Never in a million years did I think I would be saying this - I'm starting to think that a Mac 26M might be the right boat for my particular needs, but I'm putting it out there for others opinions. I'll start by saying that I'm not a newbie to sailing - I've done extensive racing and cruising on all manor of boats in all conditions and even a 10 day offshore journey once in heavy weather. Sure, there are plenty of sailors out there much better than me and with way more experience but I am certainly not a novice. That being said, when analyzing what I am looking for at this time the Mac 26M is looking like it checks off most of the boxes. The boat will be on a mooring on Lake Ontario about 45 minutes from where I live. The primary use of this boat would be to act as a floating weekend cottage for me and my girlfriend. The Mac 26M looks to be big enough and roomy enough to accomplish that. Secondly, Lake Ontario is blessed with many great cruising destinations but the 5 knots per hour average of a traditional sailboat just won't cut it if I want to reach these destinations for a weekend getaway. The Mac 26M can do 18 -20 knots with ease at full power while still getting 3.5mpg, or over 8mpg if I throttle back to 6kts. I have talked to a few owners of similar sized power boats and they measure their fuel consumption in gallons per mile instead of miles per gallon. If I wanted to take a trip across the lake to Toronto I would only burn maybe 10 gallons at top speed or 4 gallons at 6knts. A similar sized power boat could use 60 gallons or more. So fuel efficiency is another box checked off. Lastly, I would love to be able to trailer this boat to places like Georgian Bay when desired. Not possible with a traditional sailboat. Last box checked off. The major drawback that I can think of is that it sails like s#*t, but I'm a member of a sailing club and have unlimited access to a Viking 33, Catalina 30, Pearson 26, O'Day 25, HR 25 (my favorite), a Harpoon 5.2 and a shark, so I have plenty of real sailboats for use when I want to do real sailing. In reality, the only time I probably would put up the sails on the Mac 26M is when conditions were perfect and I wanted some peaceful sailing, other than that I would use it more as a relatively roomy fuel efficient water going camper and cottage. Besides the stigma of owning a Mac 26M, am I missing anything? Are there other boats you can recommend that would meet my needs? To me it seems like my best option. If I do get a Mac 26M I think the appropriate name would be "Coyote Ugly".
Is a MacGregor 26M (gasp) my best option?
- Thread starter timover5969
- Start date
Naming your boat is a personal thing. It has a ring to it.
Nothing wrong with your analysis. I think it is healthier to search for a boat that will meet the type of experiences you want rather than a gadget or status consideration. For you the destination appears to be the goal. For sailors the journey is sometimes more than the destination. That is likely how they enjoy the 6 knots speed. There is a really advantage in my mind using a sail boat over a power boat to cruise. But it sounds like your combining both in your mind.
I think I saw a YouTube video of a Mac26 with a 300 Merc on the back calming to be going 50mph. And another clip of folks water skiing behind their Mac. The boat fits a demographic. And It should like your eligible.
Good luck with your new adventure.
Nothing wrong with your analysis. I think it is healthier to search for a boat that will meet the type of experiences you want rather than a gadget or status consideration. For you the destination appears to be the goal. For sailors the journey is sometimes more than the destination. That is likely how they enjoy the 6 knots speed. There is a really advantage in my mind using a sail boat over a power boat to cruise. But it sounds like your combining both in your mind.
I think I saw a YouTube video of a Mac26 with a 300 Merc on the back calming to be going 50mph. And another clip of folks water skiing behind their Mac. The boat fits a demographic. And It should like your eligible.
Good luck with your new adventure.
