This past Sunday was our maiden voyage on our 2000 Hunter 260. Our previous boat was a 1991 Macgregor 26s water ballast swing keel. This is the older model Macgregor 26s not the new 26X or M power/sail boat.Here are some of my first time comments and observations and some comparisons of the two.
Trailering –
We tow with a chevy truck with tow package. The hunter tows at 2X the weight of the Mac so you know it is back there. Highway towing at 65 mph was not problem and smooth. We did go though some construction zones, that caused me to tighten up a little, especially the signs but no incidents.
Stepping the mast
We practice a few times (5 to be exact) at home getting the whole process done and the admiral developed the checklist so we had it down pretty well. When we got to the marina there were 3 other sail boats doing the same. The Mac 26s has a mast raising system but it is a much lighter mast and we generally man handled it up. We could rig and be ready for sail in 20 – 30 minutes. For the Hunter we use three people and the trailer winch….one on winch one on deck and the admiral observing and critiquing. Two or three cranks then check lines ,side stay buckles and repeat to mast is up. We received a standing ovation form the two of the other boats as we had the mast up in less than 20 minutes We were up, rigged for sailing and loaded within an hour. Not racing just slow and careful and all went as planned.
Launching
The Mac 26s was a dream to launch. With one on the boat one in the truck, we could get back the trailer in, drop the keel and motor off. I was not sure with the height of the Hunter’s water line, when on the trailer, how far I would have to take the truck in get her to float. Our ramp is a 6:1 so all the math worked without extending the trailer tongue. Backed the Hunter in, back tires hit the water, stern floated off the trailer. …checked to see of there was enough room to lower the rudder, did the rudder dance putting the rudder down. Started the kicker and backed her off the trailer. I was not sure how the heavier hunter would handle with no keel and no ballast….she backed and steered like a dream…within the protected area of the launch site. The Hunter actually handled better than the Mac under these conditions due to the bigger rudder. Once clear of the loading dock, dropped the keel and open the water ballast. The Hunter seemed to fill much faster. With the Mac, I had time to tend to other matters but the Hunter filled in ½ the time or less.
Marina steering.
This was my biggest concern. I have a tiller 260 and do not like to have the outboard as slave to tiller. Our ramp areas tend to get fairly crowded and require some maneuvering while waiting for the driver. With the outboard tightened ( not locked ) into a straight position, the Hunter handles great. With the stock keel I could take it very slow and still have steering control. The Mac was very responsive in these conditions but you had to watch for prop and tiller impact on hard turn to port.. With the Hunter motor locked off straight there is no way the rudder can impact the rudder so steer away. I had to navigate around a few waiting boats and did so with ease. To pick up the driver I just gave the boat a little kick about a hundred yards out and she guided into the guest slip with the motor running in neutral, quick reverse kick at the end and she just edged up. The Hunter is much bigger and with the added weight and larger rudder it seemed to provide more control with less drift and prop walk than the Mac. I prefer the Hunter to the Mac around the marina.
Sailing
Our Mac is a great sailing boat. It is fast, responsive and we could consistently hold her over 6knts. Reefed, she handled 25 knot winds and sailed great if you kept a hold of her and worked the sail trim. We have a tiller steering Hunter. I actually prefer tiller steering as it has more room in the cockpit and with the tiller extension I was sailing form the catbird seat most of the day. The Hunter has a much different sail plan than the Mac 26s. We need some time together so she can teach me how she likes to be handled. The biggest issue to get use to is the lower position of the mainsheet cleet. With the ring on the floor the angle of the release took some getting use to to be able to pop the line. This is also my first experience with the jib furler, so we have some learning to do to get it all dialed in.
It was a perfect sailing day. 10 – 15 knot winds and fairly consistent. The Hunter is a bit tender, like the Mac, but settles in very quickly at a nice 10 - 15 degree heel. It does not accelerate as quickly as the Mac, but once in the grove it hold its line much better when cutting through the wake/chop of a powerboat lake. The Hunter has less weather helm and she holds a heel much cleaner. The Mac is much quicker to tact in low winds and more forgiving if you loose power. The Hunter sails good on a close haul but about 3-5 degree loser than the Mac when tight to weather. That may be my inexperience with the Hunter and/or the furler. Overall, IMHO, the Mac sails faster with more feel, but the Hunter sets in much cleaner and holds its line and seems less tender. Even though they have pretty close to the same rating, I am pretty sure I could out sail a Hunter with my Mac 26s., but that was not the goal of why we purchased our Hunter and may just be my experience.
