First of all thanks to all who replied to my trailer load question, this site really is a great thing!! I read the article about the Mac 26x flipping and the tragic result,what is the consensus on the stability of this model.Since I am looking at buying one I would appreciate any input.I intend to use it mainly in Florida(bay, sound, protected coastal).
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Overloaded and No Ballast Water
..is my recollection on the article. I don't remember any claim the boat was inherently unsafe, rather that there should have been big warning lables not to operate the craft heavily loaded without ballast water. You know, kinda like 'do not aim gun at head and pull trigger without checking to see if loaded'. Rick D.
..is my recollection on the article. I don't remember any claim the boat was inherently unsafe, rather that there should have been big warning lables not to operate the craft heavily loaded without ballast water. You know, kinda like 'do not aim gun at head and pull trigger without checking to see if loaded'. Rick D.
One capsized in SF Bay last year.
Stewart: There was one that capsized in the SF Bay last year. All crew was thrown from the boat, but lived to talk about it.
Stewart: There was one that capsized in the SF Bay last year. All crew was thrown from the boat, but lived to talk about it.
Mac26X
I operated a 2000 Mac 26X for about 2 years. We did coastal cruising as well as ICW here in South Florida. In 5 to 6 foot seas we had no problem with stability off West Palm Beach on one occasion,boat handled well except for trying to tack into wind (about 15+ knot winds) when we could not turn. Hindsight says if we had eased the 150 Genoa we would have been fine,moving the CE aft. We had the Genny out all the way and that put lots of pressure on the bow. On another occasion offshore we heaved to in rather heavy seas and the Mac rode very comfortably. We never operated without a full ballast tank by the way. Now have recently purchased a Hunter 280 and look forward to sailing again soon.Pete
I operated a 2000 Mac 26X for about 2 years. We did coastal cruising as well as ICW here in South Florida. In 5 to 6 foot seas we had no problem with stability off West Palm Beach on one occasion,boat handled well except for trying to tack into wind (about 15+ knot winds) when we could not turn. Hindsight says if we had eased the 150 Genoa we would have been fine,moving the CE aft. We had the Genny out all the way and that put lots of pressure on the bow. On another occasion offshore we heaved to in rather heavy seas and the Mac rode very comfortably. We never operated without a full ballast tank by the way. Now have recently purchased a Hunter 280 and look forward to sailing again soon.Pete
Mac stability & Lake Champlain info link
The link below is to the New England Trailer Sailors' association and the (newspaper) article posted about the lethal capsize on July 4th this year. I own a 2001 26X and haven't had any problems with stability. I haven't, however, tried to carry 8 adults, 3 children, and a dog (maybe 2 dogs depending on the story) on the deck of my unballasted Mac. I wouldn't do that even with the ballast tank full. (I think a dog and one of the kids was below deck when the Champlain boat went over: they survived.) With 1500+ pounds of movable ballast (people) on top of a 2400 pound boat, it wouldn't take much of a wave/wake to start a barrel-roll. Adding the 1500 pounds of water ballast to the boat may have helped, but this might have become a knock-down anyway. The difference is that, with ballast, the boat would have popped back up once it dumped the adults (movable ballast) overboard. The kids may have had a chance, and several adults could have then gone below-deck for the ride home to keep it from happening again. No boat is 100% safe and 100% fool-proof. I'm happy with the compromises which make up the Mac 26X. http://www.ne-ts.com/ar/ar-407capsize.html
The link below is to the New England Trailer Sailors' association and the (newspaper) article posted about the lethal capsize on July 4th this year. I own a 2001 26X and haven't had any problems with stability. I haven't, however, tried to carry 8 adults, 3 children, and a dog (maybe 2 dogs depending on the story) on the deck of my unballasted Mac. I wouldn't do that even with the ballast tank full. (I think a dog and one of the kids was below deck when the Champlain boat went over: they survived.) With 1500+ pounds of movable ballast (people) on top of a 2400 pound boat, it wouldn't take much of a wave/wake to start a barrel-roll. Adding the 1500 pounds of water ballast to the boat may have helped, but this might have become a knock-down anyway. The difference is that, with ballast, the boat would have popped back up once it dumped the adults (movable ballast) overboard. The kids may have had a chance, and several adults could have then gone below-deck for the ride home to keep it from happening again. No boat is 100% safe and 100% fool-proof. I'm happy with the compromises which make up the Mac 26X. http://www.ne-ts.com/ar/ar-407capsize.html
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