First post, interested in a Macgregor 26 ( I think )

Kermit · Aug 23, 2016

I have a Hunter 260. Not the same boat but I'm pretty sure the marina owner is talking at least a little about the ballast being water as opposed to solid. My experience is that those who don't like water ballast are those who have never had one.

justsomeguy · Aug 23, 2016

http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/26c-s-d-whats-the-difference.103649/

May offer some more info.

BudGates · Aug 23, 2016

I think part of the issues is, as Kermit said, many people don't trust water ballast when the fact of the matter is it works great and large ships have been using it for decades. Other people are simply prejudiced against them for no apparent reason other than someone else they know is.

The other part is that the Mac 26 X and M are hybrids and, as such, has compromises. Although they don't sail quite as well as a classic sailboat they do sail fairly well. Also though they don't motor as well as a classic motorboat they do motor fairly well. Most people who have them love them.

Although we have a few people on this site with Mac Powersailors (26M and X) you'll find more here: http://www.macgregorsailors.com/index.php . I'd recommend asking your questions there.

Scott T-Bird · Aug 23, 2016

Be careful about reading the reviews. First of all, do you really expect to get an unbiased opinion in a forum that is frequented mainly by Macgregor owners? You are likely to hear only positive comments and any negatives will likely be understated or qualified. Secondly, there is a significant distinction between the older Mac 26 s and d and the later power sailers X and M. Opinions may be influenced by the boat the opinionator (not a word, I know) is familiar with. These boats are made to be cheap and light. If you think that translates into quality and performance, think again. I would be considered to be a Macgregor basher in here, just so you know where I come from. I would take a hard look at the use you intend. Your profile says you are from Texas. We don't know what that means exactly. Gulf or lake? High wind area, light wind area? I would never consider a Macgregor 26 M or X on the gulf. Read their limitations as well. Your load is recommended to be no more than 6 persons with water ballast, 4 persons without water ballast (when you want to water ski or get to your destination quickly) otherwise the boat can capsize, according to their literature. They say capsize is no problem because of positive flotation. Not my idea of a fun opportunity (unless its a dingy sailer) or good advertisement. The payload limitations are ridiculously low (in my opinion) and emphasize the overall limitation of the boat. Just ask yourself if you want the cheapest, lightest sailboat on the market for this size and you should know the answer to your question.

I don't mean to be harsh, just be properly prepared. I remember an argument I was in with a fellow in this forum who had a Mac power sailer for use on Lake Michigan. He soon sold the boat for something more suitable, but he was extolling the virtues of the boat he sold. A few of us questioned his virtue for selling the virtues of this boat to an unsuspecting and unknowing buyer, knowing that it fell far short of his own expectations.

Go into it with your eyes wide open. There are distinct virtues to this boat that may be perfect for you. But there are also very strong opinions on the negative side, for good reason (far stronger polarizing opinions than you'll find about any other sailboat, probably). You'll learn if you do the proper research (aside from asking only the lovers of this model).

markwbird · Aug 23, 2016

The Mac 26 is a motor sailor, i.e. it will not perform under sail as well as "sailboat" sailboat. For an experienced sailor who likes his sailboat to sail well that would be less than ideal. There are many other boats out there that will perform better than the MAC 26 under sail and probably for less money. Some people love them for their versatility. They're trailerable, fast under power, comfy. They're the V.W, Bus of sailboats. A nice Catalina 22 or a Hunter 23 will sail better though.

Kermit · Aug 23, 2016

As an addendum to my response, we looked at a Mac 26M and decided we didn't like it. I'm a believer in water ballast for ease of trailering, though. We had a Hunter 23 before our H260. Putting the 23 on the trailer and stepping the mast were the weak links of it as a trailer-sailor for us.

Scott T-Bird · Aug 23, 2016

More to your specific questions: The boat is stripped down with few performance features to actually learn about sailing. If the boat only has a mainsheet and fixed positions for the jib sheets, you won't learn much. You may have to add your own traveler, vang, tracks for your jib sheets, and other things that I'm not thinking about to actually learn something about sail trim and sail handling. If you want to just pull on the mainsheet, that's ok. The sails are small and the rig is very light. The conditions where you actually learn about sailing may be fairly limited. If you think a more cruising oriented sailboat is in your future, you'll learn nothing about a diesel engine, for instance, when you have a gasoline powered engine. In my opinion, it would be a very limiting boat to learn on - you are likely to learn only limited skills. You may soon discover it is not fulfilling your ultimate desire to learn appropriate skills for the boat you ultimately want to have.
One last thing ... it probably isn't said enough ... if you really want to learn how to sail, you are much better off starting on a boat with a tiller. You will become far more deft in boat handling. If you start out with a Mac power sailer, you are truly sailing the equivalent of a VW microbus with horrible driving characteristics, as it was already said.

Justin_NSA · Aug 23, 2016

Md80max said:
So what I am looking for is a boat to learn to sail with and yet be functional, fun and versatile at the same time. I am not finding anything else that fits the criteria except the Macgregor 26.

What causes you to believe that the MacGregor powersailors are the only boats that are "functional, fun and versatile"? Is it your definition of versatile, because I can think of many boats that are all 3. Don't get me wrong, I owned a Mac 26S for 10 years.

Joe · Aug 23, 2016

I would never consider recommending the 26X or M. but for your stated goals, I would definitely recommend the 26D or S. The Catalina 22, 25. The Hunter 260. All good.

Meriachee · Aug 23, 2016

Having owned a 26c, and spent a fair amount of time on and racing Wednesday nights against a 26x, I'll offer this; the c (s or d) will, under most conditions, sail better than an x. Won't sail "much" better than an x, but slightly. The X (or M) with a relatively small motor will plane, so you can get out of harm's way faster than you could with a c, but in my opinion, that's an excuse for not paying attention to the weather.
The c on the trailer, going down the highway would get sucked into the vortex behind a box trailer semi going the other way. I would expect that an x would be much worse, as they have a huge side surface area in comparison, but are really no heavier. Again a trade off. If you're going places, water ballast is a benefit. If the boat is in the lake all the time, not so much. Water ballast boats are a lot tippier than fixed keels. So if you like sitting at anchor with a stocked cockpit table, you have to accommodate some significant rocking when anything goes by. Leave the board down overnight, it bangs against the trunk. Leave it up and the boat rocks a lot and tends to spin a lot.
The boat is built light, some would say cheap, but you could apply that axiom to anything, and any system can be upgraded, and if you spend any time here at all, you'll see that the resident "Mac heads" (you know who you are) love nothing better than crafting some new toy. (Sumner, it's going straight to the bottom with all that junk on it!)

The Mac is not a platform for extended stays. Then again, our 270 isn't either, but on the 270 I can do stuff standing up. That gets real old, real fast, on the Mac, although I do realize the x is a larger platform, it's not that much larger.

David in Sandusky · Aug 23, 2016

Read the owner reviews on this site!

Lot's of input from actual owners. The ones I read were quite positive. My personal experience is a friend who owns a 26s. The first of the water ballast boats, but does not have the planing hull of the 26M.

I'm a sailor who wants the sailing performance and you would get on a Hunter 260, or Catalina 23, but the 26 M is the way to go if you want a motor boat you can sail.

justsomeguy · Aug 23, 2016

Buy one, then keep us updated.

Kermit · Aug 23, 2016

justsomeguy said:
Buy one, then keep us updated.

Great idea. But no one would believe him.

Meriachee · Aug 23, 2016

He

Kermit said:
Great idea. But no one would believe him.

may be just some guy, but it's a good point.