Jssailem, as far as a demographic, I truly am a sailor. I am a sailing instructor so I am out sailing at least 3 or 4 times a week during the summer and I am a skipper once or twice a year for large cruising cats in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, so I am all about the journey over the destination. I never thought in a million years that I would be considering a power boat or a sailboat like the Mac 26M. However, I recently attended a lecture on all of the ports of call on Lake Ontario and I was very impressed. With a traditional sailboat I would need to devote at least 3 or 4 days for each journey, and only hit one port of call per trip. Not so much a problem for me but my girlfriend can't get that kind of time off from work. I started thinking, if only there was a sailboat that I could use as a cottage and also be able to get me to these destinations quickly a couple times a summer, all while being much more fuel efficient than a powerboat large enough to use as a cottage. The Mac 26 is the only one that came to mind. The Mac 26 also has the added bonus of being trailer-able, so I could take it to places like Georgian Bay if I wanted to. In my mind all of these benefits outweighed the less than ideal sailing characteristics of the Mac 26, and besides - I will still be out sailing at least 3 or 4 times a week on traditional sailboats. I posted this post on the "all sailors" forum as well and others have convinced me that the Mac 26 might be a good boat for what it was designed to do but it isn't the right boat for me. The fittings aren't strong enough to handle being moored at the mouth of the Niagara River with its 3+ knot current and the boat itself isn't robust enough to handle what Lake Ontario can regularly dish out. That leaves me with getting a traditional well built sailboat - something like a Tartan 34 or Sabre 28 or even something like a Catalina 30 and just accept the fact that my journeys to these ports of call will take a little longer and will happen less frequently, or move to a power boat and realize that I will have to spend a ton on fuel and have to deal with the sound of motors all the time. Both will work just fine as my summer cottage on the water. I think I'm leaning towards going the sailboat route though. There really is nothing more stress relieving than a long journey on open water under sail. I really do want to make it to all of these awesome ports of call someday - I guess it just will have to happen over multiple summers. That is unless somebody can convince me that a power boat is my best option but I really don't see that happening. Who knows. Thanks for the feedback.
I don’t understand the stigma statement. If you want the boat then buy it. Every dawg to his own bone. And as far as it it being coyote ugly I look in the mirror and thank God my wife sees beyond what I see. (But I am smart enough to wear long pants in public.)
Fittings can easily be reinforced if you are worried about the current. Any of the Great Lakes can be a handful for about any boat at times.
Last year 2 Mac X's made the 5000 Great Loop and I think one M also finished the trip and the trip includes part of the Great Lakes. One of those X's has also been to the Bahamas 3 times, once to the far Bahamas past George Town. They have also taken it from Seattle to Alaska and back on the water, done the Sea of Cortez and numerous other destinations in the U.S. and Canada.
I haven't seen anyone suggest another boat that meet all of your criteria in the price range of what you can get a Mac X for. Not aware of any power boat in that price range that has the room below. You made the case for why a X or M might fit your needs. I wouldn't be dissuaded from it based on a few questionable comments. Get on a X/M forum and ask questions. Go out on one and make an informed decision. I looked at the X and it wasn't the boat for us, but I can sure see how they fit a large group of people. It still might not be the boat for you, but you won't know until you look further in my opinion.
I agree with Kermit "I don’t understand the stigma statement. If you want the boat then buy it. Every dawg to his own bone."
Seeing the statements and partial truth's made on this site by others in regards to their opinion of X's and M's and MacGregor's in general constitutes a good reason why most X and M and other Mac owners don't frequent SBO. Thousands of these boats were sold and there are like numbers of happy owners out there. We are a small community and we need to support each other and leave out the criticism that serves no purpose,
Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
@timover5969 I hope you did not take my comment as besmirching your thoughts about the MAC as a boat for you. It was not my intent. Your sailing fix sure sounds like it gets scratched frequently.
I was attempting, maybe poorly, to encourage your search for a boat that meets your needs and desires in the water you want to take adventures.
That is what I did when I found my boat. I started my search looking for a boat like I might shop for a car. What color, what gadgets, what power was on the boats and how are they priced. It seems like a logical way to approach the task. I've bought several cars by looking at the bling and the dealers all make it shine.
Then I read an article by the authors of Attainable Adventures Cruising (https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/08/05/the-right-way-to-buy-a-boat/) and the idea was to look at how you wanted to use the boat not the price or the bling.
It helped me to open my eyes to options. That is when I found the CAL35Cruiser. Only 120 made in the 1973-1974 era. When I got on one and saw the capabilities, it was an immediate fit.
So, if you find the MAC a fit for you. I say go for it. It will give you more pleasure than if you buy what everyone else suggests.
I was attempting, maybe poorly, to encourage your search for a boat that meets your needs and desires in the water you want to take adventures.
That is what I did when I found my boat. I started my search looking for a boat like I might shop for a car. What color, what gadgets, what power was on the boats and how are they priced. It seems like a logical way to approach the task. I've bought several cars by looking at the bling and the dealers all make it shine.
Then I read an article by the authors of Attainable Adventures Cruising (https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/08/05/the-right-way-to-buy-a-boat/) and the idea was to look at how you wanted to use the boat not the price or the bling.
It helped me to open my eyes to options. That is when I found the CAL35Cruiser. Only 120 made in the 1973-1974 era. When I got on one and saw the capabilities, it was an immediate fit.
So, if you find the MAC a fit for you. I say go for it. It will give you more pleasure than if you buy what everyone else suggests.
this is the second of this thread found in another section but suggesting to look at the Hunter 27 Edge which I introduced in Annapolis in 2009 for Hunter. It was a good boat but advised Hunter they were 15 years late as the market had been flooded by Macgregor.