Cove time
There is no comparison between the two boats when discussing cabin and cockpit. I prefer the tiller steering as it open up the cockpit and my roots in racing cats. The sugar scoop makes the Hunter so much more enjoyable for swimming. The cabin allows four to six people to comfortably eat lunch and get out of the sun with plenty of room for that mandatory afternoon knap. As far as creature comforts, the Hunter is it. The storage allows up to find a place for everything we need and is accessible. With the Mac we found, or made storage, but it often required shifting things around to get to one item or another. The hunter can easily handle 6 adults on a day sail and 4 adults and 2 kids on an overnighter. The enclosed head provides the privacy and comfort to make the ladies comfortable. The Hunters overall cabin layout is great, yes even the table. This is the biggest area of improvement and the main reason we went bought the Hunter. She did not disappoint in anyway.
Loading
Our Mac was a 3 minute process, We often drove the Mac on the trailer, hooked the bow and off we went. Our Hunter trailer does not have any goal post and it was our first loading experience. Getting it all lined, especially the keel required us to have the cradle partially exposed to keep the keel centered. All in all we got it in less than 20 minutes which is not bad for the first time. Kind of hard to practice that one at home. With some trailer improvements I am sure we can get this down. The Hunter will now take the place of the Mac at the mast up lot so no demisting required.
Overall
Whereas these are both 26 ft boats they are very different and designed for different uses. Depending on you situation I would choose one over the other. For a boat that you will trailer to and from the lake each time you sail, the Mac 26s is a great boat and would be my choice. I could have the Mac ready to sail in less than 20 minutes with 2 people and 30 minutes single handled. At 1500 lbs towing it requires only a small vehicle and can launch just about anywhere. I would not use the Hunter 260 as a boat I trailer to the lake every weekend for a day sail. I would either leave it in a mast up lot or in a slip and have the flexibility to trail on those special occasions… in our case, a run over to Catalina or San Diego. Both boats are C class boats I know many people sail the Mac 26s on coastal waters but I would feel more comfortable keeping it to inland lakes and protected harbors. I will take the Hunter on a costal sail or to Catalina Island with few reservations but care.
The Mac 26s is a very easy boat for single handled sailing. For a couple or family with kids, the 26s is a very economical way to enjoy day and weekends and have the freedom to go anywhere. It is a great learning boat as it is very easy to sail and very forgiving. Not trying to place a challenge but IMHO I still think the Mac 26s will out sail the Hunter on a course but The Hunter is where I want to be when at the docks or in the cove for the night.
Just my thoughts and observations….comments and challenges always welcome.
Tim
Trailering –
We tow with a chevy truck with tow package. The hunter tows at 2X the weight of the Mac so you know it is back there. Highway towing at 65 mph was not problem and smooth. We did go though some construction zones, that caused me to tighten up a little, especially the signs but no incidents.
Stepping the mast
We practice a few times (5 to be exact) at home getting the whole process done and the admiral developed the checklist so we had it down pretty well. When we got to the marina there were 3 other sail boats doing the same. The Mac 26s has a mast raising system but it is a much lighter mast and we generally man handled it up. We could rig and be ready for sail in 20 – 30 minutes. For the Hunter we use three people and the trailer winch….one on winch one on deck and the admiral observing and critiquing. Two or three cranks then check lines ,side stay buckles and repeat to mast is up. We received a standing ovation form the two of the other boats as we had the mast up in less than 20 minutes We were up, rigged for sailing and loaded within an hour. Not racing just slow and careful and all went as planned.
Launching
The Mac 26s was a dream to launch. With one on the boat one in the truck, we could get back the trailer in, drop the keel and motor off. I was not sure with the height of the Hunter’s water line, when on the trailer, how far I would have to take the truck in get her to float. Our ramp is a 6:1 so all the math worked without extending the trailer tongue. Backed the Hunter in, back tires hit the water, stern floated off the trailer. …checked to see of there was enough room to lower the rudder, did the rudder dance putting the rudder down. Started the kicker and backed her off the trailer. I was not sure how the heavier hunter would handle with no keel and no ballast….she backed and steered like a dream…within the protected area of the launch site. The Hunter actually handled better than the Mac under these conditions due to the bigger rudder. Once clear of the loading dock, dropped the keel and open the water ballast. The Hunter seemed to fill much faster. With the Mac, I had time to tend to other matters but the Hunter filled in ½ the time or less.
Marina steering.
