Trailering a 26?

[biorapper]

My 26s outsails most boats in it's size range

quite often. Once the wind gets close to or over 15 mph then a reef or extra rail meat is in order. I have sailed in in coastal waters from North carolina to key west with no problems...been on most lakes in the south east as well. That is one thing I love about the mac...exploration of new waters is EASY. Be it anchored next to a waterfall in a mnt. lake or behind morris island off charleston or sailing to crooked island from panama city, or ... I have taken this baby ALL OVER, and find the thrill of virgin territory addictive. It is a lighter built boat; which is one reason they can be, for their size, sailed fast and trailered easy. Most people who are derogatory towards them have never sailed on one; and so are simply highlighting their ignorance. Many old mac sailors who have moved on to larger boats have fond memories of their macs (esp. the 26d, c,and s).I have seen sailors on very nice boats sailing like crap (gail and bffatcat)...your ignorant judgments of a class of boats (you don't even state which mac it was...) is absurd. Try to dig a littler deeper into your brain if you can and realize that there was a sailor who must have sucked helming the boat. I would be happy to show you how a 26s can be sailed. I go to Charleston alot as it is the closest salt water to me. I've been out in about 15-20 mph winds and 4-6 foot waves. The 26s is a fast, well handling boat. A little sensitive to heeling at first, then it digs in pretty good...above 15 mph... thats what flat sails, travelers and then reefing are for.  Would I be offshore in one? No way! But that is not what they are made for. I guess some people just have to make themselves feel better by, relative to themselves, lowering others. I'm sure the pearson 26 is a great boat for it's niche, as is my 26s...

 

[Bob]

A forum for merits?

I just went through hell getting around Cape Hatterass and when I finally make it to Maimi my topic has become a forum on the merits of macgregors? christ! this is the pearson forum, not the everything that's great about mcgregors forum

 

[biorapper]

A form for demerits?

What do you expect bob? That those of us who have sailed macgregors and KNOW how they sail just sit back while it gets insulted by people who are ignorant of the different types and have obviously never been on one? Perhaps the one poster should not have recommended a mac 26 due to it's great trailering, but that did not warrent the post's by Gail and fatcat. If gail and fatcat had known what they were typing about(26 has a phrf of 216, does that sound like a boat that just bobs about gail?)I would never have been in your praise pearson's forum. I don't know about your boats and have never said anything bad about them, but I'm not gonna sit back placidly while others judge mine with ignorance.

 

[Dave C20469]

All right folks, let's knock it off, okay?

This is like a religious war - nobody wins and everyone gets mad.To Doug's point, I'd love to see more input on the pearosonowners.com reviews and such. Of course, Bob, we've been up a tad less time than the Mac forum, so we do need to take that into account. Dave Crowleys/v Wind Dreamer IIP303pearsonowners.com

 

[Doug J]

Be Aware

Just trying to correct some obvious erroneous allegations. Let's remember, this started with a Pearson owner coming to the Macgregor forum, to point out how he interpreted Macgregors to be a poor choice of boat. Why he felt it necessary to do so is a mystery to me.Then another individual on this thread, took it to another level. Making statements like, "The Mac 26 does not deserve to be considered a sailboat". Now come on!!! That's hitting below the water line! That's why this thread turned into what it is Bob. My apologies! I agree with Bio whole heartedly though. I'm sure we all are fond of our respective boats. Lets all be gracious enough to respect each other, and appreciate each boat for what they are.You'll note that we have not insulted Pearson, on the contrary, I for one have stated I admire them. In fact, if I wanted a boat to stay in a slip, and was not interested in trailering, Pearson would be one manufacturer I'd consider. I think they are fine boats.Now, let's all just look at this as a bit of friendly rivalry and nothing more.But, I still invite anyone to watch the Macgregor promotional video I posted. It may just change your opinion of Mac's. If there is a similar video of the P26, I'd love to watch it.