That was my last show attending for 35 plus years. With a 75 hp on the back end when the docks were opened up, I put the pedal to the metal waking the docks and boats and throwing water up onto the folks on board/on docks and those operating boats to include the Harbor Patrol. After a while, I looked back and there was DNR/Harbor Patrol/U. S. Coast Guard all with blue light specials. As Kermit would say "Darn".. Great way to retire from that show but talked my way out of any tickets. Now that was the funniest of all.
That was my last show attending for 35 plus years. With a 75 hp on the back end when the docks were opened up, I put the pedal to the metal waking the docks and boats and throwing water up onto the folks on board/on docks and those operating boats to include the Harbor Patrol. After a while, I looked back and there was DNR/Harbor Patrol/U. S. Coast Guard all with blue light specials. As Kermit would say "Darn".. Great way to retire from that show but talked my way out of any tickets. Now that was the funniest of all.
@jssailem - I didn't take your comments as derogatory at all. I simply didn't state my purpose for this boat clearly enough in my initial post. Buying a boat for a purpose is exactly what I am doing here. The primary reason for me to purchase this boat is to act as a weekend cottage and also as a waterborne equivalent of a pop up camper - something to get me to new destinations quickly and a place to sleep once I get there. When I want to go sailing I would just take out the Catalina 30 for longer sails or the HR25 for daysailing. Maybe the Shark or Harpoon 5.2 when I'm in the mood for some hair raising adrenaline inducing sailing. I have no misconception about using the Mac 26 as a regular sailor on Lake Ontario. That is not a dis as the Mac 26, I just have owned a similar boat on Lake Erie many years ago - a Lugar 27. The Lugar 27 is also a lightweight (3,000 lbs) trailer-able sailboat that sailed fairly well in flat seas and moderate winds. I even could get that boat on a plane with 15 knots of wind and once had it up to a GPS measured 9kts on a reach, but if the chop was more than 2 feet it was nearly impossible to hold a true course as it would very easily get pushed around by the waves, and with its high freeboard and light weight, docking in anything over 8 kts of wind was an adventure. Great boat but not the right boat for the Great Lakes - it just doesn't have enough displacement. I suspect that the Mac 26 would have the same issues when sailing on the Great Lakes. The big difference with the Mac 26 is its ability to motor fast and with low fuel consumption. Basically I would be looking at it as a power boat that burns a fraction of the fuel of a power boat and the maintenance would be much easier. The fact that it could sail when conditions were ideal is just an added bonus. I guess I really need to get on one and see how it actually does perform under power. Some on the other forum are saying that fully loaded and motoring into chop and wind I would be lucky to get 8kts. Hell, if that is the case I could buy a Catalina 34, maybe even a Sabre 34 for the same money and get 7kts without burning any fuel at all. I also don't like the idea of having to upgrade the hardware on the boat to have it meet my needs. That just scares me. Still, the concept of the Mac 26 is intriguing and I probably shouldn't rule it out until I actually get on one and motor it in the conditions I am likely to regularly encounter. Do I think it is an attractive boat? No, not at all, but that is just my taste. I'm really not a fan of the Euro styling look. I'm not buying a boat for its looks though or as a status symbol, I'm buying one for a particular purpose. I'm not even concerned that there is a stigma (@Sumner) attached to this boat except I want to know why there is a stigma. Usually stereotypes are based on some fact, but in some cases they are just that - stereotypes and nothing more. Maybe the Mac 26 has a very undeserved bad rap just because it is different. I would like to know which is the case on the Mac 26 and I guess the only way to truly know is to take one out myself.
???? I didn't attach 'stigma' to it, nor did Kermit, whom I quoted. You mentioned it at the end of your initial post,
Sumner
Wisdom is spoken...
Just do it... Do it soon... And let us know about the experience .
So, new development in my search for a boat. Yesterday I got a call from a friend of mine who owns a sailing school - somebody just donated a very nice Columbia 8.7 to the school, but the problem is he doesn't have any open slips at the sailing school and it isn't an ideal instructing boat anyway. Since the person who donated it is getting a tax write off, evidently my friend can't sell it for three years. He offered to let me use it for free for three years so long as I pay the mooring and winter storage fees. So that's what I am going to do - basically delay buying a boat for 3 years. Hopefully I get a chance to go out on a Mac 26 sometime in the next three years. Thanks for all the feedback guys!
