Is a MacGregor 26M (gasp) my best option?

Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
I posted this under trailer sailors but I meant to post it to all sailors:

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".
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Probably concentrate less on the self imposed stigma than what it is, or can do. If it fits the need better than anything else, you can apply our motus-operandus: €@&$ ‘em if they can’t take a joke.
 
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May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
tri-toon boat, or an express.

I would like to see a M fight a 3' choppy sea... on a windy day... you might find you're down to 6 knts.

the M should go downwind pretty well.
 
Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
haha, good point. My concern about the stigma (mostly) is that why is there a stigma? I've never sailed on one, or even stepped foot on one for that matter. I've seen plenty of them around and no, they aren't the best looking boat in my opinion - it will never be mistaken for a Sparksman and Stevens design, but I'm ok with that. But why is it so widely trashed by experienced sailors? Is it just because it is such a poor sailing boat? If that is the case I can live with that because I have plenty of boats to use that are fantastic sailors. On paper it seems like it would meet my needs perfectly but not if it is a complete piece of junk.
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
The boat obviously fits/fitted a lot of people's needs as there are a ton out there. I'd say for what you are looking for it does yours also. A lot of current owners previously owned 30-40 foot sailboats but now the Mac is their boat and they are happy with it. Besides on the Mac forum here you will find a lot of them here....

http://www.macgregor26x.com/forum/index.php

... both forums would be a good place to ask any questions and get answers from users of the boat,

Sumner
================================================================================
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
 
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Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
Mr. Bill, I would love an express (I assume you are talking about Alerion Express, but those are way above my price point with possibly the exception of the 28. Considering my primary reason for the boat is floating cottage the 28 just won't cut it. Even as fantastic a boat as it is, the AE28 is still a daysailer with no standing headroom below. And they won't do above hull speed under power which is also one of my needs. I'm not familiar with the tri-toon but I will research it. Great point about heading to wind in a chop but fortunately the trip across the lake will usually be a reach and the chop on the western end of the lake usually isn't too bad with the prevailing southwesterlies. If I would be heading into the wind and chop I would probably stay put, especially in such a light boat.
 
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Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
Thanks for the info Sumner. I find it encouraging that you took a Mac 26S across the Gulf stream to the Bahamas. I've done Miami to Bimini to Nassau to Georgetown on a Tayana 37 and know it can get a bit hairy, and that was on a 35,000 pound boat. The fact that you did it on a Mac 26 speaks well for the build quality of the boat. Do you happen to know if the Mac 26M is built with the same quality of the 26S?
 
Mar 1, 2012
2,182
1961 Rhodes Meridian 25 Texas coast
As an ex Mac dealer- build quality is pretty consistent. Personally, I'd say take a look at a 26 X also. The M is a better sailor, but the X has a much nicer interior layout, including the enclosed head location. Neither one is an open ocean boat like the older original 26 VERY different boats.

For the uses you describe, I'd think either the X or the M would fill the bill.
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I would look for a power boat. The M and X are neither good sailboats, and I have sailed on the X... it wasn't pretty, nor are they good power boats... because when you open it up the bow rises and you can't see where you're going 'cause you're standing at the back behind that little wheel. The reality is that you will rarely sail this boat, think about it.

The advantage of this type of boat is that it is easy to trailer with the water ballast system and you can put it on the beach with the kick up center board. But you want to keep it on a mooring... so you don't need a water ballast system for trailering.... and the power boat doesn't have a centerboard. It is my understanding that the boat is not to be used without the water ballast tank full.

By the way, have you looked at the minimal size fittings on the deck of these boats. Do you think they are designed for mooring? Just saying, look at everything and let your experience around boats be the final decision maker.

You didn't state your budget... but a nice 24 to 26 foot outboard powered cruiser would be the ticket. If you
want to go sailing you have other resources.
 
Jul 22, 2011
146
Mariner Yacht Co.(NH) Mariner 28 Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Like any other boat, Macgregors have strengths and weaknesses. If the compromise works for you, then it works for you. I had a 2-22 which is not a 26M, but Roger had a pretty good eye and designed and built some neat boats. You may find that properly set up the 26M sails better than its reputation. They are built to light scantlings, but they are light boats and not intended for north Atlantic crossings, but lakes and harbors and I never heard of a Macgegor falling apart. 18-20 knots was achieved with a 90 hp engine and a stripped, ballast less boat. I would not expect that in a weekend equipped boat. Blue water yachts was a big dealer and had a very active SAILING community. Out of the box, and built to a price the boats were not set up well. Add a customer base of first time boat buyers, who had little sailing experience and you get a lot of horror stories. But a dialed in 26 is a surprising boat. I'd find a way to get some wheel time before buying and hook into the mac sailing groups. As mentioned, the overwhelming majority of haters never touched a Mac. As for the rest, you can always lower the 90 and be out of ear shot before they finish talking. I'm not saying you should rush out and buy one, but you should definitely do more research. Macgregor engineering was unconventional, but not bad.And as also mentioned, firetruck 'em if they can't take a joke. Macgregors are like Lotus super sevens. Many see them and ask WHY? and a few see they and ask Why not?
Lou
 
Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
Joe, I would (and have) consider a power boat but I have some concerns. First is fuel consumption. Granted I have only spoken to a few power boat owners but the ones who have boats with similar interior room to a Mac 26M tell me that at best they get 1 mpg. Then there is the cost of the maintenance of an inboard as opposed to an outboard. Lastly, I'm a sailor by nature. Even though I have plenty of sailboats to use, it might take some time for me to be mentally ready to be a power boat owner lol.
Your point about the hardware on the Mac 26 being strong enough for a mooring didn't even occur to me and might be what rules the Mac 26 out. The mooring is at the mouth the Niagara River with a 3+knot current. That needs a pretty strong cleat. Oh, my price point would be under 30K, preferably much under but that is my max. Maybe I should just start looking for an older houseboat or something.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
To get the kind of speed and fuel efficiency that you anticipate on that boat, I think it is intended to be powered with the water ballasts empty. In that case, you would be extremely unstable on a Great Lake with cold water. I think capsize with ballast empty would be a significant danger. Look carefully at the specs … you are limited to 4 person capacity as a weight limit with ballast empty. How are you going to use it for a crossing and weekend cottage if you can't load it up with supplies? Well, then you would have to fill the ballast tanks to make it more safe. Then the boat won't plane and you are back to a slow sailboat speed. Your fuel efficiency will also suffer. You could make do with the boat, but I think you would be unhappy when your expectations aren't reality.
 
Aug 1, 2017
23
Hinterholler 25 Buffalo
Point taken Scott T-Bird. Reading all of these comments I'm thinking the Mac26M is a great boat for many but maybe not for me. Now the question is, does a boat exist that is somewhat fast under power, fuel efficient, roomy (stand up head room/enclosed head), well built/strong fittings, trailerable and I can find one in good shape for under 30K? Being able to sail it would be a bonus but that might just be asking for too much. If I had to give up anything maybe it would be trailer ability.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
We bought a 26c new in 1993 and kept it for 15 years. Lousy in ugly weather, family grew up in it. Took it all over the place, used it as a camper, and I never did care about the “looks” while we were using the bbq off the stern rail in a campground someplace on the way somewhere.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I thought I would like a McGregor 26M when I first read about them...seemed like a perfect marriage between sailing and being able to get the boat up on a plane and go fast if I wanted to...heck, I even watched a video of someone water skiing behind a 26M (albeit with a 50HP outboard -bigger than MacGregor recommended).

I looked at a new one, and found the build quality to be very “flimsy”, very light hardware, all Fiberglass interior, not much of a galley, no head (well, I guess a portapotty qualifies) or anything else in the cabin, etc.

But most importantly, I got a sail on a 26X by. Nice gentleman who offered to take me out on his boat. What I found was that the boat didn’t sail all that well, and didn’t motor nearly as well as advertised. Maybe the boat was loaded down, I don’t recall the engine size, but she “wallowed” in the water, bounced around a lot in 2 foot seas, and in general was not very satisfying (to me).

To be fair, the gentleman who took me for a ride kept the boat at his house, so having a trailerable boat was important to him. Does not sound like you need that, and the time it took to set up, launch, retrieve and tear down made me keenly aware that was not going to trailer a boat.

I wanted a boat to safely and comfortably sail on Lake Michigan, and the Mac 26M or X did not do it for me. But your needs may be different.

I would strongly suggest you find someone who will take you for a sail and see if she sails well enough and motors well enough to make you happy.

Good luck with your decision.


Greg
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I've been sailing on Lake Ontario for close to 40 years. There are lots of sailboats out there, but the boats you don't see are multihulls and Mac 26s. There's a reason for this.

There aren't many cats and tris because the marinas on the lake are not equipped to handle the wide beams.

There aren't many Mac 26s because the boat does not appear to be well suited for the kinds of conditions that happen on Lake Ontario.

Lake Ontario comes up with pretty funky weather patterns yielding waves and wind that are at odds with each other. Waves tend to be steep with a short period, and then there are those square waves that randomly appear. Waves are often in the 2-3 foot range and can build rapidly to 6 feet and over. Once I left a port with 3-4 foot waves and by the time I reached my destination 2 hours later, the waves were in the 10-12' range.

How well does the Mac26 sail in 12 knots with 3 foot seas? How well does it motor in those conditions? How well does the boat respond to bigger waves and stronger winds? If you are relying on motoring back from your destination, how fast can you really go?

There are 2 weather buoys on the Lake that report wind speed, wave heights, and water temp, follow them a while, especially when a front crosses the lake. Here's a link to the one north of Rochester: https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45012

If you want to travel and cover large distances get a power boat that can handle the conditions on the lake. If you want to sail, get a boat that you can comfortably sail in most conditions on the lake.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
12 knots is not outrageous, but catch the keel in anything but a down position in 3' water and the cable will likely snap. This I know from doing it. These boats do not tolerate uncertainty kindly.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
If you have access to so-called ‘real sailboats’ to meet that fix, sounds like you would be best served with a powerboat.