 

[Bob]

that's fair

that's fair, i'm sure the mac 26 is a fine boat and people have opinions, it's just this is turning into a war room between pearsons and macs and i don't really wnat that

 

[Bob]

exactly

exactly, this is what i mean, some owners arguing about which one is better. this is completely ok if not for the fact that it has nothing to do with this topic. now i know nothing about a pearson owner on the mac forum or any of that, i'm just looking for opinions on trailering

 

[Gail]

Hey Doug

Doug... here's why you rub me thr wrong way:A guy buys a Pearson 26 and gets on the Pearson forum asking about trailering his Pearson sailboat. Immediately a MAC owner comes on the Pearson forum and says he should get (or have gotten) a Mac 26 instead, with the implication that the Mac 26 is superior in all respects. Then he invites all his Mac friends to invade the Pearson forum and nod in agreement. Do you know how absolutely obnoxious that is? My God it's like you're some kind of cult trying to recruit more members! Do Pearson owners go onto the Mac list and tell all the Mac owners they should have bought a Pearson?I've seen a Mac 26 trying to sail in a very small bit of chop off the coast of Maine. It was not pretty. So I have no desire to set foot on a Mac. Nor do I wish to waste 45 minutes of my life looking at Mac video propoganda.As for brand-specific activity on this particular site: So what if the Pearson owners forum here is not as active as the Mac owners forum? Different owners hang out in different parts of the web. I can say with absolute certainty that the Pearson mailing list at Sailnet is one of the most active owners' lists in existance. I've made a lot of friends there. I had to drop out of it because it was so active -- couldn't get any work done! There are also other sites on Pearson sailboats that have a wealth of information, drawings, specs, project pages, etc. etc.Here's one of them: http://pearsoninfo.net/index.cfm. Dan Phiffer's page on Pyxis, his former boat, has more information on the Pearson 26 than you will find anywhere. Dan networked with Pearson owners from the Sailnet list and elsewhere to put together this awesome site.But seriously, judging a boat by how much web activity you can find on it is ludicrous!So Doug, why don't you and all your little minions go back to your Mac page and have a big old group hug, and leave the Pearson owners to do the same?

 

[Bob]

so true

Although I don't have experience in Mac 26's i do agree that me coming on asking about a pearson didn't warrant a slog of Mac owners advertising their boats, especially when it didn't suit my purposes. i didn't make my live-abordness clear in my first post, but then i did expect only comments regarding pearsons

 

[Captain E]

So Sad for P26 owners

As far as I see it, what really instigated this debate was a post from barfrat or WHAT EVER HIS NAME IS. Creating a negative topic in the Mac owners site (HERE IS THE LINK OF HIS POSTING) http://www.sailboatowners.com/forums/pviewall.tpl?fno=82&uid=73333147551&sku=2007306140104.50&rid=2007312205356.93#2007312205356.93 AS A CURIOUS PERSON I AM, I checked who this guy was, by checking all his comments post, and TO MY SHOCK: based on his past post about macgregors, this douchbag WAS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE... SO IF YOU WANT TO BLAME IT ON ANYONE, Blame it on one Barfrat... I HAD NO IDEA WHO "TOM SPOHN" WAS UNTIL I SAW BARFRATS POSTINGS... So sad to see that the only active post on a Pearson 26 is about MACGREGOR'S. Do you guys have anything better to do? I KNOW MOST OF YOU ARE OLD AND CLOSE TO RETIREMENT, I know you guys get bored of talking about the same problems with your boats, BUT PLEASE KEEP YOUR INSULTS TO your own boat... Us Macgregor owners have more heart about our boats and ARE BUSY IN IN OUR FORUMS. HAVING PESKY DISCUSSION LIKE THIS IS REALLY GETTING ANNOYING. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT IN THE PEARSON SITE, BUT We treat our boats like family. That link Gail sent doesn't work... Here is a intresting working link I saw when I googled Mac 26 eating a Pearson 26 http://www.elfwood.com/art/p/e/pearson15/slowdeath.jpg.html =0) That is All!