This was my biggest concern. I have a tiller 260 and do not like to have the outboard as slave to tiller. Our ramp areas tend to get fairly crowded and require some maneuvering while waiting for the driver. With the outboard tightened ( not locked ) into a straight position, the Hunter handles great. With the stock keel I could take it very slow and still have steering control. The Mac was very responsive in these conditions but you had to watch for prop and tiller impact on hard turn to port.. With the Hunter motor locked off straight there is no way the rudder can impact the rudder so steer away. I had to navigate around a few waiting boats and did so with ease. To pick up the driver I just gave the boat a little kick about a hundred yards out and she guided into the guest slip with the motor running in neutral, quick reverse kick at the end and she just edged up. The Hunter is much bigger and with the added weight and larger rudder it seemed to provide more control with less drift and prop walk than the Mac. I prefer the Hunter to the Mac around the marina.
Sailing
Our Mac is a great sailing boat. It is fast, responsive and we could consistently hold her over 6knts. Reefed, she handled 25 knot winds and sailed great if you kept a hold of her and worked the sail trim. We have a tiller steering Hunter. I actually prefer tiller steering as it has more room in the cockpit and with the tiller extension I was sailing form the catbird seat most of the day. The Hunter has a much different sail plan than the Mac 26s. We need some time together so she can teach me how she likes to be handled. The biggest issue to get use to is the lower position of the mainsheet cleet. With the ring on the floor the angle of the release took some getting use to to be able to pop the line. This is also my first experience with the jib furler, so we have some learning to do to get it all dialed in.
It was a perfect sailing day. 10 – 15 knot winds and fairly consistent. The Hunter is a bit tender, like the Mac, but settles in very quickly at a nice 10 - 15 degree heel. It does not accelerate as quickly as the Mac, but once in the grove it hold its line much better when cutting through the wake/chop of a powerboat lake. The Hunter has less weather helm and she holds a heel much cleaner. The Mac is much quicker to tact in low winds and more forgiving if you loose power. The Hunter sails good on a close haul but about 3-5 degree loser than the Mac when tight to weather. That may be my inexperience with the Hunter and/or the furler. Overall, IMHO, the Mac sails faster with more feel, but the Hunter sets in much cleaner and holds its line and seems less tender. Even though they have pretty close to the same rating, I am pretty sure I could out sail a Hunter with my Mac 26s., but that was not the goal of why we purchased our Hunter and may just be my experience.
Cove time
There is no comparison between the two boats when discussing cabin and cockpit. I prefer the tiller steering as it open up the cockpit and my roots in racing cats. The sugar scoop makes the Hunter so much more enjoyable for swimming. The cabin allows four to six people to comfortably eat lunch and get out of the sun with plenty of room for that mandatory afternoon knap. As far as creature comforts, the Hunter is it. The storage allows up to find a place for everything we need and is accessible. With the Mac we found, or made storage, but it often required shifting things around to get to one item or another. The hunter can easily handle 6 adults on a day sail and 4 adults and 2 kids on an overnighter. The enclosed head provides the privacy and comfort to make the ladies comfortable. The Hunters overall cabin layout is great, yes even the table. This is the biggest area of improvement and the main reason we went bought the Hunter. She did not disappoint in anyway.
Loading
Our Mac was a 3 minute process, We often drove the Mac on the trailer, hooked the bow and off we went. Our Hunter trailer does not have any goal post and it was our first loading experience. Getting it all lined, especially the keel required us to have the cradle partially exposed to keep the keel centered. All in all we got it in less than 20 minutes which is not bad for the first time. Kind of hard to practice that one at home. With some trailer improvements I am sure we can get this down. The Hunter will now take the place of the Mac at the mast up lot so no demisting required.
Overall
Whereas these are both 26 ft boats they are very different and designed for different uses. Depending on you situation I would choose one over the other. For a boat that you will trailer to and from the lake each time you sail, the Mac 26s is a great boat and would be my choice. I could have the Mac ready to sail in less than 20 minutes with 2 people and 30 minutes single handled. At 1500 lbs towing it requires only a small vehicle and can launch just about anywhere. I would not use the Hunter 260 as a boat I trailer to the lake every weekend for a day sail. I would either leave it in a mast up lot or in a slip and have the flexibility to trail on those special occasions… in our case, a run over to Catalina or San Diego. Both boats are C class boats I know many people sail the Mac 26s on coastal waters but I would feel more comfortable keeping it to inland lakes and protected harbors. I will take the Hunter on a costal sail or to Catalina Island with few reservations but care.
The Mac 26s is a very easy boat for single handled sailing. For a couple or family with kids, the 26s is a very economical way to enjoy day and weekends and have the freedom to go anywhere. It is a great learning boat as it is very easy to sail and very forgiving. Not trying to place a challenge but IMHO I still think the Mac 26s will out sail the Hunter on a course but The Hunter is where I want to be when at the docks or in the cove for the night.
Just my thoughts and observations….comments and challenges always welcome.
Tim
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