If you do become attached to that boat and want to purchase suggest you haul out and look at the hull to keel joint
Crazy Dave, the boat already is on the hard so I had a friend of mine who does boat surveys give it a quick once over. He said the hull is in excellent shape but not so much the rudder. The rudder is salvageable but will need to be rebuilt at an estimated cost of $600 to $1,000. He said that as it is, the rudder is usable as long as it isn't taken out in a heavy blow. At this point I guess it is up to the owner of the sailing school as to whether or not he wants to accept the donation. I hope he does - the boat is extremely clean on the inside. It looks as if it has been very well cared for.
You my friend took the approach that many of us would have suggested making you better informed in order to make a goood decision. We are all here to help.
I think you're taking the right approach. Whenever I buy a vehicle (car, motorcycle, airplane, boat, or bicycle) I start with a mission profile, from which I draw up a list of requirements, and then I start looking for the vehicle that best meets those requirements. I often end up with something iconoclastic, but I'm rarely disappointed in the choice. That's how I ended up with my current boat, a 1995 Mac 26S. Trailerability (with my current road vehicle) was a non-negotiable requirement, as was ease of rigging and de-rigging when launching. And, because there was some doubt as to whether my wife would embrace the lifestyle (which she now has, very enthusiastically), it had to be a modest investment with good resale potential. Nothing else fit the bill as well.
Some of the criticisms you'll read about Macs are, to me, not warranted. It's true that they don't have the most expensive fittings on the market, but that is fairly reflected in the cost of the boat. When evaluating hardware and fittings it's important to take the mass of the boat into consideration, which is quite modest. Same with the hull construction. Coming from aviation I'm aware that composite structures don't have to be thick and heavy to be quite strong. I probably wouldn't blue-water sail my 26S, but I'm quite comfortable with it's strength for my purposes.
The only thing about my Mac I'm not totally satisfied with is anchoring. Mine is still just as it came from the factory, i.e., not even an anchor roller. I've worked out a pretty good system, but it is rather a pain, considering that I anchor almost every time I sail. A lot of the newer Macs I see have anchor rollers, so maybe that's something they addressed on later models.
Some of the criticisms you'll read about Macs are, to me, not warranted. It's true that they don't have the most expensive fittings on the market, but that is fairly reflected in the cost of the boat. When evaluating hardware and fittings it's important to take the mass of the boat into consideration, which is quite modest. Same with the hull construction. Coming from aviation I'm aware that composite structures don't have to be thick and heavy to be quite strong. I probably wouldn't blue-water sail my 26S, but I'm quite comfortable with it's strength for my purposes.
The only thing about my Mac I'm not totally satisfied with is anchoring. Mine is still just as it came from the factory, i.e., not even an anchor roller. I've worked out a pretty good system, but it is rather a pain, considering that I anchor almost every time I sail. A lot of the newer Macs I see have anchor rollers, so maybe that's something they addressed on later models.
@Tedd
Concur with Tedd. As a former sailboat dealer representing Catalina, Beneteau, Hunter, MacGregor and others all at the same time for small boats, each model had its pluses never knocking or pitting the other against each other. It was the decision of each customer which to buy and as a dealer for each to stand behind what was sold. For some , cost was a factor as Tedd mentioned and that too is an important decision as he pointed out which is why I give him a thumbs up for his response
Concur with Tedd. As a former sailboat dealer representing Catalina, Beneteau, Hunter, MacGregor and others all at the same time for small boats, each model had its pluses never knocking or pitting the other against each other. It was the decision of each customer which to buy and as a dealer for each to stand behind what was sold. For some , cost was a factor as Tedd mentioned and that too is an important decision as he pointed out which is why I give him a thumbs up for his response
I owned one of these for a couple of years. Unfortunately I can't say much good about these boats. I had a yamaha 50 four stroke that when loaded up for the weekend I couldn't reach 13 knots and it burned fuel like a mo fo. This was with the ballast tanks empty, which by the way de stabilizes the boat considerably. So on the power boat side of things, not a very good power boat, unless you oversize the engine by about 30 hp, but then, its only rated for a 50. When it came to sailing, what can I say, it sucked. The "keel" is not heavy enough nor long enough for the boat to track and the skinny little rudders would not tack the boat in any more that about 8 knots of wind. Many times I had to turn the engine on to get the thing to come around. In my opinion for what it is worth, if you want a sailboat, buy a real sailboat, If you want a power boat to get somewhere for the weekend, buy a power boat. This boat is not a good compromise. The concept is great but the rewards are not. Oh, and try loading it on the trailer in a crosswind, not fun. It is too light and has too much windage. One thing though, it tows well.