 

[Bob]

?

I believe I posted about trailering a p26, not about some barfrat on another forum. in fact, i've never been on the macgregor forum, or any other one besides the T22 owners group and capedory.org. I posted about trailering a pearson and i had many people tell me to sell the boat and buy a macgregor, something that didn't suit my purposes at all. so, something i'd like to ask you macgregor owners, WHY ARE YOU ON THE PEARSON FORUM?

 

[bio]

Hey Gail...

you neglected to mention in your "hey Doug" post that we came over here AFTER you made extremely negative remarks about a boat you have never sailed. If we came over here and talked about what it must be like to sail a tank in the same waters day after day, with little exploratory potential unless you quit you job and take off (of course most wouldn't do that in a mac or pearson 26...)how would you all have responded?Someone suggested a mac for it's trailoring...maybe not the best move on your forum...but it pales in comparison to the narrow and ignorant negative remarks you shot off!

 

[Gail]

And YOU fail to acknowledge how this all started

Let me try one more time to set the record straight on how this all started.On Oct. 12, a Mac owner gave unsolicited advice to Pearson 26 owner Bob, saying that Bob should instead own a Mac 26. This, in response to Bob's simple question about trailering his Pearson 26 a short distance in the spring and fall for storage. Since Bob is from Maine and I thought I could help, I jumped in with a suggestion to consider calling a hauler. I further explained that the Mac 26's that I have seen do not sail well, can't handle even the smallest amount of chop, and that the power boat with the little stick on top is ugly and a poor excuse for a sailboat. What I didn't mention before is that I have read news stories about water ballast mishaps and sinking and people drowning after a Mac 26 accident (in the Great Lakes???). Call me ignorant if you want, but I have seen and heard enough that I wouldn't want to set for on one.Bob has confirmed that a Mac 26 is not a good boat for his purpose, and that he likes his P26 and wants to keep it. But the bottom line is this, and let me state it this time in words a six-year-old can understand, since my prior attempts have fallen on deaf ears:YOU GUYS STARTED IT with Tom Spohn's unsolicited suggestion on Oct. 12 that Bob buy a Mac instead of a Pearson. That post came BEFORE I posted anything about Macs on ANY board. That, sir, is what set me off. Not once has any one of us Pearson owners jumped over to the Mac board and given unsolicited advise like "Hey, instead of a Mac, you should buy a Pearson." Not once.And again, I pose this question: If Macs are so wonderful, why do their owners need to go to other brand-specific forums and provide unsolicited suggestions that owners should dump their boats and buy a Mac instead? And if Macs are such awesome performers, how come hardly anyone is racing them?

 

[Doug J]

Too much fun, I can't stop!

Somebody, stop me please! *666Gail, I don't know maybe you have some kind of handicap, I should stop.But, I gotta point out something, AGAIN! *grrI know you've been shown this before... Here's what Tom Spohn posted on Oct 12.Quote;"If trailering is a priority why not get a boat designed for it in the first place. I have owned three MacGregor 26 ft boats in the past and the trailering was a snap. These boats retract the centerboard/daggerboard and sit very low on the trailer making launching easy. The mast and rigging takes about 10 minutes to fold up onto the top of the boat. The whole rig only weighs about 3500 lbs. so you don't need a monster truck to tow it. Our old explorer worked fine. The Macs won't sail as well as a keelboat or motor as well as a powerboat, but they will do most things well enough to enable a lot of fun on the water. Oh yes, all of the new boats come with a properly engineered trailer."Advise yes. Does that sound like Tom was "saying that Bob should instead own a Mac 26" ? I DON'T THINK SO!!! It was just a simple comment/advise Gail, you block head!What then happened, I remind you, AGAIN! ;{ bffatcat posted his response on the Macgregor forum. Then a playful and entertaining response was posted on the Pearson forum. Then away you went with all your rantings. Up until you joined in, no real problem. Most, if not all of this, IS YOUR FAULT! *grrWhat would have been more appropriate, is for bffatcat to respond exactly the way he did on the Pearson forum, in direct response to Tom Spohn. Then, none of this would have happened!

