think this first step is my advise and go for what fits your starting needs and doesn't put a lot of added burden on you. Get a nice clean boat that is loved by her current owner and not neglected and needs restoration, that way you are on the water having fun and building memories. I plan to build some memories this weekend and I think it will be a great sail on Easter!

 

[Bugzy]

Several goals here.
- trailerable with my van. 3500lb towing capacity
- keep it at home so I do not need to pay monthly moorage fees
- also at home, I can make improvements easily, and the bottom of boat will not start its own ecosystem.
- getting the boat in the water, mast up, and family aboard, go sailing, explore the islands. learn some new things, spend time with family away from all of the electronic toys that they have become addicted to, although some of that will inevitably migrate on board. Swimming, fishing, whale/seal watching. Spend a few nights out there, watching the stars and relaxing.
- if the family likes this, we can move to something larger later, maybe moorage would make more sense, but this is a first step. If I get something too small, they may hate it, and that ends the experiment.

 

[Tsatzsue]

Several goals here.
- trailerable with my van. 3500lb towing capacity
- keep it at home so I do not need to pay monthly moorage fees
- also at home, I can make improvements easily, and the bottom of boat will not start its own ecosystem.
- getting the boat in the water, mast up, and family aboard, go sailing, explore the islands. learn some new things, spend time with family away from all of the electronic toys that they have become addicted to, although some of that will inevitably migrate on board. Swimming, fishing, whale/seal watching. Spend a few nights out there, watching the stars and relaxing.
- if the family likes this, we can move to something larger later, maybe moorage would make more sense, but this is a first step. If I get something too small, they may hate it, and that ends the experiment.

That's what I did and six years later we all live for getting out on the water. Towed it with my Honda Odyssey no problem. It is a sailboat not power sailor. One of the fastest macs. !0 hp sips gas. Lowrance fish finder with chart plotter and Navionics on my phone. I can work it during the week because it is next to my garage. I live 1.5 hrs from the ocean so that is great. If they have camped....they will love it. I have an older Mac 25 but the 26s, 26D offer a similar package.

 

[Tsatzsue]

It helps if you are mechanically handy. There is always something to work on or fix on the water and off.

 

[JRT]

Sounds like us! I thought camping and overnights also, but after a few outing the boat was good for day sailing and lake swimming, but everyone wanted off to go home to comfortable beds and food!