Sold the boat
- Thread starter MrBill_FLL
- Start date
As was mentioned above the Mac Classics (S and D) sail better than the X or M if you don't want the powerboat type feature. They also have smaller interiors if that is of concern.
I think the consensus is that out of the two the M sails a little better than the X but if I was in Florida with all the shallow water I'd go for the X since it has the swing-up centerboard. The M has a dagger board. The S is more forgiving if you hit bottom and you won't damage the centerboard or boat. With the M there is a chance of damaging the board and the trunk but one thing you have going for you is the bottom (at least on the west coast) is mostly mud and not rocks.
I'd look at all of them,
Sumner
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Are you looking at the miami craigslist?
in the 5 or so months my boat was forsale, I saw several X M and 26'Classics for less money than my boat. (I had a $3k trailer on a $5k boat).
Trailer sailboats in general are not very loved in So Fla. -You might find a better deal looking here than further north.
GL!
edit,
-with today's chart plotters, I don't think daggerboard vs centerboard matters so much on the east coast.
Most all the shallow areas are well marked, and the water is usually clear enough to see the coral heads and sand bars.
in 10 years, I only hit bottom 1x. (in the 10k backcountry)
I have looked on Craig's list in every city in florida LOL. I actually remember the add for your boat but you had sold it when I found the add. I am looking at a 1998 26x that is located in St Augustine Fl. The boat looks VERY clean. Unfortunately there is someone ahead of us that may buy it Tuesday. We will see.
In the Mac that is....seems like we hit bottom with that little boat your took me out in
.I agree that if you sail the same area a lot and get to know it probably not much difference in the M or X. We really liked that area on the Gulf side below Homestead (Highway 1 down to Tavernier) and some skinny water down there also. I'm looking forward to going back there.
The M does have I think 2 more inches of headroom and that might make a difference.
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Check jaxed.com for others. There's lots out there.
February is a nice time to buy boats from up north.
Just take note of the sellers now. They will let the adds lapse and forget about the boat by Feb. That's the time to call.
I'm going to look at another 26D on Sat.
However.. the S and D only sail well if they are kept light weight. They are light boats with a smaller sail plan. For example, the Catalina 27 is only a foot longer but has 44% more sail area than a 26S. The Catalina 27 is a much heavier boat.
At the marina I sail at, sometimes non Mac owners will comment that these are good camping boats and I don’t think it’s always meant in the best way.. but I always also think to myself that these are GREAT camping boats.
Besides the motoring aspect, I think the camping aspect of a boat like the 26X is also attractive. If you are going to load down a 26D/S with all sorts of convenience options, you might as well go for the extra room of a 26X. Another aspect of the larger motor is the "real" charging system (ex the Suzuki 60Hp can put out 19 amps) – good also for powering a lot of the convenience options.
You can’t really talk about the 26D/S being fast and being heavily loaded in the same sentence. I think besides the power boat aspect of the newer Macs, if the camping RV mode is more important, go for the M or X and you can make them very comfortable. If the sailing aspect its more important, go for the D or S - but you have to keep them on a diet.
For me the sailing aspect is a little more important so the S or D is what I own (and the boat is on a constant diet - everything that goes on it gets weighed and where that weight goes matters).. as I get older the M or X actually start to sound more attractive.
Good post Walt. And I agree on the sail area. I have no history on my boat but I think the reef point on my mainsail is too high. It feels like I have almost no sail at all. I always end up shaking it out and sailing under full main. This off season I plan to get another point sewed in halfway between the boom and the existing point. I keep cabin mods to a minimum to keep the weight down.
I can agree with that and I was talking about the way most people use their boats not how we chose to use ours.
Still which sails better an S or D that has been weighted down for trips or an X or M that has been also weighted down for trips
. Not fair to compare a heavy S or D to a stock weight X or M. Also our S still sails very well, maybe just not as fast as a light S. The weight did have an advantage in heavier seas cutting down the motion of the boat going into weather riding through the waves more than up and down on them. The boat still moves very easily in very light winds it just might not accelerate off of a tack as fast but for larger bodies of water where you aren't tacking as often that doesn't come into play or if you are a cruiser and not a racer also not a problem. In theory in the right conditions with the longer waterline it should actually be faster .We looked hard at getting an X and would still get the S over it again, but that is merely based on our needs of 1-2 people and for sure the X or M would be a better decision for some others. As I said before look at them all and also other boats than a Mac. Decide how "you" want to use 'your" boat and make your choices accordingly and let others do the same. Don't get caught up in my or other people's goals.
For us these were our goals and for me still are and you can find them on the first page of our site...
,
Sumner
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Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
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I think we all want to be happy with the boat we have and don't want to feel like we made a bad decision. I think both boats are nice and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Sum is right, don't get hung up on our wants and needs but rather worry about yours. It's pretty simple from that point.
That is to say, if you want something newer and bigger with more luxury and space out of the gate, go with the M or X. Nothing wrong with having a cozy interior.
If sailing, racing, always trying to get the best performance out of the wind is your goal, go with the S or D.
Most importantly, don't go against the wishes of the admiral.
That is to say, if you want something newer and bigger with more luxury and space out of the gate, go with the M or X. Nothing wrong with having a cozy interior.
If sailing, racing, always trying to get the best performance out of the wind is your goal, go with the S or D.
Most importantly, don't go against the wishes of the admiral.
Apparently I had a small binge from the boat diet.. put this ice chest and TV in today just checking the fit. Together they probbaly added 25 ro 30 pounds to the boat. Regarding the camping aspect.. I also like the pop top.. This picture was taken with a go pro camera today - just testing it out.
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Looking great Walt!
I have to get a GoPro. (I have a Emerson Chinese knock off one. I'm not happy with it.)
What did you use to hold your floor down with Walt?
I looked at a boat today that has some type of "wood" like flooring. It has to go. It looks like it is held down with latex calking... I didn't really poke at it and find out though. Seems I didn't take any specific pictures of the floor either...
(I'm buying another boat tomorrow...)
How about those curtains...
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I was actually of thinking of putting just such a floor in my boat this winter....or try any way. I thought it would be kind of neat. That one looks a little rough though. It was going to sit on 3/8 sleepers and be removable in one foot sections.
Like a bunch of other people here have done, I just used the sticky back fake hardwood floor stuff from the hardware store (Vinyl I think). Its not expensive and has held up well but over time it collects dirt at the edges and this area is hard to clean. Something you could lift out would be easier to keep clean but probably heavier and more $$$
Mine isn't held down at all. I used the rubber floor in "teak". The planks are the same size as a pergo type with male and female overlaps that have adhesive on them. Easy to cut with a razor knife. Not expensive and holds up well.
You could caulk the edges to keep dirt out but you can almost lift the entire finished floor and clean it with a shop vac and crevice tool. You can almost see it in this picture below
I had it also in the cockpit but the sun did a number on the glue and it started to separate so I threw it away.
You could caulk the edges to keep dirt out but you can almost lift the entire finished floor and clean it with a shop vac and crevice tool. You can almost see it in this picture below
I had it also in the cockpit but the sun did a number on the glue and it started to separate so I threw it away.
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I really like that method too it looks quite nice from the pictures. I bought a box of it last year and if the wood idea doesnt pan out that was my back up plan.