 

[Doug J]

By the way folks

In case you're not aware, your friend Gail, has been over to the Macgregor forum, continuing her poor behavior. That's why the saga continues...Perhaps you should have a talk with her...

 

[Gail]

Bob, probably best if we just give it up

It's pretty obvious to you, and me, and everyone here except the Mac invasion party, that Tom Spohn instigated this whole thing by suggesting you give up your Pearson and get a Mac. When I replied extolling the virtues of the Pearson (and degrading the Mac), Tom or some other Mac lurkers rallied the forces over on the Mac board and the invasion here intensified. I find it quite amusing, really, that these guys and gals find it necessary to get all defensive about their boats to the point that they have to jump on other lists and try to convert owners of other makes. Like I posted on the Mac board, it's almost like they are some kind of religious cult.I have learned something, though. There are indeed different flavors of the Mac 26 (thank heavens they're not all as ugly as that motor sailor). And you're a lucy guy with two great boats in the Pearson 26 and the CD 30. Sweet!!!

 

[Gail]

Doug, you've got it all wrong

Doug, Tom posted:"If trailering is a priority why not get a boat designed for it in the first place. I have owned three MacGregor 26 ft boats in the past and the trailering was a snap."If that isn't telling someone he should get a different boat, I don't know what is.Then Doug posted:"What then happened, I remind you, AGAIN! bffatcat posted his response on the Macgregor forum... What would have been more appropriate, is for bffatcat to respond exactly the way he did on the Pearson forum, in direct response to Tom Spohn. Then, none of this would have happened!"No, actually, bffatcat's response to Tom's little stunt was perfect. You see, Mac owner Tom went to the Pearson forum and recommended the Mac 26. So bffatcat returned the favor, and went to the Mac forum, and recommended a Pearson. An eye for an eye; mirror image of what Tom did when he instigated this whole thing. Get it? But does it really matter? You like your Macs, and that's great. We like our Pearsons, and that's great too. We each got the boat that suits our needs, and are enjoying those boats. Isn't that what counts?

 

[Doug J]

Huh?

Where in that quote do you see the words, "get a different boat"? He said "If trailering is a priority why not get a boat designed for it in the first place".If trailering is not a priority, Bob could have just told him so, as a reply on the same thread.

 

[Captain E]

Sounds like we need a sailing regatta ;D

It could be pretty fun I bet...We would probably all get along much better than the impersonal, easier to slander another, electronic world. I actually read a study that showed when people were in their car or at their computers they get aggravated much easier...something to do with a lack of eye contact/body communication...We are all sailors. I am probably a bit sensitive to the bashing of macgregors because most who do are just piggy backing on the tide of people who don't like them...but ALL those I have "met" who talk bad about them have never sailed on one or don't know about the various types. I KNOW my boat is fast for it's waterline...and have heard of many racing them and winning, combine that with the price and trailorability and it works great for ME. I;m sure the pearson is a great boat that does what their owners want...otherwise they wouldn't be sailing them.Bottom line we are all SAILORS There is so much positive stuff we could be sharing. Maybe we should set up some healthy competition regatta/sailors party (always good to have a reason to sail and to party!). Lets keep it on the backburner for next year...our phrf's are pretty close I think (~216 for 26s). I will be in the keys and/or Tampa for christ mass if anyone is interested we can find a way to make contact). Once in person, I bet we will find that we have much more common ground than differences

 

[Bob]

I DID

I did tell him as soon as i saw the message, yet this whole thing blew out of proportions, and gail, i have to say, sometimes I wish i didn't have two boats and had an actual house, but I get over it