Opinions Please?!

[Stephen Saunders]

Okay, A quick question for everyone...I currently have a 1980 Catalina 22, and have been extremely pleased with it. I do 99% of my sailing at Lake Lavon outside of Dallas, and since I currently do not have a trailer for my boat (which I am always looking for one...) the majority of my sailing days in the near future will also be Lake only sailing...My question is this, while I am not really having the 2-footsies, I am always keeping an eye open for a larger boat. I have come across an older ('82) Macgregor 25' with a trailer for $3500. It needs a little work, but I can handle the projects it needs pretty inexpensively. So ultimately, my question is...(1) What do you know or think about the Macgregor 25, is is even in the same ballpark as a Catalina 25? (2) Even though it has a trailer, most of the time it will be at Lavon so is there any real benefit to going any larger?, and (3) For the year, what does the price look like?

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com]

MacGregor

I'm no Mac guru but I think the older Macs are on par with Catalinas in looks

 

[Marc P]

Macgregor vs Catalina

Having been an owner of a 1985 Macgregor 25 Swing Keel for about 6 years I can tell you that the difference between a Macgregor and just about anything else is significant. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Mac and it served us well but the bottom line is it is a cheap boat that always needs a lot of work. We have sinced moved up to a Catalina 30 and we could not be happier.

 

[Don]

Macgregor or Catalina

Funny you ask this question, because I just sold my 1978 Venture/Macgregor 25 this past Saturday. I sold it because last Semptember I bought a Catalina 25 and my wife wouldn't let me keep two boats. Anyway, the Macgregor 25 is a fine starter sailboat, but they are fundamentally a no frills, basic, trailerable sailboat. The Cat 25 I have is a fixed keel, which means that it is a heavier and more stable boat(it weighs almost twice as much as the Mac). Since I had both the Macgregor 25 and the Catalina 25, I can tell you that the Catalina wins hands down in every category. The Catalina 25 is twice the boat that the Macgregor 25 is and support for the older Catalinas is readily available. As for the price of the Macgregor, that depends on how much work is needed, equipment, hull condition,...etc. It also depends on the amount of available boats in your area. I live in Michigan and there is an abundant supply of boats which sometimes drives the prices of boats down. So really you are still governed by the laws of supply and demand for your area.