Novice Daysailer or Cruiser

higgs · Oct 30, 2006

From a snob

Sailortony_ good response. You did call me a schmuck, and I suppose that should make me angry, but I have been called worse by those important to me so what the hell.I think I did the right thing when I said Macs were crap. People post on this forum looking for advise from those who have the experience and have “been there”. I have “been there” with 30 years on the Great Lakes. Certainly, my knowledge pales to many others on this forum, but I do know a thing or two. Macs are crap. If someone is going to buy one, they should know this and it is the responsibility of those of us with experience to educate them. I am guilty of ignoring the use the poster was intending for the boat. On small, inland lakes, the Mac will be just fine. Coastal day sails on larger bodies of water would be OK as long as one can get into harbor quickly. As i said before, I would not want to be pounding into 8 foot Great Lakes waves with a Mac.

synchronicity · Oct 30, 2006

Heres my two cents.

My wife and I are 50ish.We live in Colorado, and sail Navajo lake.We are 45 minutes from the marina.We trailer, because so far I have had plenty of projects on the boat.I bought my MacGregor 21 last spring.I paid $1200.I have invested another $2500 (roughly) in stuff.Blocks, sheets, halyards, outboard, life vests, tires,radio, lights, used genoa, upgrades, repairs, and modifications.Not to mention a Magma grill for the railing.We made 9 trips to the lake this year.Three of those were overnighters.There is no wasted space.It was really , really good.No, I mean Really Good.It was worth every cent, and well within your budget.The swing keel? - For my uses, I cannot say enough good about it.Easy to trailer, beach it anywhere, explore the little meandering byways,I ain't racing, and the performance is enough for now.Will I upgrade to a bigger boat? - You Bet!Do I regret any of the time or money spent on this one? - Not At AllsynchronicityS/V MoonBeam

newsailor06 · Oct 30, 2006

We Have a C-25

Robert, wow small world, I grew up in Lakewood, but now find myself in Oklahoma. Still get out once a year to visit my parents and get in some skiing. Anyway, on to the subject. We are first time sailors this year and in March we bought a used Catalina 25. Last October, we took the ASA keelboat certification course and learned a lot. It is a very basic course, but it is worth the time and money. We settled on the Catalina after searching the internet for over a year. It is a good first boat. Ours is a 1985 Standard rig and used to be owned by the previous treasurer of the C25 International Association. I seconde Dan's comment and hope you follow the link to the association website. There is a swap meet area and if my memory serves, there is a C25 in Lyons for sale. We did spend a lot more than the 5,000 you are indicating, but the boat is in mint condition and has a new outboard, knotmeter with multiple readouts, new running rigging, etc. There are two types of 25's one is the traditional interior that gives you more room, or the dinette, that is kind of like a camper interior. Each has a separate head area for a porta potty and has a V berth and rear quarter berth for sleeping. We have stayed overnight on ours sevral times this summer, and have learned that as inviting as the V berth is, it's just not big enough for 2. That said, I would not hesitate to buy a Catalina as it has a very good reputation. I do not know anything personally about the MacGregor brand, but after spending a year searching for a boat in the 25' range, the one brand that had more boats for sale than any was the Mac. To me that says something, you have a current owner that wants to sell and there are lots of them.

sailortonyb Allied Mis · Oct 30, 2006

More on the C-25

I owned the fin keel tall rig model. I thought it was a great boat. It handled a lot of really rough stuff in the gulf of mexico quite well. Mine was a 1984 model. I am 5'9" medium build, my GF is 5'-2" medium build. We fit in the V-berth just fine. We actualy lived aboard it for 2 years. A little cramped, but do-able.I would advise against it if you were to trailer sail. To raise and lower the mast SAFELY , will take more than 2 people. NEWSAILOR06.....the reason there is more macs for sale, especially the older 25,s is because they made more of them than any other boat out there. Last I heard , about 5 years ago, MacGregor was pushing their Mac 26's out the door at a rate of 1 every 2 hours. Thats 12 per day, times 365 days per year, for I dont know how many years....Anyway, like I said earlier, If you want to keep it in one area, I deffinately would go with the C-25, but not a good boat for trailering.

newsailor06 · Oct 30, 2006

I see now....

sailortonyb - Thanks for the info on the amount of Mac production. Like I said, I had no first hand knowledge on its quality and components. Our rig is a fin keel and we have it in a slip on Grand Lake, OK. We took down the mast this summer to install a harken furler. After that experience, I have the greatest respect for those who use this as a trailerable boat. It took several of us at the marina to raise and lower the mast. I know there are ways of raising and lowering that make it easier than the way we did, but it still took quite a while to reposition the the shroud turnbuckles and get the mast back to position.Robert, I gave you some wrong information in my earlier post. The Catalina in Lyons that is for sale is a Capri 25 and is not on the Association website. Here is where you can find the info:http://www.sailingtexas.com/scapri25h.html

sailortonyb Allied Mis · Oct 30, 2006

Newsailor06

I have taken down the mast several times on the Catalina 25, even with 4 men and guy ropes, I still worried. Anyway, the Catalina is far superior to the Mac in just about everything you can think of except for trailering. Also note that the Mac canvas is much smaller, therefore easier to handle for a beginner, especially if the weaher goes south on you. The Mac is a small 25 footer as compared to the catalina 25 which is a large 25 footer, if that makes any sense to someone not familiar with these boats. Also note, the Catalina 27 is smaller inside than the 25, go figure that out.The choice can get easier, if the perspective buyer decides on trailer sailing or staying put.One man can put mast and rigging up on a Mac in well under 30 mins.

Doug Burton · Nov 1, 2006

Congradulations!

Sailing is a wonderful thing for bonding a family and I wish I would have pressed it when my boy was younger. You have about 3 years to get her to love it, then, you'll have memories. Isn't that what it's all about. Take a beginner course, maybe together, go on the days weather is proper, and begin to love life again. PS: don't sweat the...everything, going wrong, it does. That's what makes the memories, you'll laugh at yourself remembering trying to overcome it. Enjoy.

Dave M · Nov 1, 2006

Where are you planning on sailing, or

have you decided yet? I keep my Capri in mast-up storage at Chatfield, and we're still sailing. Looks like the lake will be relatively ice free until Thanksgiving, at least.I'll look for you on the water. I'm usually out with one or both of my granddaughters (8 & 11) also.Dave

Novice Daysailer or Cruiser

Scott

higgs

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synchronicity

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newsailor06

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tom

sailortonyb Allied Mis

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newsailor06

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sailortonyb Allied Mis

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Robert Doty

Doug Burton

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Dave M

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Robert Doty